By Rod Douglas 

It was the perfect day for it. Miserable. Grey, wet and with the damp heaviness of a sponge waiting to be squeezed. Perfect for my introduction to Mooney’s latest high performance girl, the 280 hp Acclaim, claiming to be the world’s fastest piston single. After all, on a perfect blue day, do you really need a flight level capable rocket ship?

The Acclaim is all Mooney. Apart from the massive initial on the tail it could be any of the modern long bodied Mooneys. November 1035 Sierra is dressed in the rich trademark deep green that has been a signature of the turbo-charged Mooneys since the original TLS graced the skies in 1988. Contrasted by the golden cowl  and long swishes of speed streak gold, the enormous A that fills the unique backward tail gives a modern and fast feel to her idiosynchratic tail low, nose high ‘I mean business’ look. With new upturned wing tips, the look is all speed.

The big three bladed Hatzell scimitmar propeller used to look mean on the ramp but, as more and more new aircraft land in the country with the sinister curved blades, they are becoming a far more common imposing sight. Driven by the venerable TSIO-550-G twin turbo charged Continental engine, down rated from the 310 hp in many installations, we can expect to see good reliability with the TBO of 2000 hours met.

I was greeted at Brisbane airport by Garry Mitchell of Australian Air Ferry who had just put an additional 18 hours on 35 Sierra flying it over the puddle. Gary is a lanky and enthusiastic bloke who had nothing but praise for the performance of the aircraft and was even pretty impressed with its comfort.

My initial walk around was like meeting an old friend. With a few hundred hours in a TLS there wasn’t a lot new to me but, I have to say, that the finish and level of detail continues to incrementally improve. Of the new metal GA aircraft no one finishes their airframes with the same flair for ‘go fast’ attention to detail quite like Mooney, with its flush riveted wing and fully articulated empennage.

The tail on all Mooneys has always been a curiosity. To non-pilots it seems to be put on backwards but, to then discover that the whole assembly pivots around one bolt, always amazes. I’m embarrassed to remember the first time I took the TLS in for a 100 hourly and commented to the LAME on the slight scuffing of the cuff below the tail. He smiled and pointed out the fully articulated tail and, as I sheepishly nodded, assured me that I was one of many who had pointed out exactly that same scuffing. I’m sure he was serious and I know I was embarrassed because I’d read the POH cover to cover many times and clearly didn’t understand the implications. That curious tail is one of the reasons that Mooneys have always been seen as the speed demons. With no trim tabs to slow it down and smooth and solid push rod controls this Mooney is, as with every one before it, a crisp handling and solid machine.

Having climbed inside - and in a Mooney, in my opinion, you really do ‘climb’ inside- I started to notice some real differences. Mooneys have always been a snug machine. I’m a solid bloke, Garry is a tall solid bloke and when we climbed in together I was actually surprised that the cockpit seemed more spacious than in the TLS. I suspect that Mooney may have won back a little more space with attention to interior moldings and a few design mods.

I’ve always loved the pure speed, grunty horsepower and sporty handling of the Mooney. My wife was far less enamored with the TLS than myself. Anything over about 90 minutes and the tight cabin and low seating position proved too claustrophobic and tiring for her. I think this effect has been accentuated when you compare the Mooney cockpit with that of a Cirrus or the Cessna 350 or 400.

It reminds me of the experience of trading my Porsche 911 in on a Landrover Discovery about 15 years ago. I’d just bought a large semi-rural estate in the mountains behind the Gold Coast at Beechmont and discovered that the Porsche simply wouldn’t  go down the driveway. I’d bought the Porsche up from Sydney in an exhausting 12 hour drive when I moved.  The Porsche, great as it was to drive, whether fast or slow, simply wasn’t a grand tourer.  I headed down to the dealership to swap it over. When I hopped in the Discovery I made a discovery. I could probably drive it all day with ease. After five years, I suddenly realised the Porsche was actually really rather uncomfortable.

