Those Remarkable Mooneys

This 251 page book takes a comprehensive look at the history of the Mooney airplane and its designer. From the front flap: "This book offers a rare opportunity to chronicle the history of an aircraft design first offered in 1955....and still in production in 1998. Equally notable is the story of the airplane's designer, Al Mooney." Includes several black and white and color photos and detailed descriptions of different engines.

ABOUT THE BOOK

From The Publisher This book offers a rare opportunity to chronicle the history of an aircraft design first offered in 1955 and still in production in 1998. Equally notable is the story of the airplane's designer, Al Mooney. His interest in airplanes began when he was only eight years old. His dad, who worked for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad building wooden trestlers, taught him the elements of drafting and advance layout work at an early age. The Denver Public Library became his home away from home. He studied every book and magazine they had on aviation and aircraft design. Mooney's first hands-on experience occurred at the early age of nineteen when an out-of-rig Swallow airplane arrived at the Denver, Colorado, airport during 1925. A heated discussion was in progress concerning the Swallow ... it wasn't handling right. Young Al arrived, listened, looked the Swallow over and suggested it was out of trim. J. Don Alexander happened to be in the group and began questioning Mooney about his knowledge of airplanes. He was so impressed, he hired Al on the spot to work for the Alexander Aircraft Company. Mooney's lifelong career was launched. Before he retired from Lockheed Aircraft Corporation on January 31, 1968, he had worked for ten different aircraft companies; one of them twice and two companies which were his own. The second and last Mooney Aircraft Company was his lasting contribution to general aviation and a legacy which lives on still bearing his name. He certified his now famous M-20 design in 1955, then left the company at the relatively young age of forty-nine. Forty-three years later his original design has gone through many transforamtions but still remains a "Mooney." This book will take you through these progressions and briefly cover Al Mooney's early years . . . with particular emphasis on his first commercially successful design, the Culver Cadet. His beginning Culver days at Columbus, Ohio, are included, as well as his years with Culver in Wichita, Kansas ... until the company collapsed shortly after the end of World War II. Roy LoPresti, who served as Vice President of Engineering for Mooney Aircraft Corporating during its years as a subsidiary of Republic Steel Corporation (1973-1983), perhaps summed it up best when he said this recently about Al Mooney: "He could do it all!"