Today’s Top Pick is a 1961 Mooney M20B.

Albert Mooney designed several aircraft for a variety of missions during his career. A number of them were well-known, including the Culver Cadet and Mooney M-18 Mite. The M20 series, which debuted in the 1950s, was by far the most popular. Based somewhat on the single seat Mite, the M20 was larger, had four seats and engines that increased in power and displacement over time. For most of its life, the M20 was known for providing a lot of performance in an efficient, economical package.

While the M20’s exterior is trim and compact, I would not call its cabin “cramped” or “tight.” Inside, the airplane feels like a lot of thought went into allocating the available space. Mooney owners I know talk mostly about their airplanes’ smooth, nimble handling, and how they perform like big-bore models while sipping fuel more like a Cessna 172.

This 1961 Mooney M20B has 3,215 hours on the airframe, 20 hours since overhaul on its 180 hp Lycoming O-360-A1D engine and 20 hours since new on its Hartzell Scimitar propeller.

The panel includes dual Uavionix AV-30Cs with a magnetometer and OAT, uAvionix TailBeaconX transponder with ADS-B out, Bendix King KY97A com, Terra TN200/TX720 nav/com, Terra Tri NavC, Apollo GX55 GPS, S-Tec 30 autopilot, and JPI EDM 700 engine monitor.

Pilots looking for style and speed in an efficient, economical package should take a look at this 1961 Mooney M20B, which is available for $67,000 on AircraftForSale.

You can arrange financing of the aircraft through FLYING Finance. For more information, email info@flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Air Compare: Grumman AA-5 vs. Mooney M20 Series
• FLYING Magazine: The Mooney M20U Ovation Ultra is a Product of Big Investment
• Plane & Pilot: The Marvelous Mooney M20
• Plane & Pilot: 2017 Mooney M20 Ovation
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Mooney 231/252

The post This 1961 Mooney M20B Is a Fast, Fuel-Sipping ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

As long and as frustrating as the hunt for the perfect airplane can be, it’s important to remain disciplined. On the one hand, it would be a mistake to remain a perpetual shopper, endlessly waiting for the perfect airplane to appear at the perfect price. But on the other hand, one must exercise patience to ensure their first airplane purchase is smart.

Among all the first-time buying advice I see and hear, many of the same items pop up regularly. Ensure the airplane doesn’t have a corrosion problem. Ensure the engine has been operated somewhat regularly and has not been sitting. Ensure the logs are complete, with no surprises. Obtain a thorough pre-purchase inspection from someone intimately familiar with the type. It’s all great advice that should certainly be followed.

But how can one look beyond the usual pre-purchase checklist and peer into a figurative crystal ball to predict what future maladies may surface? How can one anticipate and prepare for issues that might not reveal themselves for another two years…or five? To gain this level of knowledge, one must become something of an amateur detective. Fortunately, doing so is both simple and fun.

The easiest way is to join an airplane’s type club and engage with current owners. A phone call here or an email there can easily evolve into an enjoyable, hour-long micro-education about an aircraft type, providing a thorough understanding of the concerns and intricacies specific to it. In a matter of hours, one can learn from the expensive and extensive mistakes of others, all for an annual membership fee that’s typically around $50. That’s less than dinner for two at Olive Garden.

Over the years, I’ve only ever met one airplane owner that wasn’t completely enthusiastic about educating me about his airplane. It wasn’t entirely his fault, however, considering I ignored multiple “No Trespassing” signs, proceeded to trespass upon his property, and knocked on his back door on an otherwise peaceful Sunday afternoon. He was a good sport, however, and I received none of the gunshot wounds promised by the aforementioned signs.

Virtually every other airplane owner will happily indulge a prospective owner-to-be in the hopes of bringing them into the fold. While investigating the Beechcraft Musketeer, for example, I learned that many are equipped with the Continental IO-346. This is widely regarded as a great engine, but as it was only ever produced for the Musketeer, it is an orphan engine. Parts are extraordinarily difficult to source, and further investigation revealed that multiple engine shops simply refuse to work on them.

