Resurrection Of The Mooney M20

Certificated on Sept. 27, 1976, the first 201s were 1977 models. Gross weight was raised to 2,740 pounds (raised to 2900 pounds in later models), and fuel capacity was now 64 gallons. The windshield was carefully slanted, and the cowling was reshaped; the retracted main gear was faired in and hidden behind partially enclosing doors, and the underwing flap hinges were streamlined. Sales took off as the new model 201 revitalized the Mooney line. With LoPresti’s touch, the M20J came close to the 201-mph mark, and as added refinements came along, like sculpted wingtips in 1981, it earned a “205” designation for the 1987 and 1988 model years.

After 1978, the entry-level M20C Ranger was discontinued, marking the end of the short-body Mooneys. In 1979, a new market was established with the M20K as the model 231, blending the M20J airframe with a 210-hp turbocharged six-cylinder Continental IO-360, the first time something other than a Lycoming powered an M20. 

In 1984, Republic Steel was acquired by LTV Corp. and Mooney was put up for sale, eventually to be bought by Eurlair, a French charter company and Mooney dealer. By 1986, the 231 had become the 252, benefiting from intercooling, electric cowl flaps and a 28-volt electrical system. Meanwhile, the 201 was joined by a 201 L/M (“Lean Machine”) cost-reducing package for 1985, while the deluxe version was transformed into the 205 SE special-edition for 1987. An AT advanced trainer was fielded in 1989; the 201/205 was renamed the MSE in 1990.

The M20J finally went out of production after 1998, the last of the classic Mooneys powered by four-cylinder Lycoming engines. The M20K, as the TSE, persevered through 1990, supplanted by the 1989 introduction of the M20M TLS, codenamed “Turbo Lycoming Sabre” during its development. But wait; the M20K returned with a 220-hp version of the IO-360 Continental in 1997 and 1998, sold as the “Encore.”