It’s a little how I feel about Mooneys now. I spend a lot of time in a Cirrus SR22. In the Mooney, like the Porsche, you sit low and slide yourself into the seat with your legs deeply embedded in the well.  With one door you do feel like you’re scurrying across the cockpit. I’ve often wondered why Mooney hasn’t done the work to recertify with two doors as I feel it would relieve this minor issue and make them more attractive to both pilots and passengers.  With your bum inches from the ground the sense of going fast is fantastic.  But I do find it a little tiring. With the Cirrus, and the other non-metal ships, you step down into the well and the seats have you sitting very erect in a fairly natural seated pose.

Once seated, the panel is dominated by the two big Garmin 1000 screens.  I find it quite odd that Mooney, and the other manufacturers of legacy airframes, haven’t done more work to integrate the value of the form change that flat panel screens have bought to cockpits. The newer avionics give their instrument pods a consciously modern look as well as effective ergonomics and layout. Legacy manufacturers have typically done as Mooney has and simply deleted the enormous clutter that used to be required for high performance aircraft and replaced it with the G1000. However, switches that were undoubtedly located where they were originally put because of the scarcity of real estate, still remain there today.

While this does make logical sense in a relatively seamless transition from a steam driven Mooney to a glass Mooney, it does negate the opportunity for a significant change and squanders an opportunity for a major refit in the design and look of the cockpit, which, quite frankly, looks bare. As all new Mooney owners get a comprehensive four day factory transition training program, with two days focused on systems, any change could be easily covered in the training.

Now about now you might be thinking to yourself that I’m just having a whinge. Truth is, today’s new aircraft are all truly sensational packages, and the Mooney is no exception. Discernment is all about being able to discover what’s fabulous, what’s ordinary and what is truly tragic. There is nothing tragic about this rocket ship. There is a lot that is remarkable. And there are simply a few things that could be done better. So Mooney, how about a pilot’s door and a little focus on the ergonomics and panel real estate?

Now that’s out of the way let’s get down to the really fun part. The Mooney is nothing if not fun to fly. Once ensconced in the sporty cockpit, everything is easily to hand. Once the master switch is activated, the big G1000 screens flicker into life and everything you need to know is staring you in the face. It’s definitely one of the advantages of the G1000 over the Avidyne installation and means that you have a full engine panel for start. Full rich, full throttle, five seconds of prime and we’re ready for start. Retard the throttle, turn the security coded key and the engine roars to life. It’s a deep throaty roar that makes it clear that you mean business.

 With Garry handling the radio and clearances with Brisbane ground, we are off and taxiing for runway 30. The cloud was a solid overcast at 4000 with rain showers in the area. The runway was wet and, with a flight plan for Maryborough at FL200, I wondered about the logic of bringing out an Acclaim without the optional TKS known ice system. The flight would be a great test of the up high performance of the aircraft.

Mooneys have a very solid feel on the ground with the three hard rubber donuts providing adequate if sporty suspension to the retractable under carriage. The nose wheel steering is direct and effective and allows taxiing at a reasonable clip. Visibility is good all round. The run ups are vastly abbreviated with the G1000 and, after selecting take off flaps and ensuring that the rudder trim is set well right to offset the torque, we are cleared for takeoff.

With a smooth vernier throttle the engine roars as full power is applied and the customary turbo Mooney kick in the pants signals the dash down the runway. I was amazed that the amount of right rudder needed to stay straight seemed much lower than on the TLS which may be a function of a delightful engine installation beneath the brand new carbon cowls, or maybe I had it trimmed just right. For, whatever the reason, with low P factor and within about 300m we had rotated and were blasting skyward. We were unquestionably light with no rear seats and half tanks but the initial climb once clean up was showing a twin like 1,500 fpm climb.

