Background:
| The Mooney Airplane Company is a U.S. based
manufacturer of single-engine propeller driven aircraft. Founded in
1929 by Albert and Arthur Mooney, the company is a leader in civil
aviation aircraft and has a devout following of loyal customers.
Mooney's many achievements include the first pressurized
single-engine piston powered aircraft, the first production
aircraft to achieve 200 mph on 200 hp, and the fastest
transcontinental flight in a single-engine piston-powered
production airplane. Mooney solidified its place in the record
books in 2006 with the release of the fastest single-engine
piston-powered production aircraft - the M20T Acclaim. |
The Mooney
Acclaim |
The famous "Backwards Tail" |
All Mooney aircraft are easily recognizable by a signature
design element. The empennage of the aircraft has a vertical
stabilizer with a vertical leading edge and a swept trailing edge
that gives the illusion of being forward-swept. |
Like Apple Inc., the Boston Red Sox, and Tivo, the Mooney
Aircraft Company has a loyal and vocal group of supporters. This
group calls themselves "Mooniacs" and took the name from Coy
Jacob's "THE BACKWARDS TAILS". In the book Mr. Jacob's used the
term to refer to anyone who is a die hard Mooney enthusiast. Like
most groups of this sort, Mooniacs have formed Mooney Owners
Groups, published Mooney magazines, and organized Mooney Fly-Ins to
help promote the company, the aircraft, and the community.
The Cache:
This is the second of a series of caches I'm putting out dedicated
to my other passion - aviation. The cache is a medium sized
Lock-n-Lock container hidden in a park bearing the same name as the
Mooney Aircraft Company. Some very minor bushwhacking is involved,
especially during the summer months when the underbrush fills
in.