Mooney M-18 Mite

M-18 Mite
Role	personal use aircraft
Manufacturer	Mooney Aircraft Company
Designer	Al Mooney
First flight	1947
Introduction	1947
Produced	1947-54[1][2]
Number built	283
Unit cost	US$2965 (price new in 1947)[2]
Variants	Mooney M20

1949 model M-18L at Oshkosh 2001

The Mooney M-18 "Mite" is a low-wing, single-place monoplane with retractable, tricycle landing gear.^[2][1]

The Mite was designed by Al Mooney and was intended as a personal airplane marketed to fighter pilots returning from World War II.^[1]

Development

The M-18 design goal was extremely low operating costs.^[1] The Mite is constructed mainly of fabric-covered wood construction, with a single spruce and plywood "D" wing spar. The wing aft of the spar was fabric covered.^[2]

The airfoil selected for the design was the NACA 64A215.^[3] The M-18 represented the first time that a NACA airfoil had been used on a civil aircraft after World War II.^[1]

The aircraft featured a unique "safe-trim" system. This mechanical device linked the wing flaps to the tail trim system and automatically set the trim correctly for most flight attitudes.^[2]

Production

The Mooney Aircraft Corporation built a total of 283 Mites in Wichita, Kansas, and Kerrville, Texas, between 1947 and 1955. The first few were powered by modified 25 hp Crosley automobile engines but production shifted to the M-18L powered by the four cylinder, 65 hp Lycoming O-145 powerplant and finally the M-18C with the Continental C-65 aircraft engine.^[2]

The market for the single seat M-18 was limited and so Mooney developed the four place M-20 to appeal to aircraft owners with families.^[1]

Factory production of the Mite ended in 1954.^[1][2]

Operational history

As of November 2010, 168 Mites were still registered in the United States and three in Canada.^[4][5]

Specifications (Mooney Mite M-18C)

Data from A Field Guide to Airplanes - Second Edition^[1], Plane and Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory^[2] & The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage^[3]

General characteristics

• Crew: one pilot
• Length: 18 feet 0 inches (5.58 m)
• Wingspan: 26 feet 10 inches (8.20 m)
• Height: ()
• Airfoil: NACA 64A215
• Empty weight: 520 lb (236 kg)
• Loaded weight: 780 lb (354 kg)
• Useful load: 260 lb (118 kg)
• Max takeoff weight: 780 lb (354 kg)
• Powerplant: 1 × Continental Motors C-65 driving a wooden propeller, 65 hp (49 kW)

Performance

• Maximum speed: 138 mph (224 km/h)
• Cruise speed: 125 mph (203 km/h)
• Stall speed: 43 mph (70 km/h)
• Range: 440 statute miles (712 km)
• Service ceiling: 19,400 feet (6,000 m)
• Rate of climb: 1090 ft/min (5.6 m/s)
• Power/mass: 12 lb/hp (0.14 kW/kg)

Avionics
none installed at the factory

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} M.R. Montgomery & Gerald Foster: A Field Guide to Airplanes - Second Edition, page 46. Houghton Milflin Company 1992. ISBN 0-395-6288-1
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h} Plane and Pilot: 1978 Aircraft Directory, page 53. Werner & Werner Corp Publishing, 1978. ISBN 0-918312-00-0
3. ^ ^{a b} Lednicer, david (October 2007). "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". http://www.ae.uiuc.edu/m-selig/ads/aircraft.html. Retrieved 2008-01-12. 
4. ^ Federal Aviation Administration (November 2010). "FAA REGISTRY - Make / Model Inquiry Results - Manufacturer Name Entered: MOONEY, Model Name Entered: M18". http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/AcftRef_Results.aspx?Mfrtxt=MOONEY&Modeltxt=M18&PageNo=1. Retrieved 13 November 2010. 
5. ^ Transport Canada (November 2010). "Canadian Civil Aircraft Register". http://wwwapps2.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/2/ccarcs/aspscripts/en/quicksearch.asp. Retrieved 13 November 2010.