More than one owner with whom I spoke expressed regret that they hadn’t investigated this concern more thoroughly. While they love their engine and airplane, they dread the day when they are forced to find parts and maintenance for major work. In the meantime, they actively scour eBay, Craigslist, and other sources to proactively find and stockpile parts.

Similarly, researching the Mooney M20 series for a recent installment of Air Compare (coming up in FLYING’s April 2023 print edition) taught me things I would never have learned without picking up the phone and engaging with current owners. For this particular article, I was comparing ownership of the M20 with the Grumman AA-5 series. I knew going into it that the retractable-gear Mooney was more expensive to insure than the fixed-gear Grumman, but I vastly underestimated just how much more expensive it is. 

After interviewing several owners of each type and learning how much they pay every year for insurance, I reached out to a broker to conduct a theoretical apples-to-apples comparison. I asked the broker to create quotes for a 40-year-old private pilot with no instrument rating, 250 hours total time, and 5 hours in type. For a Grumman and a Mooney with the same horsepower and hull value, that pilot could expect to pay a premium of $341 per month to insure the Mooney. Adding an instrument rating, total time, and time in type still resulted in an additional premium of more than $200 per month above the cost to own a Grumman AA-5 series.

That’s a significant expense that can easily remain hidden until after the purchase, particularly if the first-time buyer simply accepts that retractable-gear airplanes are generally more expensive to insure without digging deeper for specific numbers. Going into it with a nebulous idea that some increased expense will be there starts to prepare a prospective buyer, but conducting these sorts of investigations fully prepares them.

As more airplanes emerge from their hangars and as more small airports resume hosting their wonderful Saturday pancake breakfast fly-ins, a wise buyer will take just a bit more time to play detective. This way, they will learn the hard lessons as well as the success stories experienced by those whose footsteps they follow.

The post Looking Beyond a Pre-Purchase Checklist appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Enter the VL-3

One such aircraft that I have been dying to fly is the VL-3 with retractable gear built by JMB Aircraft. When I was looking for a cross-country airplane to complement my ICON A5 amphib, I looked at the JMB lineup as an option. I was not intimately familiar with the brand, so I went with the Tecnam Astore instead.

JMB is based in the Czech Republic and is run by two Belgium brothers that got their start by being the exclusive reseller of Aveko in France and Belgium. In 2018, as JMB they purchased Aveko and went through a massive redesign and performance upgrade to the original VL-3 aircraft, then marketed as the Sprint.

JMB focuses now on speed and high-end design, drawing inspiration from Formula 1 race machines and exotic sports cars. The website and video content that JMB produces is all about making the airplane sexy and slick—two things that make the aircraft appealing to a wide range of pilots, but especially younger ones. I had seen some of the content that JMB has produced on the web prior to seeing the VL-3 in person, so I was excited to get my chance to fly.

Master of Schemes

I got my chance to fly the VL-3 on my last day at Oshkosh. The airplane was kept for demo purposes during the show not at the Wittman Regional Airport (KOSH), but instead at the Fond Du Lac County Airport (KZFD), approximately 20 miles to the south. My host on the day of my flight was the company’s design and quality manager, François Stelandre, a former race car driver who is—like me—passionate about aircraft liveries, from airliners to GA airplanes. He told me that years ago a racing accident ended his car racing career, but he has since taken that energy and put it towards designing airplanes that trigger an exotic-car sentiment.

After all, the VL-3 would fit right in the pages of the latest edition of duPont Registry, squeezed between the Ferraris, Lamborghinis, and Porsches with gorgeous paint schemes, stunning colors—and speed to match.

For the 20-minute car ride between KOSH and KFZD, François talked about various schemes JMB had brought to life. He was very passionate about custom aircraft paint designs and the challenges they presented. Almost every design he referred to contained paint colors derived from his background in high-end cars. He described various paint jobs that included Ferrari red, Porsche yellow, and Maserati blue, but also talked about special paint jobs based on logos or unique designs. 

