Hot on the heels of FAA certification of its new M20V Acclaim and M20U Ovation Ultras, Mooney International began deliveries, with the first at its Kerrville, Texas, factory and the second at AirVenture 2017.
In addition, the company was awarded TIA on the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics suite for placement in the new Acclaim and Ovation Ultras.
Mooney now has about 200 employees dedicated to building and supporting the new Ultras.
The new models bring several major updates to the M20 series, including a new pilot-side door, an avionics suite with center-console data entry, and a new luxury interior.
Adding to the company’s list of recent milestones is completion of certification work on the avionics suite for both the Ovation and Acclaim Ultras.
The new system offers customers a host of capabilities and refinements – from faster boot-up times, to enhanced screen resolution and faster map-rendering speeds, according to company officials. The suite also features visual approach capability, wireless Bluetooth connectivity, map overlay on the HSI, and ADS-B In and Out compliance.
Also at AirVenture 2017, Mooney officials reported that the M10 next generation aircraft (pictured below) program is alive and well. The proof of concept airframe has flown more than 150 hours to date, and the company’s research and development team continues to make strides in development, officials reported.
Mooney is finalizing plans to relocate the M10 development team to the production facility in Kerrville, Texas, to support greater synergy between engineering and production teams, officials added.
Adding a door and copying the Cirrus perspective center console won’t change Mooney’s fate. The Mooney is still an all metal and wooden beast with retractable (high insurance rates) gear. And has no parachute. And limited visibility.
Did I mention Mooney sells five planes a year?
Actually they only delivered two units so far this year