Inside The $1 Million Mooney M20V Acclaim Ultra

Inside The $1 Million Mooney M20V Acclaim Ultra Plane
0:00 - Intro
The twin-turbocharged Mooney M20V Acclaim Ultra adds a key feature pilots have long wished for, a second door, plus, both doors are wider, making entries and exits even smoother. And with a top speed of 242 knots, the Acclaim Ultra is currently the fastest single-engine airplane on the market. Here is everything you need to know about the Mooney M20V Acclaim Ultra.
0:35 - Interior
Mooney modernized the cabin and panel to follow in line with the gorgeous interior of the M10 three-seater. A refreshed ergonomic design of the four-seat interior reflects the influence of luxury automobiles, with hand-stitched Italian leather seats and plentiful cup holders and power outlets. The accented leather seats will come in two color schemes: black + saddle brown, and black + light gray.
The Acclaim Ultra has a new version of the panel that includes reorganized switchology with rockers rather than toggles. Critical items-master, alternator field, and emergency bus-have red rockers on the far left, while everything else is black. Exterior lights are on the overhead.
The panel is well organized, but because of its limited size, some switches are obscured by the yoke. The aircraft features Synthetic Vision and the latest user-friendly Garmin G1000 NXi avionics. This system has faster processing for a quicker startup and almost instant graphics refreshing. The displays are brighter and crisper, and Garmin seems to have simplified the operating logic. The G1000 avionics can now be controlled through Garmin’s keypad, mounted at the bottom of the panel. While it is not quite in the right spot for the armrest position, it is within easy reach, and the capability to type in fixes and frequencies rather than twist the G1000’s knobs is a great improvement.
The G1000 NXi is fully coupled to the GFC700 autopilot, with a vertical control panel situated between the two display screens. The autopilot has envelope protection for overbanking and overspeed, but it doesn’t have the blue bail-me-out righting button pioneered in the Cirrus Perspective version of the G1000. The GFC700 currently has a reputation as the best new autopilot in General Aviation and it’s deserved. It allows flexible aircraft control and the ride is silky smooth.
For an additional $10,000, Mooney offers what it calls “Fill and Fly”. It covers all the maintenance and consumables except fuel for three years or 300 hours, whichever comes first.
3:57 - New External Features
While adding a second door to a decades-old design is no easy feat, they also made the doors 4 inches or 10 centimeters wider and 1.5 inches or 4 centimeters taller. The doors also have new latching mechanisms and tasty brushed aluminum handles.
On top of that, they also added a new composite skin to enclose the cabin’s protective chromoly-steel roll cage. Traditionally all-metal, the airplane now has a composite canopy that enhances the aerodynamic flow and reduces cabin noise.
Also, the windshield and windows are slotted into the composite from the outside, a process that is much faster and will make replacements a breeze compared with the previous design. The tail cone and wings remain metal, and the cowling was already made of composites.
6:36 - Engine and Performance
The Acclaim Ultra has a takeoff distance of 2,100 feet or 640 meters and a landing distance of 2,650 feet or 807 meters (both are intended over a 50 feet obstacle). The aircraft has a maximum rate of climb of 1,375 feet or 420 meters per minute, a ceiling of 25,000 feet or 7,620 meters, and a maximum speed of 242 knots.
If flown at a cruise speed of 175 knots, it has a maximum range of 1,275 nautical miles and burns roughly 20 gallons per hour. The Acclaim Ultra is powered by a 280-horsepower Continental TSIO-550-G engine with a TBO of 2,200 hours, two intercooled Kelly Aerospace turbochargers, and a three-bladed Hartzell Scimitar propeller.
Mooney’s turbocharged models have never been payload workhorses and neither is the Acclaim Ultra: the aircraft has a maximum fuel capacity of 100 gallons or 380 liters, a typical useful load of 975 lbs or 440 kilograms, and a maximum takeoff weight of 3,380 lbs or 1,530 kilograms.
8:02 - Purchase and Maintenance Cost
The price for a new Mooney M20V Acclaim Ultra starts at $769,000. While the total fixed cost is estimated at $55,000, the total variable cost, when considering a $110 fuel cost per hour and other miscellaneous things, is estimated at $15,000, bringing the total cost of ownership to $70,000 per year.
8:29 - Outro
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