The legroom fits with what I've read--but, otherwise, you're the first
source who *doesn't* say the Mooney is "a tight fit," "like getting into a
sports car," "you wear it," etc. M20s have a 43" cabin width from what I've
read--compare to 45" for the Comanche. Are my figures off??
This from an AOPA article:
"Although the measuring tape says the cabin is comparable to other
four-place retractables, the perception is that the cockpit is not as
large."
The Mooney is 43.5"and the Comanche is 44", according to Plane & Pilot:
http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/cont..._tse_1988.html
http://www.planeandpilotmag.com/cont...rcomanche.html
0.5" difference doesn't get me too excited.
I'm trying to get away with less than $100K--which will get me some of the
lesser 201/J models from what I'm seeing, or any of the earlier models. The
1,000 useful load is a bit lower than what I want--I want to carry 4 real
people and cruise for 4 hours @ 150 mph (600 sm) or better. That
"requirement" isn't written in stone, but it's the mission on which I based
my initial search.
If you decide to look into Mooneys further, you may want to consider an
'F' model versus a 'J' (aka 201). The 'J' is a great airplane too, but
it may be more than you need. Your 150 MPH cruise figure is slow for any
Mooney; the 'F' will cruise at 145-150 kts and the 'J' will do 158-160
kts (real world numbers). If you are looking for 600sm range, in a
Mooney you don't need four hours ;-)
http://mooneypilots.com/mapalog/M20F...on_Report.html
http://mooneypilots.com/mapalog/M20J...on_report.html
Some other URLs for research:
http://www.aopa.org/members/files/pi...ooney9209.html
http://www.allamericanaircraft.com/o...ails.cfm?ID=78
---
Ken Reed
N9124X
Mooney M20M (TLS/Bravo)