As we punched through the first layer of scud at about 3000 ft, a quick look at the OAT told me that, as we continued shooting up towards FL200, there was a fair chance we could be in icing territory. The Mooney is one of the few singles certified for known ice with its double pump TKS weeping wing system. 35 Sierra isn’t fitted with it. I thought that was a very interesting decision.

Now some people would argue that Australia’s weather is benign enough to not justify anti-ice, but I have memories of many a flight in the TLS climbing up above overcasts in the low 20’s that required a quick squirt of glycol to get me through. It is true that, for the majority of the time, anything over 10,000 will put you on top and, generally, our temperatures are high enough to make the climb up low risk. But I take a different view.

The buyer of a new Mooney Acclaim is going to be making a clear statement. The aircraft is so fast, capable and expensive that they are choosing to fly themselves over the airlines. To make that choice you need to be able to go almost every time. With the incredibly capable G1000 cockpit loaded with avionics, including stormscope, TAWS and TCAS, the only thing missing is real time weather (and that is fitted via an XM satellite receiver which isn’t available in Australia). I ran a few calculations on trips I regularly make in a SR22. Last week I made my quickest time ever from Archerfield to Swan Hill, about 667 nautical miles. Three hours 50. The Acclaim would do it in two hours 51. A full hour shaved off the trip. Melbourne  to Brisbane using the actual winds, three hours neat. These are turboprop speeds that see you using the same amount in fuel that you would spend on a flexible fare on the airlines.

More than likely you could leave home later and arrive earlier without having to deal with all the crap that so clearly defines a commercial flight experience these days.

This is a very fast and capable aircraft. While not everyone is happy about having to suck on oxygen, the built-in systems in the Mooney are very well designed. Turn the single valve on the pilot’s side wall, plug in the mask and off you go. For those doing it regularly, an automated oxygen sampler attached to your finger is a very good investment to ensure that high level flight is a safe bet. I remember once needing to put on a jumper at FL250. In the process I knocked my mask off. By the time I had reinstated it I could feel the effect of hypoxia. It took just moments.

We put the masks on as we climbed through 10,000 feet and the VSI was still showing 1,250 fpm climb. This beast just kept going up and up. When it was time to level at FL200 we were still seeing climb at better than 1,000 fpm. As the aircraft accelerated we started to see a dramatic jump in the TAS which settled itself at 223 knots. Fuel burn stabilised at 78 lph. Having a play with the engine management on the G1000 soon had us lean of peak at best economy which saw fuel flow fall to 70 lph for 216 knots. Range jumps by 10% while the speed falls by 3%. A good trade in anyone’s language.

At altitude the Mooney’s crisp pushrod controls gave delightful flight characteristics. At speed and altitude the snappy roll rate and responsiveness in all axis gives a fighter like feel and enhances the Mooney ‘fun to fly’ experience.  I soon discovered just how fast this beast is when I realised that, with a climb to altitude time of 17 minutes, we had just passed Maroochydore.  According to the G1000 we had 15 minutes to run Maryborough. A four hour car trip simply morphed into 32 minutes in this rocket ship.

With 100’s of hours on the Avidyne glass panel , I was looking forward to having a play with the G1000. It is an incredibly well integrated panel with the benefit of complete redundancy between the screens, simply integrated radios and the GFC700 autopilot - the autopilot is truly superb. Hardwired into the G1000, this feature delivers a level of integration, previously only available on corporate jets, into the hands of the GA pilot. The ‘flich’ (flight level change) button is another that is new to this level of aircraft: it allows you to select an attitude based on the selected speed in a flight level change which it will then hold. This is a great tool for selecting an airspeed should air traffic control request you do so, as they did on approach back into Brisbane.  Hearing, “due to traffic keep you speed up to 180 knots” over the radio was as simple as selecting that speed and pushing the ‘FLC’ button.

