Mooney Porsche Airplane

[fryardds]

(I fly a Dehavilland Beaver)

No kidding! A DHC-2? That's a unique private plane. Is it configured with floats?

Thinking of those old radial engine planes bring back great childhood memories of flying out of numerous northern Ontario float plane bases to remote lakes for wilderness walleye and northern pike fishing. Boy those trips were fun.

[rower]

No kidding! A DHC-2? That's a unique private plane. Is it configured with floats?

Thinking of those old radial engine planes bring back great childhood memories of flying out of numerous northern Ontario float plane bases to remote lakes for wilderness walleye and northern pike fishing. Boy those trips were fun.

Yes, on edo 4930 floats. I have wheel gear too but rarely have it on. Nothing like a 9 cylinder supercharged engine from the 1940/50's!

[rower]

The difference between car engines and airplane engines is the need to run sustained (hours at a time) high rpm operations.

[fryardds]

Yes, on edo 4930 floats. I have wheel gear too but rarely have it on. Nothing like a 9 cylinder supercharged engine from the 1940/50's!

No doubt! Next time you head out to wilderness for some fishing give me shout.

[beh911]

I don't fly but I find these machines fascinating. Is there anything different about the core engine shown here that is upgraded over the automobile engines in terms of reliability or durability?

I am fascinated by the Porsche Mooney as well.
There were several changes to the base 3.2 engine made for reliability and sustained running in this very different application.

Below is a phone pic I just took of the original Mooney sales brochure. It covers the basics.

mooney.jpg

[t6dpilot]

Rower, a Beaver eh? Very nice. And on floats too - way cool. Float flying is some of the most fun flying I have ever done. I have always wanted to take a trip around the patch in a Beaver. Round motors and tail wheels are my favorite! Go figure, right...

[mrgreenjeans]

The difference between car engines and airplane engines is the need to run sustained (hours at a time) high rpm operations.

I remember the pilot who gave us that thrilling ride in Dallas that day during Parade '87, stating this exact same thing.
He was very 'Pro Mooney, Pro Porsche-Mooney",
and when he demonstrated its ability to come down quite low and then throttle it back, climbing that old girl and making that flat six growl, it quite literally stood the hairs on the backs of my arms and neck, like RIGHT NOW.

Watching those old longhorn raising a dust cloud below us, and hearing the sound of a steeply climbing sixer, was a joy; pasting a grin eating smirk on my face you couldn't have covered with a bath towel.

I remember several years later at a Parade, a Porsche poster showing a picture of a Mooney and a 911 Turbo on the same tarmac.
It was selling the plane and car as a combo package if I recall.
Buy the plane, get a free turbo usage for a year ? Something to that affect. I have the poster somewhere in my stash of collectibles and have not seen another for quite some time..... the last one I saw in public, used to hang in our Porsche Service Dept. in the back room by the mechanic's entrance.

It made me grin that same Cheshire Cat grin every time I walked by it.....

Did any one ever take them up on this deal ? And does any of those original owners of either the plane or car frequent this board ?

[Flieger]

I wonder if the gear drive for the cams could be adapted to a ground-based engine?

[Jim Garfield]

Mooney brochure cover:

[Lorenzo]

A belgian press info from 1983