Supriya Ghosh (Editor)

Mooney M 18 Mite

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Top speed
  
222 km/h

Wingspan
  
8.18 m

Unit cost
  
2,965–2,965 USD (1947)

First flight
  
1947

Range
  
708 km

Length
  
5.49 m

Number of seats
  
1

Mooney M-18 Mite wwwmooneymitecomarticlesgreenehomebuiltpicture

Fsx mooney m 18 mite takeoff from big bear airport l35


The Mooney M-18 "Mite" is a low-wing, single-place monoplane with retractable, tricycle landing gear.

Contents

The Mite was designed by Al Mooney and was intended as a personal airplane marketed to fighter pilots returning from World War II.

Mooney M-18 Mite Mooney M18 Mite RC Groups

Development

Mooney M-18 Mite Flying the M18 Mooney Mite

The M-18 design goal was extremely low operating costs. The Mite is constructed mainly of fabric-covered wood, with a single spruce and plywood "D" wing spar. The wing aft of the spar is fabric-covered.

Mooney M-18 Mite N4155 1955 Mooney M18C MITE Rev 2

The airfoil selected for the design was the NACA 64A215. The M-18 represented the first time a NACA 6-series airfoil had been used on a civil aircraft after World War II.

Mooney M-18 Mite Mooney M18 Mite Wikipedia

The aircraft featured a unique "safe-trim" system. This mechanical device links the wing flaps to the tail trim system and automatically adjusts the horizontal stabilizer angle when the flaps are deflected, reducing or eliminating pitch changes when the flaps are lowered.

Production

Mooney M-18 Mite Mooney M 18 Mite Aircraft performance and specifications

The Mooney Aircraft Corporation built a total of 283 Mites in Wichita, Kansas, and Kerrville, Texas, between 1947 and 1954. The first few were powered by modified 25 hp (19 kW) Crosley automobile engines, but production shifted to the M-18L powered by the four-cylinder, 65 hp (48 kW) Lycoming O-145 powerplant and finally the M-18C with the Continental C-65 aircraft engine.

The market for the single-seat M-18 was limited, so Mooney later developed the four-place M-20 to appeal to aircraft owners with families. In the early 1970s, Mooney offered plans for four different homebuilt versions of the aircraft.

Factory production of the Mite ended in 1954.

Operational history

As of January 2016, 119 Mites were still registered in the United States and three in Canada.

Specifications (Mooney Mite M-18C)

Data from A Field Guide to Airplanes - Second Edition, Plane and Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory & The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage

General characteristics

  • Crew: one pilot
  • Length: 18 feet 0 inches (5.49 m)
  • Wingspan: 26 feet 10 inches (8.18 m)
  • Height: 6 ft 2 1⁄2 in (1.89 m)
  • Wing area: 95 sq ft (8.82 m2)
  • Airfoil: NACA 64A215
  • Empty weight: 520 lb (236 kg)
  • Useful load: 260 lb (118 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 780 lb (354 kg)
  • Max. takeoff weight: 780 lb (354 kg)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Continental Motors C-65 wooden propeller, 65 hp (48 kW)

    • Performance

  • Maximum speed: 138 mph (222 km/h)
  • Cruise speed: 125 mph (201 km/h)
  • Stall speed: 43 mph (69 km/h)
  • Range: 440 statute miles (708 km)
  • Service ceiling: 19,400 feet (5,900 m)
  • Rate of climb: 1090 ft/min (5.53 m/s)
  • Power/mass: 12 lb/hp (0.14 kW/kg)

    • Avionics

  • None installed at the factory

    • References

    Mooney M-18 Mite Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA