First Time Acclaim, Ovation 3 Appear Together In Public

Under the heat of a typical Oshkosh summer day [in other words, "hot"], Mooney officials made several announcements Tuesday to an audience comprised of media, "Mooniacs" and others.

Dave Copeland, Mooney's vice president of sales and marketing, introduced AivVenture to the Acclaim, which replaced the Bravo in Mooney's product line, and is touted as the fastest Mooney ever built, with a true air speed of 237 knots.

Not to be left in the propwash is the Ovation3, with a top cruise speed of 196 knots. Advertised as the fastest normally-aspirated, piston-engine powered single engine airplane on the market, the Ovation3 offers 310 horsepower, improving both climb and cruise performance, all of which allows the aircraft to take off in a shorter distance and cruise as much as 7 knots faster than the Ovation2 GX.

The introduction of two new models with delivery of both in the same calendar year is very rare, noted Copeland. "But to introduce two new models within 60 days of each other is virtually unheard of."

"We've always been fast," he said, "... [and] we've re-established our claim of being fastest in our class."

Copeland also proposed a match race with any competitor that would take them on.

Said Copeland, at the company's 60 year anniversary, "Al Mooney would be very proud of what this little company has become. Mooney aircraft have withstood the test of time."

Other announcements by Mooney CEO Gretchen Jahn included Mooney meeting the requirements for ISO 9001 and AS9100 approval of all aspects of its operation, including design, manufacture, sales and marketing, human resources, accounting and infrastructure support, as well as enhanced and streamlined customer performance "to better meet the needs of our customers."

"This year has been all about building our predictability," Jahn said.

Mooney's sales revenue for the year is over $19 million, nearly 5% more than over the same period the year previous.

FMI: www.mooney.com