Fixed Gear Mooney

In 1963 Mooney introduced the M20D Master. The 20D is basically an M20C with fixed gear. The M20D was type certified on 15 October 1962. This airplane left the factory on January 31, 1963. Mooney is known for it’s retractable-gear aircraft so the idea that Mooney manufactured fixed-gear aircraft is new to most aviation buffs. The aircraft was intended primarily for flight training and for owners seeking lower insurance rates. The last M20D Master was produced in 1965. All but two have either been converted to retractable-gear M20Cs for increased cruise speed and climb performance, or they are no longer in existence. The other fixed-gear Mooneys still around are N1916Y located in Princeton, New Jersey and N6651U in Baltimore, MD.

Mooney build 100 M20D models in 1962 (serial numbers 101-200). The factory price was $13,995. In 1964, they built 51 more (serial numbers 201-251). The last fixed-gear Mooney aircraft were produced in 1965. It was a very limited run of only 8 aircraft (serial numbers 252-259). This makes N6630U a very rare bird. In fact, there are more WWII P51 Mustangs flying then there are fixed-gear Mooneys. Although she doesn’t compare to a P51, she does represent a very rare breed of general aviation aircraft.

She spent 15 years outdoors in the elements and was grounded due to corrosion issues. She’s been brought back to life by Cris and Les and flies regularly with her three partner-pilots.