Bill Wheat began his career at Mooney Airplane Company in 1954 working right beside Al and Art Mooney as their test pilot.  Bill moved from test pilot to engineer and in fact, has done just about everything there is to do here in his long career at the Mooney Factory.  A Designated Engineering Representative (DER) for the FAA, there's not a question out there regarding Mooney's that Bill can not answer.  After all, he designed most of the systems used in them.  You can contact Bill at bwheat@mooney.com

 

Stacey Ellis began his career at Mooney Airplane Company in 1996 as an   

aircraft technician.  Before long he was the manager of our Mooney Factory Service Center.  He currently works in our Technical Support division where he answers your questions on a daily basis.  Contact Stacey at sellis@mooney.com 

"It is impossible to accurately measure the results of aviation safety.  No one can count the fires that never start, the aborted takeoffs that do not occur, the engine failures and the forced landings that never take place.  And one can neither evaluate the lives that are not lost, nor plumb the depths of human misery we have been spared.  But the individuals with the flight controls, fueling hose, wrench, radar or dispatch order can find lasting satisfaction in the knowledge they have worked wisely and well, and that safety has been the prime consideration." (Author unknown)

 

     Recurrency training is a catch 22 - you can't fly unless you're current, but you can't be current unless you fly.  To maintain or regain currency, every pilot must undergo periodic recurrency training.  The term "recurrency training" encompasses a variety of training requirements including recent flight experience, instrument proficiency checks, transition training, and refresher training.  These requirements are designed to maintain a safe flying environment for all pilots.  The Mooney Pilots Safety Foundation believes the increasingly complex aviation operating environment requires more, not less, training.  Any prolonged lull in training can be cause for concern.  A study conducted for the FAA by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University determined after training ceases, pilots lose the ability to perform maneuvers at an alarming rate.  Being legally current may not always correlate to proficiency.  An analysis of accident statistics from 1982 through 1988 indicated the majority of aircraft accidents occurred within 12 months of the pilot's flight review.

     A possibly more important finding of the study was that pilots don't realize dramatic skill losses are taking place, particularly in seldom performed maneuvers.  For example, errors were made over half the time on maneuvers pilots predicted they could perform flawlessly.  This situation exemplifies the need for quality, insightful, and experienced flight instruction, especially during the precious few training hours required by regulation.  To make the most of these opportunities, it's important that recurrency training be viewed as an exciting, interesting and worthwhile learning for every pilot.  This is the mission of the Mooney Pilots Safety Foundation!

     The Flight Training Curriculum adopted by the Safety Foundation provides for a detailed listing of maneuvers and the expected standards of excellence for completion of these maneuvers.  Every Safety Foundation Instructor is taught the curriculum, and is expected to teach the curriculum in every detail.  This assures a thorough exposure of the trainee to all maneuvers a pilot might use in the conduct of a flight, with particular emphasis on those maneuvers not used routinely.  The Safety Foundation feels very strongly about standardization and the predicted results from using proven techniques and methods.  Our "by the numbers" approach to predicting performance by using proven values has gained us the recognition as the provider of quality recurrency training.  The Aviation Insurance Industry recognizes the importance of our training program, and will usually offer a premium discount for completing one of our Pilot Proficiency programs.  In fact, some insurance underwriters require recurrency training before renewing a policy.

     Recurrent training only begins with completion of one of our programs.  We encourage Mooney pilots to develop their own recurrency program, which should involve both ground and flight portions.  The ground portions can include a periodic review of the AIM and Pilot's Operating Handbook for the specific Mooney model being flown.  Other opportunities for training are available through a review of aviation related magazines, interactive training CD's, and FAA sponsored safety seminars.  During every flight, Mooney pilots should consider practicing at least one or two seldom used maneuvers.  For example, instead of performing a normal takeoff, consider a short field takeoff.  The key to a personal recurrency program is to understand that there is probably some type of maneuver that could use some work.

     "I could not honestly claim to be the best pilot, because as good as you think you are, there is always somebody that probably is better...As much as I flew, I was always learning something new, whether it was a switch on the instrument panel I hadn't noticed, or handling characteristics of the airplane in weather conditions I hadn't experienced... All pilots take chances from time to time, but knowing - not guessing - about what you can risk is often the critical difference between getting away with it or drilling a fifty-foot hole in mother earth." Yeager: An Autobiography, by General Chuck Yeager and Leo Janos.    

  Al Mooney was born April 12, 1906, not quite two years after his brother, Art (born July 10, 1904).  Their father engineered railroad trestles.  In order to spend quality time with his sons, the elder Mooney taught Art and Al the basic concepts of drafting and layout work.  As a child, while other children his age drew flowers, trees or dogs, Al's sketchbook overflowed with aircraft designs.

     In his book, "The Al Mooney Story: They All Fly Through the Same Air" co-authored with Gordon Baxter, Al writes, "During my freshman year in high school, I asked my math teacher what I should study so I could design a safe airplane. He (the teacher) laughed, said no airplanes were safe and advised me to wait until I was in college."

     Al realized the type of information he needed to achieve his dream of designing and building a safe airplane was not going to be found in high school.  At the time, Denver, where Al lived, had a pretty good Aeronautical library.  He spent every spare moment he could in that library.  Al read all the handbooks for pilots and designers he could find.  After graduation high school, Al planned to attend the Colorado School of Mines.  His plans, however, were interrupted by a chance encounter.  Find out what it was next month...

 

  Last we checked, Mooney owns nearly 200 speed records - and climbing, rapidly.  But we don't just fly faster, we fly better.  With more than 60 years of product enhancements and customer service, we know a thing or two about leading the industry.  From speed to range to safety to innovation, we're constantly redefining the term "state of the art."

     Since its inception in 1946, Mooney Airplane Company has manufactured and delivered more than 11,700 aircraft worldwide.  Today, 7,000 customers in the United States and over 1,000 more overseas fly these proven, high performance airplanes.  To ensure such a high standard of excellence, the vast majority of parts are designed and produced right at the Mooney factory in Kerrville, Texas.  Our master technicians handcraft each airplane one at a time, from the stitched leather upholstery to the ergonomic panel to custom cabin amenities.  Mooney Airplane Company is a place where the pride of American ingenuity runs deep, and the the desire to produce the ultimate flying machine thrives within the soul of the culture.

     What Al Mooney started over 60 years ago has become a reality.  His dream was to build the fastest of its kind.  With aerodynamic purity from the highly polished spinner to the signature tail, Acclaim is the fastest Mooney ever built.  As a matter of fact, the Acclaim Type S is the fastest, single engine, piston production aircraft currently on the market.  This speed combined with the Garmin G1000 avionics package, WAAS (Wide Angle Augmentation System) and the safety record of the Acclaim Type S make it a dream to fly.  Some call it perfection.  Others call it amazing.  We call it ACCLAIM!

     Mooney - we love to fly - FAST!