Test Flight: Fond du Lac

On the day of our flight, JMB was running demo flights nearly nonstop. They had chosen a yellow and silver checkered flag livery, which I was told was Porsche yellow by François.

The VL-3 that we flew has a Rotax 915S turbocharged powerplant up front, which has more horsepower than the 914 Turbo that I fly in the Astore (115 hp). JMB advertises the top speed as 370 km/h or 200 knots, but that is at FL180. The engine is fuel-injected and has 142 horsepower. 

The airplane is a monster when it comes to speed. With a climb rate of 2,000 fpm, the VL-3 roared off the runway and quickly ascended to 10,000 feet msl, with little effort, even on the hottest day of my Oshkosh experience. When we leveled out, we topped out speedwise at 170 knots.  

Into the Panel

As far as the avionics suite goes, the VL-3 that we flew had the Garmin G3X Touch electronic flight information display (EFIS), with one 10-inch screen. I’ve become accustomed to a dual G3X setup (with two displays) in my Astore, which I would have opted for if I were buying the aircraft. The G3X is integrated with a Garmin autopilot and it worked seamlessly, with no issues that I found. The radio stack can come with either the Trig TY91 or TY96 comms, or the Garmin GTR 225, with remote-mount options available.

Layers of Safety

Aside from being tested beyond the airplane’s stated never-exceed speed to ensure a smooth envelope free of flutter, the VL-3 also includes a ballistic parachute that adds a layer of safety and peace of mind. 

The airframe is crafted out of carbon and Kevlar, which makes the airframe exceptionally light, but also incredibly sound and rugged. You can also equip the airplane with a standby Garmin G5 EFIS and angle of attack (AOA) indicator.

Interior Questions

With all of the great features of the VL-3, what are the drawbacks? From my perspective, the interior of the aircraft was the biggest disappointment, at least for our test flight. The seat stitching of our demo craft was a bit basic and underwhelming, and I found the seats to be pretty uncomfortable and stiff. 

The cabin felt a bit cramped, at least compared to the Astore, and the luggage compartment was also smaller than I was accustomed to. 

It is also possible that my cramped feeling was because we flew with two full-size adults in the cabin, and I normally fly with just one of my kids. It left me with the impression the cabin was more cramped than I was used to feeling in the Tecnam. 

The demo pilot told me that the interior configuration that we flew was at the lower end of the range they offered, and they had far more comfortable seating options available. You can check those out in the “Build Your VL-3” page on the company’s site. I was also told that the stitching could be upgraded, along with other interior design features that would make the cabin feel far more luxurious than the demonstrator that I test flew. 

What’s Our Take?

The bottom line is that the VL-3 offers more speed per dollar than almost any other new light airplane in its class. And with more than 400 units sold, there’s evidence that customers are responding. With a fully-loaded price tag of around $375,000, the VL-3 is a remarkably capable and fast two-seater. 

But like an exotic car, what you gain in speed, you lose in comfort. For me—since my wife is the only person I really have to convince, and for her, interior comfort wins out over speed—I will hold out until I experience the upgraded interior features before putting in my order for a VL-3.  

Specifications

The post We Fly: The JMB Aircraft VL-3 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“We have a little different expectation of what the aircraft will be capable of at [type certification],” said Rob Scholl, in an exclusive interview with FLYING. Scholl is CEO of Textron eAviation, under which the Pipistrel business unit resides. “The biggest change to the plan is that we want the airplane to be night IFR capable at entry into service. We also think we have the opportunity to bring the G1000 NXi avionics platform to the airplane.”

“There’s just some flight test that needs to be done to wrap up the program,” Scholl continued. “About a two-year timeframe is reasonable to get that through EASA, and then hopefully over through the FAA through the bilateral agreements.”

“The Panthera is going to be a game changer for the light aircraft segment,” said Gabriel Massey, president and managing director at Pipistrel, in a statement. “With capacity for up to four people, a range of 1,100 miles and a cruising speed of 230 miles per hour, this is a high-performance aircraft that will enable traveling at longer distances in great comfort. The Panthera is the ultimate answer for those looking for speed, fuel efficiency, and IFR capability.”