One thing that is clear is that while a robust logic underpins the G1000 models, learning the deeper functions that live within these incredibly powerful boxes won’t happen in flight. While the Avidyne system has a relatively simple interface that is fairly intuitive with most of the complexity within the navigators, the G1000 is a system that clearly needs dedicated study. The combination of soft keys plus redundancy of a reversionary mode (meaning that the MFD can instantly change to become a PFD in a failure) is a great step forward.

Turning for home, as we approach Maryborough, it was clear that one of the key issues with this aircraft was going to be descent planning. When your covering nearly 4 nm per minute, a little thinking is going to be required if one wishes to be mindful of looking after the health of the big donk out front. Once turned, air traffic control became very keen to start us down to ensure that we didn’t start conflicting with the heavy jet traffic as we emerged into Maleny VOR on approach into Brisbane, on a day when instrument approaches were being flown by everyone.

So down we came. Having pushed the nose down it became pretty clear to me why the Acclaim comes standard equipped with speed brakes. Being a slippery ship, the descent rapidly triggered a build in airspeed. With about  100 track miles to run when we turned for home, descending from the flight levels at the ground speeds that we were seeing was going to require an almost 1,000 fpm descent.

Once we popped the speed brakes, the rate of descent dramatically increased to put us onto a reasonable profile. There was a very slight buffeting as a result but the aircraft remained rock solid.

For many pilots 15 years ago, the jump from a 172 or a Warrior into a high performance aircraft on descent set up a severe risk of getting behind the aircraft. These days, high performance craft are even more accessible. The Mooney is easy to fly but very, very fast. The GFC700 handled the descent beautifully and, with the added features of the GFC700 to help the process, was very easy to manage. Naturally, the big MFD gives excellent situational awareness and, when combined with real time wind and time read outs, calculating descent profiles is very easy.

Having been instructed to keep the speed up and with the ASI at the bottom of the yellow arc, we were given vectors for a straight in approach to Brisbane. Easing the power back and slowing, the descent rate forced the speed to bleed back to the 140kt gear extension speed which then allowed a steeper descent.

As we broke out of the overcast at about 5000ft, it was clear that this was to be a continued fast descent to stay with the Brisbane traffic. Through it all the Acclaim was rock solid.

As we got closer and once below 110kts, full flaps were selected and, after a quick finals check, the aircraft was established in stabilised descent at 90kts. Long body Mooneys have a reputation for being a challenge to land and, with a few years between this landing and my last, I was running through in my mind the procedure and options. While we were in a stable descent on a good profile, the airbrakes were still extended and I was loath to upset the descent with a few hundred feet to go, so left the speed brakes out. As I closed the throttle and flew the Mooney along the strip, feeling for the ground with the solid rubber-shocked undercarriage, I realised that she’d got me again as one slight bounce reminded me just how much higher the Cirrus actually sits above the runway.

As we taxied back in I contemplated the Mooney legend. There is reputed to be no tougher airframe with the integrated high strength 4130 steel roll cage. Apparently the spar has been tested to 16g without failure. With 11,000 aircraft produced and 9,000 still flying, there is a large community of pilots who unequivocally testify to the safety and strength of all the Mooney variants. It’s claimed that there have only ever been two structural failures in flight, both actually within thunderstorm cells.

The mighty Mooney has done it again with the Acclaim, snatching the fastest production piston title by a couple of knots. They have distilled all the best features of their enviable heritage, injected new technology into the mix and refreshed the legend. In the months since the Acclaim was certified, Mooney has actually gone back to the design studio to produce an even faster model, the Acclaim S. This aerodynamically spruced up version, with a new Hartzell composite prop, will move the fastest piston mark even higher with a FL250 speed of 242 knots.

The Acclaim S has a price of $599,500. Would I buy one? If it was just for me, absolutely. I’d happily accept the little inconveniences of one door and the low slung seating to save an hour between Melbourne and Brisbane. Mooney you’ve done it again. Critical acclaim for the world’s fastest production piston.