Mooney M20 - Fastest Single Engine Piston Plane! Review, History, Specs and Costs 

My first time having an engine failure was in a Mooney 231. I had filled the gas tanks with a high pressure hose. I drained the water out of the sumps ( there was about an inch and a half in the tube type strainer). I started up and taxied it to the far side of the airport for takeoff. I ran the engine up and everything was fine. I was given a takeoff clearance and at the same time that I had retracted the gear, the engine quit. I immediately lowered the nose to maintain airspeed. The tower heard it and asked if I was having trouble. I picked up the mic and answered affirmative. I looked straight ahead and saw nothing but hardwood trees. I looked to my left and saw a bay that was within gliding distance. I had just started rolling out when the engine started running again. I kept the turn going and landed downwind. The tower had gotten everyone out of my way. The engine kept running for me to taxi back to our company headquarters. The head mechanic trusted me when I told him what happened. He drained a fair bit of water out of the gas tanks. He waited 20 minutes and drained out a bunch more. Waited another 20 minutes and drained out even more. He did this several more times until finally he quit getting water. This plane had flown in from Arizona and sat outside on our ramp for several months during the rainy season. It turns out that the fuel cap o-rings had dried out and with the fuel caps being recessed about 1/4”, the water was able to drain into the tanks. The high pressure fuel hose had put the water into suspension. I had gotten some of it out during preflight but there was still a lot in suspension. Learn from this.

I just bought my first plane two weekends ago! It's a 1967 m20f! I can't wait to get to know her better!

I owned a TLS Bravo for 3 years. She safely took me to the Bahamas, Belize, & Turks & Caicos. Thanks for the history lesson!

This is the best I’ve ever seen on the Mooney airplanes when I buy a plane it will be a Mooney.😊

He used my planes tailnumber as the photo how cool!

1986 M20K 252 Driver. Last year, FL270 from Colorado to OSH. Love my bird.

Great video and I learned a bunch, and was entertained. I've been a partner in a M20K "231" for eight years now and it's a fantastic airplane. Last summer, I flew it to KOSH and then over Lake Michigan to Traverse City in IFR conditions. We've upgraded the panel with Garmin goodies including the GFC500 autopilot, got rid of the vacuum system, and kept her well maintained. What a capable and fun flying machine.

The Mooney was always my favorite plane from the time I was a young boy. I always thought that V-stab was really cool! LOL My favorite Mooney story is how it was sold to Socata, right after the Mooney 301 design was almost complete. Socata had different plans for it. They wanted something to morph into turbo shaft power, and the slippery 301 fit the bill perfectly! Socata turned into Daher after the design was mostly done, and they set out to build it at their factory in Tarbes France. Build it they did!! You know the model 700 well! The rest of the name is T, for Tarbes, B for the back half of Tarbes, and M, for Mooney!! TBM-700! The fastest stock turbo-shaft in production is the (Modded) Mooney 301 with a PT6 mounted on the nose! LOL Made in Tarbes, France. Thanks for reading! Some exact details may be omitted due to space, but it's pretty much the story and how it happened. Peace --gary

The Mooney is fantastic, I am still looking one for myself. Can't wait to fly this beauty.

Two 👍👍 Up For Mooney 🇺🇸

Yes it is a joy to fly. TLS owner here.

I always liked the distinctive vertical stabilizer on the Mooney. Much like the v-tail Bonanza, you knew what the plane was.

Nice video… I went to school a half mile up the road from the Hoboken (NJ) ferry terminal, shown when discussing Al Mooney’s early financing arrangements… Got my first Mooney during Y2K… Fantastic airplanes, well built, speed or efficiency… whichever the PIC wants to use, that day. Flying a Mooney with 310hp is amazing!

There is my very plane at 5:16 D-EHHL. What a nice surprise

Clicked on your vid this morning and wasn’t expecting seeing my old Mooney during your title intro…. Made me do a double take.

I had a 20F Turbo Executive N9602M with electric gear and O2 certified for FL250 in the early 90's. It was so much fun to fly. Sadly, I had to sell it.

I love my Ovation ❤ Mooneys are just built like a tank

Had 200 hours in a 1966 M20E 200hp injected, still the most enjoyable plane to fly!

Lots of hours in the Super 21 and Exec 21...180 indicated and 8 gph. Positive control was a very nice feature. Felt like you were wearing the airplane. Sweet.

