Mooney Mite M-18

infobox Aircraft
name = M-18 Mite
type = personal use aircraft

manufacturer = Mooney Aircraft Company

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caption =
designer = Al Mooney
first flight = 1947
introduction = 1947
retired =
status =
primary user =
more users =
produced = 1947-54
number built = 283
program cost=
unit cost = USD$2965 (price new in 1947)
developed from =
variants with their own articles = Mooney M20

The Mooney M-18 "Mite" is a low-wing, single-place monoplane with retractable, tricycle landing gear.Plane and Pilot: "1978 Aircraft Directory", page 53. Werner & Werner Corp Publishing, 1978. ISBN 0-918312-00-0] M.R. Montgomery & Gerald Foster: "A Field Guide to Airplanes - Second Edition", page 46. Houghton Milflin Compnay 1992. ISBN 0-395-6288-1]

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

Development

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.

The airfoil selected for the design was the NACA 64A215. cite web|url = http://www.ae.uiuc.edu/m-selig/ads/aircraft.html|title = The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage|accessdate = 2008-01-12|last = Lednicer|first = david|authorlink = |year = 2007|month = October] The M-18 represented the first time that a NACA airfoil had been used on a civil aircraft after World War II.

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.

The aircraft was designed to offer extremely low operating costs.

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 powerplant and finally the M-18C with the Continental C-65 aircraft engine.

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.

Factory production of the Mite ended in 1954.

urvivors

As of November 2005, 172 Mites were still registered with the United States FAA.

pecifications (Mooney Mite M-18C)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

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

crew=one pilot
capacity=
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 18 feet 0 inches
length alt= 5.58 m
span main= 26 feet 10 inches
span alt= 8.20 m
height main=
height alt=
area main=
area alt=
airfoil= NACA 64A215
empty weight main= 520 lbs
empty weight alt= 236 kg
loaded weight main= 780 lbs
loaded weight alt= 354 kg
useful load main= 260 lbs
useful load alt= 118 kg
max takeoff weight main= 780 lbs
max takeoff weight alt= 354 kg
more general=

engine (jet)=
type of jet=
number of jets=
thrust main=
thrust alt=
thrust original=
afterburning thrust main=
afterburning thrust alt=

engine (prop)=Continental Motors C-65
type of prop=driving a wooden propeller
number of props=1
power main= 65 hp
power alt=49 kW
power original=

propeller or rotor?=
propellers=
number of propellers per engine=
propeller diameter main=
propeller diameter alt=

max speed main= 138 mph
max speed alt= 224 km/h
cruise speed main= 125 mph
cruise speed alt= 203 km/h
stall speed main= 43 mph
stall speed alt= 70 km/h
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 440 statute miles
range alt=712 km
range more=
combat radius main=
combat radius alt=
combat radius more=
ferry range main=
ferry range alt=
ferry range more=
ceiling main= 19,400 feet
ceiling alt= 5969 m
climb rate main= 1090 fpm
climb rate alt= 5.6 m/s
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=12 lb/hp
power/mass alt=0.14 kW/kg
more performance=

armament=
guns=
bombs=
rockets=
missiles=
hardpoints=
hardpoint capacity=

avionics=none installed at the factory

References

External links

* [http://www.mooneymite.com Mooney Mite] aircraft type club