Albert Mooney
Encyclopedia
Albert W. Mooney or Al (12 April 1906 – 7 May 1986) was a self taught aircraft designer. Al, along with his brother Arthur Mooney
were responsible for the startup of the Mooney Aircraft Company which started with the M-18 Mite.
His initial interest in airplane design began while still in grade school and continued to grow as he progressed on to high school. While in high school he realized that math was a topic he excelled at it and there were many possibilities with it. Seeking information on aircraft, Al asked his teacher what he should study that would best allow him to design safe airplanes. Al's teacher responded to him by saying that there was no such thing as a safe aircraft and recommended that he wait until college before pursuing the topic any more. Realizing that his current schooling would give him very slim chance of learning the things he wanted to know, he began spending time at the Denver Public Library where he read all of the available handbooks for pilots and designers.
After graduating from high school, Al's plans of attending the Colorado School of Mines
were changed by an encounter with a Swallow
biplane
that flew over an area where he was working. Following the aircraft to the local airfield, Al noticed several mistakes in the aircraft rigging which he gladly offered to help fix. After re-rigging the plane, which was flown by J. Don Alexander, he was offered a job at the Alexander Aircraft Company
. At the age of 19, Al took the job as an assistant to the chief engineer and draftsman at the Alexander Company in Denver. His early years proved unfruitful with his assistance on an eventually failing design. Finally Al got the chance to build the M-1, also known as the Long Wing Eaglerock, a plane of his own design. While the airplane had some success as a trainer, its success was not enough to keep him at the Alexander company. In 1926, after spending some time working for Montague where he designed his M-2, Al started taking his first flying lessons. Eventually after the financial demise of Montegue, Al returned to Alexander. In 1928 Al became the chief engineer at Alexander. During the time as chief engineer, he was responsible for several advances in the field of aircraft design, primarily through design of the Bullet which was a low wing airplane with relatively high speeds and a patented retractable landing gear.
where they started the Mooney Aircraft Corporation. The early years of the Mooney Corporation were spent designing the Mooney A-1, which had similar characteristics to the Bullet which Al had designed earlier in life, and the M-5. Within seven months of startup, the design of Al's M-5 had progressed from the drawing board to test flights. With the aircraft industry sales on the decline due to the onset of the great depression, Al attempted to fly the M-5 nonstop from Glendale, California
to Long Island, New York as a promotional feat. However, the non stop flight failed near Fort Wayne, Indiana
when his engine quit due to faulty welding on the fuel pump. In 1931, with the failing economy, the Mooney Corporation closed its doors.
In the time after the liquidation of the Mooney Aircraft Company, Al continued to pursue aircraft design. His next design began as drawings for a new plane, the M-6 which sported a two-place low wing design. However development came to a halt with financial difficulty that prevented the purchasing of an engine. Eventually after several years of searching for financing and continuing design, the M-6 fell through the cracks and never made production.
aircraft company had some continued success due to contracts with the navy and the company's popularity among Alaskan bush pilots. In 1934, Mooney took a job as the chief engineer at Bellanca. During this period, Mooney worked closely with the owner, the well-respected Giuseppe Bellanca. In his time at Bellanca, Mooney was responsible for the designs of the Bellanca Airbus cargo plane and the racer Irish Swoop.
After his time with Bellanca, Mooney went briefly to Monocoupe Corporation. Working with the small startup company, he designed the Model G Dart and the Monocoach.. In his time with monocoupe, several features of future Mooney aircraft were designed. These enhancements included rubber shock biscuits and a spring assisted manual gear. After monocoupe went under due to financial distress, Mooney's designs were purchased by Culver Aircraft.
In 1937, Mooney joined Culver as chief engineer. In his days at Culver before World War II
, he was responsible for the design of the Culver Cadet acrobatic plane which had a production of over 350 models. By the 1940s, Culver's main focus shifted towards military drones, in which Mooney had little interest. It was during this time Mooney started a business relationship with Al Yankey, which eventually led to the second founding of Mooney Aircraft. As Culver's commercial sales began to slow down with the end of the war, and the tough competition from the Cessna 120, Mooney left the company.
In July 1946, with the partnership of C.G. Yankey and W.L. McMahon, Al and Art resurrected the Mooney Aircraft Corporation. In the new company, Al took the position of general manager and chief engineer. The first aircraft produced was the M-18. The M-18 was a single-place retractable gear aircraft, the first of its kind available on the market post World War II, and was later named the Mite. After some problems with engine selection and the decision to replace them, Al started design on his next aircraft, the M-20. The M-20 that Al envisioned was a four-place design with the eventual capability to convert to a metal manufacturing. in 1953, the corporation's main financial backer, Al Yankey, died of a stroke before proper funding had been set up for Al's M-20. With the company again in financial distress, it was taken over by Hal Rachal and Norm Hoffman. Only 2 years after the first prototype flight of the M-20, and in the wake of Yankey's death followed by the company's takeover, Al left the Mooney Aircraft Company and started working at Lockheed.
. Other designs credited to his name include the AL-60
and another unnamed Lockheed business jet.
, Al died at the age of 80.
Arthur Mooney
Arthur Mooney was an Australian rules footballer who played with Richmond in the Victorian Football League .Mooney, who arrived at the club from the Richmond Recruits, was a half forward flanker....
were responsible for the startup of the Mooney Aircraft Company which started with the M-18 Mite.
Background
Al Mooney's technical background stemmed from his father's job as an engineer building railroad trestles for the Denver & Rio Grande. In the time spent with his father, Al learned the concepts of drafting and layout work.His initial interest in airplane design began while still in grade school and continued to grow as he progressed on to high school. While in high school he realized that math was a topic he excelled at it and there were many possibilities with it. Seeking information on aircraft, Al asked his teacher what he should study that would best allow him to design safe airplanes. Al's teacher responded to him by saying that there was no such thing as a safe aircraft and recommended that he wait until college before pursuing the topic any more. Realizing that his current schooling would give him very slim chance of learning the things he wanted to know, he began spending time at the Denver Public Library where he read all of the available handbooks for pilots and designers.
