An Honest comparison of a Mooney vs Cirrus

FloridaPilot

FloridaPilot

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As most of you know. I like AV Web. They normally give honest assessments of aircraft. Here is one with the Mooney Ovation, (With some Acclaim as well) vs Cirrus.


Good Assessment!
 
He does a good fair job. Full disclosure I own an Ovation and think it is an amazing machine. Below is an example of what one can do. They are built like tanks and imho the Mooney holds up better over the years than a composite airplane.

What I wish reviewers would point out though regarding the useful load... efficiency = additional load. If the Mooney is 20% more efficient, then to get the same distance the Cirrus can go, the Mooney can leave say 20 gallons, aka 120lbs of fuel on the ground, and go from 1050 useful to 1170...

Greg

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gsengle said:
He does a good fair job. Full disclosure I own an Ovation and think it is an amazing machine. Below is an example of what one can do. They are built like tanks and imho the Mooney holds up better over the years than a composite airplane.

What I wish reviewers would point out though regarding the useful load... efficiency = additional load. If the Mooney is 20% more efficient, then to get the same distance the Cirrus can go, the Mooney can leave say 20 gallons, aka 120lbs of fuel on the ground, and go from 1050 useful to 1170...

Greg

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Have you ever flown a Bonanza before? If so how does the roll rate compare to a Mooney?
 
FloridaPilot said:
Have you ever flown a Bonanza before? If so how does the roll rate compare to a Mooney?
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Yep. A Bo is much lighter on the controls, the Mooney is rock solid (push rod controls) and more stable. Frankly the Bo flies nicer for VFR hand flying, but I’d choose the Mooney for IFR. The Mooneys controls are pretty heavy at cruise speed.

And for distance traveling the Mooney is a good ten or more knots faster on the same engine....


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Surprised no one on that thread mentioned the history of the TBM. Aka Tarbes-Mooney... sadly their financial troubles ended their part in the airplane. Has some Mooney DNA when you look close...


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At that price point you want a glassair, lanceair or white lighting if you can find one.

Failing that a PA24
 
James331 said:
At that price point you want a glassair, lanceair or white lighting if you can find one.

Failing that a PA24
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That’s the problem with any new production airplane. A fully optioned SR22T pushes a million dollars.

Me, I’d buy a very nice Baron for 1/4 if that....

There are Mooney Ovations in good shape with steam gauges and a 530 for sub 200k....


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gsengle said:
That’s the problem with any new production airplane. A fully optioned SR22T pushes a million dollars.

Me, I’d buy a very nice Baron for 1/4 if that....

There are Mooney Ovations in good shape with steam gauges and a 530 for sub 200k....


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For 1M get a turbine Titian 51 and have a good chunk left over for JetA

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2.5 hours back from Oshkosh, I don't think I burned much, sure didn't look like it. 2 hours back from DC, burned about 17 gallons. I love my Mooney. Most bang for your buck in all of GA. You guys have have your damned experimentals. They cost more and good luck bringing your SO's luggage.
 
Facts, numbers, objective data aside, a huge part of buying, or even just liking an airplane, comes down to feelings and subjective emotions. I can't tell you how many times I've heard the phrases below when someone was discussing their favorite plane to rent / fly / own

"that plane looks cool"
"that plane is sexy"
"who cares if it is slow, it's friggin awesome"
"most comfortable small plane I've sat in"
"wow, it has a v-tail, doesn't matter if they fall off sometimes, that looks really cool"
"I can say gear up like a real pilot"
"I don't have to worry about the gear"
"nice view of the ground with wings on top"
"feel like a real plane with wings on the bottom"
"it just rides so solidly"
"but it has scissor doors"
"who cares if it has one door, it flies better than a skyhawk"
"I have two real doors like a car and there is no wing to climb over"
"my wife just loved it"
"I can fit me, my wife, 3 dogs and luggage in it"
"it's so smooth in turbulence"
"it's the cheapest plane to rent for the speed" <- in reference to a Grumman Tiger
and so forth..

People will cherry pick objective truths to validate their emotional attachment to a plane, picking out whatever category that plane excels in. Mooney guys usually come with the speed and economy as top two. Cirrus guys the comfort, modern design (and honestly speed too in many cases), Bonanza guys on its looks, flying qualities, those massive rear doors. 210 and Lance / Saratoga / Six guys on sheer hauling ability. 182 and other guys on utility and performance in and out of tiny runways, etc.