Flying Now—Under Experimental Regs

About a dozen of the Pantheras are already flying in the U.S. under the experimental exhibition category, as Scholl confirmed. The company benefits from real-world feedback from those aircraft in service—though they run the risk of being somewhat orphaned following the changes needed to make TC. However, Scholl doesn’t foresee much of a hurdle here. “The nice thing is, I don’t think there are large-scale requirements to the airplane right now, so those airplanes that are out there, we’ll continue to support them.”

“When [Pipistrel U.S. distributors Andy Chan and Shavonna Reid] mention something to us, we listen to them about the Panthera,” said Scholl, as the pair have been flying the model extensively over the past couple of years from their base at Right Rudder Aviation in Inverness, Florida (KINF).

Powerplant for Initial TC?

The Panthera has been under development with the intent that it could accept a selection of powerplants up front, depending on where the airplane would operate—and the needs of the customer. In fact, last September, Pipistrel flew a hybrid-electric version of the Panthera in Slovenia as a demonstration of the concept. “Good feedback from that—I think it performed well,” said Scholl. “We will continue the development of that platform. I just don’t think we’re ready yet to put a timeline on when that would be available on the marketplace.”

“It could obviously add a sustainability benefit to [the Panthera] and hopefully that will be something that the market will be looking for.”

But Textron eAviation will focus on the engine currently installed in aircraft flying in the U.S.—the Lycoming IO-540V-V4A5—for the initial type certification. “That’s obviously what’s in the aircraft now—for speed, we’re going to focus on that,” said Scholl. 

The Lycoming powerplant also looks like it will be a good match for whatever unleaded fuels come out of the EAGLE (Eliminate Aviation Gas Lead Emission) initiative. “I know Lycoming—they’re part of Textron—they’re looking at those initiatives as well,” he said. “We plan on supporting it at the Textron level when those [fuels] are available. We need the supply chain to come together to (a), produce it, regulators to approve it, and then make it available, so we’ll work on those [fuels] as we can.”

On the Velis Electro

While Scholl said that hybrid-electric is not “a complete solution,” it fits in well with the ethos of Textron eAviation. “[For now] there will still be a carbon aspect to it—but we sometimes get wrapped around the fact that we can’t solve the entire ‘lifecycle of the carbon’ aspect—let’s go do our part. We can try to get to a mogas [solution]—most of the Pipistrel products run on mogas today—and we’ve got the Velis, which is electric; we’ll continue that development. We’ve got the Panthera, which is hybrid-electric, so, [we’re] doing what we can through the spaces that we control to help improve the sustainability of aviation.”

The Velis Electro is “a fun airplane to fly,” Scholl agreed—and yes, there’s something odd about holding short of the runway with no engine running, but pilots will likely get used to it should the airplane become widely adopted.

“It’s capable within the vicinity of the airport,” said Scholl, “so if you’ve got an airport that you can go do maneuvers near, or you want to do pattern work, it will suit that mission right now. We’re focused on continuing the development of the platform—I don’t think the airframe [contains] anything that’s a challenge to us. What we’re waiting on is the intersection of the batteries and the airframe, because the airframe has to be a certain size to carry the necessary batteries.”

“I think Tine [Tomažič] and the Pipistrel team have a really good handle on the battery situation, and they’re really the only company in the world that’s done it. We’re not talking about it yet, but I think we have a plan for when we would see the next generation of electric propulsion come out,” Scholl concluded.

The Nuuva and UAM

The other part of Textron eAviation is the Nexus team, which is focused on urban air mobility (UAM). “That effort has shifted from being based with Bell to being based with the eAviation team,” said Scholl. “We’re still pulling resources from Bell…from Textron Aviation.“

“The reason why that’s important is that if you look at what Pipistrel brings to table, they obviously bring a product portfolio and a customer base that is really strong—they’ve delivered about 3,000 aircraft. But the Velis Electro is a great base to test the technology—the technology itself and with the regulators. You can take the learnings from that platform and apply [them] to the Panthera, which [has] a relatively known customer base with the infrastructure [that] already exists, to test out the technology so the regulators are comfortable with a fixed-wing aircraft like that. 