Early career
Colorado School of Mines
The Colorado School of Mines is a small public teaching and research university devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. Located in Golden, Colorado, CSM was ranked 29th, in America among national...
were changed by an encounter with a Swallow
Swallow Airplane Company
In January 1920, the E.M. Laird Aviation Co. Ltd. was started with the purchase of the six month old Witchita Aircraft Company, it's aircraft and the factory of the Watkins Manafacturing Company. Oilman Jacob Mollendick and Buick-Franklin salesman W.A. Burke each contributed $15,000.The first...
biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
that flew over an area where he was working. Following the aircraft to the local airfield, Al noticed several mistakes in the aircraft rigging which he gladly offered to help fix. After re-rigging the plane, which was flown by J. Don Alexander, he was offered a job at the Alexander Aircraft Company
Alexander Aircraft Company
The Alexander Aircraft Company was an aircraft manufacturer in Colorado in the 1920s. The company began life as the Alexander Film Company, under the brothers J. Don and S. Don Alexander. The company specialized in film advertising, but when the younger J...
. At the age of 19, Al took the job as an assistant to the chief engineer and draftsman at the Alexander Company in Denver. His early years proved unfruitful with his assistance on an eventually failing design. Finally Al got the chance to build the M-1, also known as the Long Wing Eaglerock, a plane of his own design. While the airplane had some success as a trainer, its success was not enough to keep him at the Alexander company. In 1926, after spending some time working for Montague where he designed his M-2, Al started taking his first flying lessons. Eventually after the financial demise of Montegue, Al returned to Alexander. In 1928 Al became the chief engineer at Alexander. During the time as chief engineer, he was responsible for several advances in the field of aircraft design, primarily through design of the Bullet which was a low wing airplane with relatively high speeds and a patented retractable landing gear.
The first Mooney Aircraft Company
In 1929, with the financial backing of the Bridgeport Machine Co., Al left the Alexander Aircraft Corporation. Along with his brother Arthur, they both moved to Wichita, KansasWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
where they started the Mooney Aircraft Corporation. The early years of the Mooney Corporation were spent designing the Mooney A-1, which had similar characteristics to the Bullet which Al had designed earlier in life, and the M-5. Within seven months of startup, the design of Al's M-5 had progressed from the drawing board to test flights. With the aircraft industry sales on the decline due to the onset of the great depression, Al attempted to fly the M-5 nonstop from Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
to Long Island, New York as a promotional feat. However, the non stop flight failed near Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
when his engine quit due to faulty welding on the fuel pump. In 1931, with the failing economy, the Mooney Corporation closed its doors.
In the time after the liquidation of the Mooney Aircraft Company, Al continued to pursue aircraft design. His next design began as drawings for a new plane, the M-6 which sported a two-place low wing design. However development came to a halt with financial difficulty that prevented the purchasing of an engine. Eventually after several years of searching for financing and continuing design, the M-6 fell through the cracks and never made production.
Bellanca and Culver
While most of the aircraft industry was in shambles in the middle of the great depression, the BellancaAviaBellanca Aircraft
AviaBellanca Aircraft Corporation is an American aircraft design and manufacturing company. Prior to 1983 it was known as the Bellanca Aircraft Company...
aircraft company had some continued success due to contracts with the navy and the company's popularity among Alaskan bush pilots. In 1934, Mooney took a job as the chief engineer at Bellanca. During this period, Mooney worked closely with the owner, the well-respected Giuseppe Bellanca. In his time at Bellanca, Mooney was responsible for the designs of the Bellanca Airbus cargo plane and the racer Irish Swoop.
After his time with Bellanca, Mooney went briefly to Monocoupe Corporation. Working with the small startup company, he designed the Model G Dart and the Monocoach.. In his time with monocoupe, several features of future Mooney aircraft were designed. These enhancements included rubber shock biscuits and a spring assisted manual gear. After monocoupe went under due to financial distress, Mooney's designs were purchased by Culver Aircraft.
In 1937, Mooney joined Culver as chief engineer. In his days at Culver before World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he was responsible for the design of the Culver Cadet acrobatic plane which had a production of over 350 models. By the 1940s, Culver's main focus shifted towards military drones, in which Mooney had little interest. It was during this time Mooney started a business relationship with Al Yankey, which eventually led to the second founding of Mooney Aircraft. As Culver's commercial sales began to slow down with the end of the war, and the tough competition from the Cessna 120, Mooney left the company.
The second Mooney Aircraft Company
Lockheed
After leaving the Mooney Aircraft Company, a company that he had no ownership of even though it carried his name, he moved on to Lockheed where he spent the rest of his career. In his time with Lockheed, his aircraft designs continued with a proposal that eventually became the Lockheed JetstarLockheed JetStar
The Lockheed JetStar is a business jet produced from the early 1960s through the 1970s. The JetStar was the first dedicated business jet to enter service. It was also one of the largest aircraft in the class for many years, seating ten plus two crew...
. Other designs credited to his name include the AL-60
Aermacchi AL-60
-External links:* * *...
and another unnamed Lockheed business jet.
Retirement
In 1964, while Al was designing his final aircraft, a benign tumor was found in his wife Opie. This was the beginning of a decline in her health, ending with her death in 1966. His initial response to her death was to lose himself in his work. However, when his older brother Art retired in 1967, he realized that he was no longer enjoying his work, and retired in 1968. On 7 May 1986 in Dallas, TexasDallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, Al died at the age of 80.