I would say a car choice, for most people is 50/50.. 50% pragmatic gas mileage, warranty, etc., and the other 50% on "it looks and drives nice" - for planes I would not be surprised if it was closer to 90% feelings based and 10% facts based (even if we think we're making an objective choice)..
 
Why does the Mooney feel like it’s a more acertainable plane for me? The older Mooneys are still pretty fast machines. I’m flying a 182 club plane now. Not thinking about ownership for at least two years but always looking at what would be next. For my mission the 182 fits but as the kids get a bit bigger going to need to upgrade for more useful load. Always had a 210 in mind but the Mooney’s performance is hard to look away from given the costs.
 
Tantalum said:
People will cherry pick objective truths to validate their emotional attachment to a plane, picking out whatever category that plane excels in. Mooney guys usually come with the speed and economy as top two. Cirrus guys the comfort, modern design (and honestly speed too in many cases), ...
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Most vehicles are a compromise, small planes it's painfully obvious about the compromise.

I put my look for a partner and plane on hold temporarily, but I was looking at Mooneys and SR22s. Both are excellent travelling planes. The SR22 has an edge for me due to passenger comfort, especially my wife, because if she likes to go I get to fly more. I also do many Angel Flight missions and passengers love the SR22; not that they get to pick the plane they ride in.



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benyflyguy said:
Why does the Mooney feel like it’s a more acertainable plane for me? The older Mooneys are still pretty fast machines. I’m flying a 182 club plane now. Not thinking about ownership for at least two years but always looking at what would be next. For my mission the 182 fits but as the kids get a bit bigger going to need to upgrade for more useful load. Always had a 210 in mind but the Mooney’s performance is hard to look away from given the costs.
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If you are going to have a problem with the useful load of a 182, you definitely should not get a Mooney. 182s run 1100lbs, Mooney tops out around 1000 for some models, 900 or less in some models, I think the encore has most at 1150.
 
benyflyguy said:
Why does the Mooney feel like it’s a more acertainable plane for me? The older Mooneys are still pretty fast machines. I’m flying a 182 club plane now. Not thinking about ownership for at least two years but always looking at what would be next. For my mission the 182 fits but as the kids get a bit bigger going to need to upgrade for more useful load. Always had a 210 in mind but the Mooney’s performance is hard to look away from given the costs.
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Older Mooneys can be a real value. There are plenty out there, and there is still factory support. But it depends on your priorities. Mooneys are great traveling machines, instrument platforms. Efficient, fast, sturdy, not overpriced. But they aren’t huge load haulers, not super spacious (although neither are they as small as many would have you believe, being wider than a Bo, and Al Mooney was 6’5”). They aren’t bush planes. I fly an Ovation, but there are days I wish I had a Saratoga, there are days I wish I had a Baron and there are def days I wish I had a Husky. What I need is a 4 partner partnership with those 4 airplanes...

Big family? Growing kids? Single engine? PA32 family.


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Someone get some drink in Ken so we can get the dirty laundry aired. I have heard from someone else that they are not a fan of PB either (based on personally knowing him), I don't know him but I must admit I am quite entertained by some of his work, my sense of humor is quite aligned with his public persona. A particular favorite of mine is his rant on long downwinds / big patterns in piston singles :)
 
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It's not exactly state secret that Berto is the Jim Cantore of general aviation so-called journalism.
 
teejayevans said:
If you are going to have a problem with the useful load of a 182, you definitely should not get a Mooney. 182s run 1100lbs, Mooney tops out around 1000 for some models, 900 or less in some models, I think the encore has most at 1150.
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Mine, and a lot of later pre-restart 182's, are in the 1300lb range. Not sure I'd go from a 182 to a Mooney for UL....Speed, yes...
 
hindsight2020 said:
It's not exactly state secret that Berto is the Jim Cantore of general aviation so-called journalism.
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You gotta fill us in for those of us who don't get our weather briefings from the weather channel :p

As far as integrity in terms of "Aviation Journalism" I'd say it is probably on par or worse than the likes of Motor Trend or somesuch back in the day when Detroit was the only one paying your advertising bills... and could cut off your access to demo cars and the like at will and ruin your business... it doesn't pay to **** off advertisers when there are less of them in the whole market than you can count on one hand...
 
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