“The learnings from both those platforms can be applied to the Nuuva program, at Pipistrel, and a lot of the electric aspects of the Nuuva [V300] derive from the Velis technology. So, the motors, the battery systems—while the Velis is a new and novel design, the underlying technology of the aircraft is known to Pipistrel.”

“We’re doing flight controls, we’re doing electric propulsion, we’re doing thermal management around the motors and the batteries, so for us, the addition of Pipistrel gives us a logical step to bring different products to the marketplace, than being focused on one product..Pipistrel’s engineering team, their experience there, building and selling electric airplanes for a decade—it’s hard to buy that time and experience.”

Textron eAviation is actively working on the path to FAA certification on the Electro, which gained EASA certification in June 2020. “We’re talking with the FAA about the Velis…it’s been TC’ed by EASA, we just got U.K. validation, I don’t know that we’ve announced it yet but we just got the Mexico validation for the Velis, so we are checking the boxes around the world. 

“We need the FAA to work with us. There had been some work done between Pipistrel and the FAA prior to COVID, for various reasons during COVID it kind of stalled, so we’ve reinvigorated it. 

“I am hopeful that we will get a near-term path with the FAA to allow flight training in the Velis, because I think it will allow benefits to those flight schools, a lower cost—it’s about a fourth the cost of a combustion engine airplane [to operate], and it’s quiet, so you have less impact on the community.”

Scholl believes that eAviation has identified the specific knots to untangle. “The challenge for the FAA is that it is a new and novel technology to them, and the light sport rules with the FAA are a challenge. I have combed through the regulations in this area, and there’s a line in the light-sport classification that says it’s required to be a reciprocating engine. Otherwise, there’s nothing in the light sport rules that prohibit the Velis.”

For the near term, boosting the Electro’s operational capability in the U.S. under the current approval is the primary concern. “We are discussing with the FAA what the path looks like to bring this to a validation or some sort of certification level with the FAA.”

The post Pipistrel Sees Path to EASA Certification of the Panthera appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The single-engine retract was put under contract as one of 10 Diamond aircraft sold at EAA AirVenture 2021 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

Premier’s vice president of sales, Jeff Owen, projected the delivery to take place in the fourth quarter of 2022 after the FAA’s certification validation is completed. The DA50 RG has already been certificated under EASA.

The DA50 RG on display at the show was the first to make the North Atlantic crossing, which it did on July 9 when it landed at London, Ontario. From the Diamond factory there, it traveled to Oshkosh for AirVenture.

“The DA50 RG is the latest addition to the successful Diamond model line-up and fills the need for a large cabin high-performance single-engine aircraft that customers have been asking for in this category of aircraft,” Owen said in a press release.

The airplane is powered by a 300-hp Continental CDI-300, six-cylinder, turbo-diesel powerplant. According to the company, it also provides the most spacious cabin in its class with seating for five and generous baggage space and capacity.

The owner chose the DA50 RG for just those reasons, according to Premier, as well as its ability to operate on jet-A at a burn rate as low as 9 gph, positioning the airplane well in the sustainable aviation category.

Owen also noted the other sales that Diamond enjoyed at the show.

“During AirVenture 2021, we also took orders for ten new Diamond aircraft [3 DA20-C1s, 2 DA 40NGs, 2 DA42-VIs, and 3 DA 62s], making this one of Premier’s most successful shows in quite a few years,” he said.

“We’ve seen the overall interest in general aviation aircraft travel skyrocket since the COVID pandemic started in 2020 as more and more people are recognizing that you cannot beat the personal safety and convenience of traveling by private aircraft.”

The post First Diamond DA50 RG Sold at EAA AirVenture appeared first on FLYING Magazine.