Mooney Aircraft plans to offer a more powerful variant of the four-seat Ovation. The manufacturer is working with McCauley Propeller on a new propeller design for the aircraft with "fewer blades".
Mooney president Chris Dopp says: "The new McCauley model is an adaptation of a four-blade design used on the British Aerospace Jetstream 41 and gives a cruise speed of 194kt [360km/h] - 6kt faster than the original."
The catalyst for the upgrade comes from Mooney's entry-level Eagle, based on the Ovation airframe and turbocharged Bravo, says Mooney. The Ovation II is powered by a 210kW (280hp) Teledyne Continental IO-550-G, derated to 180kW, and will have leather seating as standard. A "marginal price increase" is expected.
Source: Flight International