Back in 1998 I got checked out in an M20, forgot which model, I’d have to check my logbook. We flew from Centennial, CO to Rapid City, SD. While we were relaxing at the airport, my instructor and I ran into a couple Northwestern pilots and they took us onboard their MD-90 and let us hang out in the cockpit to BS a bit. Great memory and we flew by Mount Rushmore before heading back to Colorado that evening.

Had a 1969 M20C Ranger. Fun times.

i was in a forced landing of a m20 e due to failure of the fuel tank lining blocking the injectors we were lucky to survive as the day before over rugged mountainous terrain the thre pob would have all perished, be aware folks check your tanks vigilently

Definitely mistitled nevertheless it is a fast aircraft. I love my 67 M20E! I’ve own mine for several years and love it. My M20E performs very well. “WOT” wide open throttle and 100 “ROP” Rich of peak at 9000’ 167 KTAS 10.5gph “WOT” wide open throttle and 50 degrees “LOP” at 9000’ lean of peak (where I always fly) 143 KTAS 7gph with CHTs running 40 degrees cooler than ROP. Not bad for an IO 360/200 with the 2 bladed scimitar prop

The M20 is a fantastic, and relatively inexpensive airplane for traveling. They are very slippery, and it takes some advanced planning to bleed the speed down for final approach. If you don't plan right, you will float your way to a go around. Also, the doughnut ring suspension makes them a bit of a pogo stick if you don't grease the landing. I guess that the likelihood of a perfect M20 landing is inversely proportional to the number of people watching your landing. LOL

The Bellanca Skyrocket II was quite a bit faster, single reciprocating engine, general aviation aircraft but unfortunately it was t put into production. NASA kept one for study on laminar flow.

I own the first M20G. Serial number 1 (68001 to be exact). It started life as an F and was replacarded as the G after Mooney pulled off the 200hp IO-360 it originally had and installed a 180hp O-360. This was all after the plane was originally manufactured but before it was sold by the factory. As a result the first G left the factory with long range tanks and was the only G to have the extra fuel capacity. In 1994 the plane got its 200hp IO-360 back under a LASAR STC. It’s been a “G/F” ever since and is essentially a fully capable F with 64gal of fuel, electric gear, and 200hp of fuel injected speed. Beautifully restored and still sporting original colors, it was repainted in 2008 and given leather interior with a ton of LASAR speed mods. Glass cockpit in 2018. Owned and operated in CA since 1968.

Having owned a M20J and a M20M they are great planes.

I prefer a GeeBee myself, but haven't found one on trade a plane?

Do you mean it's the fastest one ever built by Mooney?

At 7:30, you sure that’s a picture of the ovation? 😏

early models before the 201 had manual retractable gear .

I'm a flying enthusiast. I'm making some arrangements to take my priv. Pilot's test here where I live (not US) and I really hope to get a Mooney one day. The ground school I'm planning to take has a mooney for training and I'm really excited about it

P-38 WW-II 414mph top speed, ceiling 44,000 feet Too bad Mooney couldn't find a suitable turbo-prop. :(

"The fastest single enginge piston plane ever built" - I don't think so! (More than 300 mph slower than the record holder.)

When you say fasted single engine plane, I assume you mean mean fastest civilian aircraft, obviously there much faster single engine military aircraft?

Faster than a Bonanza Turbo? I believe it’s called a TC.

Bonanza had less speed but 6 seats and room.

I love my 66 M20E but, Mooney isn’t the fastest single engine piston aircraft

I think Lancairs IV and IVP’s are faster

Ehhhh, that's not the fastest single piston engine airplane ever. It's actually a (insert name of virtually any WW II fighter from any country - I'll go with my favorite, the North American P-51D, capable of well over 400 mph without modification). Otherwise, an informative video about a stunningly efficient line of aircraft.

Without specifying "General Aviation", the claimed speed record is extremely false, strictly speaking. That record may hold in GA (general aviation) but there were dozens of manufacturers making single-engine piston planes that flew well in excess of 300 and some, even 400 mph back in WWII: fighters. So they should qualify that claim because on its face, it's oddly inaccurate for an industry-recognized accolade.

Grab my Johnson bar….🤣🤣.

Is not AT AT AT ALL the single engine pisto fastest in that class ….. that tittle is hold for the CESSNS TTX … even discontinued since 2018 still hold that world record as the only single piston engine in that class as the world fastest ever in that class even the Mooney with retráctil gear is slower that the world fastest the one and only wold faster even in her class the TTx

Mooney owners always pretending like the Bonanza doesn’t exist with more cabin room, more speed, a proper tail and sexier look.

Garbage!!! There are many singles that are faster!