296:. After some problems with engine selection and the decision to replace them, Mooney began his next design, the M20, a four-place design of metal construction (the M-18 was made largely of wood). In 1953, the corporation's main financial backer, Al Yankey, died of a stroke before proper funding had been finalized for the M20. With the company again in financial distress, it was taken over by Hal Rachal and Norm Hoffman. Only two years after the first flight of the M20, Al left the Mooney Aircraft Company and started working at
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teacher what he should study that would best allow him to design safe airplanes, but he was told there was no such thing as a safe aircraft and he should wait until college before pursuing the topic. Realizing his current schooling would provide limited access to his desires, he began spending time at the Denver Public
Library, where he read all the available handbooks for pilots and designers.
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after spending some time working for
Montague, where he designed his M-2, Mooney took his first flying lessons. When Montague's finances ran out, Mooney returned to the Alexander company, where he was named chief engineer in 1928. During his time as chief engineer, Mooney was responsible for several advances in the field of aircraft design, primarily through his
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In 1964, while Mooney was designing his final aircraft, a benign tumor was found in his wife Opie. This was the beginning of a decline in her health, ending with her death in 1966. His initial response to her death was to lose himself in his work. However, when his brother Arthur retired in 1967, he
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In July 1946, with the partnership of C.G. Yankey and W.L. McMahon, Al and Art Mooney resurrected the Mooney
Aircraft Corporation, with Al as general manager and chief engineer. The first aircraft produced was the M-18, a single-place retractable-gear aircraft, and the first of its kind available on
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in Denver. His early years proved unfruitful, assisting on an eventually failed design. Finally Mooney got the chance to build the M-1 or Long Wing
Eaglerock, a plane of his own design. While the airplane had some success as a trainer, it was not enough to keep him at the Alexander company. In 1926,
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fly over where he was working. Following the aircraft to the local airfield, he noticed several mistakes in the aircraft rigging which he offered to help fix. After rerigging the plane, which was flown by J. Don
Alexander, Mooney was offered a job. At age 19 he was hired as an assistant to the chief
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Mooney's interest in airplane design began while still in grade school and grew as he progressed to high school. While in high school, he realized that he excelled at mathematics, and that his understanding of it offered many possibilities for him. Seeking information on aircraft, Mooney asked his
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acrobatic plane, over 350 of which were built. As war enveloped the country, Culver's main focus shifted towards military drones, in which Mooney had little interest. During this time, Mooney started a business relationship with C. G. "Al" Yankey, which eventually led to the founding of a second
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Mooney continued pursuing aircraft design after his company failed. His next design, the M-6, was a two-place low-wing design. However, development came to a halt with financial difficulty that prevented the purchasing of an engine. After several years of searching for financing and continuing
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and the
Monocoach. In his time with Monocoupe, several features of future Mooney aircraft were designed, including rubber shock biscuits in the landing gear legs, and spring-assisted manual gear retract. After Monocoupe went under due to financial distress, Mooney's designs were purchased by
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After leaving the Mooney
Aircraft Company, a company in which he had no ownership though it carried his name, Mooney moved to Lockheed, where he spent the rest of his career. In his time with Lockheed, his aircraft designs continued, including a proposal that was developed into the
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Albert W. "Al" Mooney was born in Denver, Colorado, on 12 April 1906. His older brother Arthur was born on 10 July 1904. Their father John was an engineer who designed railroad tunnels and trestles for the
101:(12 April 1906 – 7 May 1986) was a self-taught American aircraft designer and early aviation entrepreneur. He and brother Arthur Mooney founded the
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In 1929, with the financial backing of the
Bridgeport Machine Co., Mooney left the Alexander Aircraft Corporation. He and Arthur moved to
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Mooney
Aircraft Company. As Culver's commercial sales began to slow down with the end of the war and tough competition from the
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in 1955, which was produced through several iterations on-and-off from 1955 through 2019, with over 11,000 examples built.
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aircraft company had some continued success due to contracts with the Navy and the company's popularity among
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While most of the aircraft industry was in shambles in the middle of the great depression, the
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realized that he was no longer enjoying his work, and retired in 1968. On 7 May 1986 in
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192:. Their early years were spent designing the Mooney A-1, which was similar to the
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236:. In his time at Bellanca, Mooney was responsible for the designs of the
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130:. Both young men worked for the railroad when they were not in school.
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design, the M-6 fell through the cracks and never made production.
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208:, as a promotional feat. However, the nonstop flight failed near
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After his high school graduation, Mooney's plan of attending the
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in 1929. His first production design (first flight 1947) was the
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A model of the
Eaglerock, an airplane designed by Albert Mooney
30:"Albert Mooney" is also a character in the Irish folk-song "
253:. Working with the small startup company, he designed the
488:"Mooney Aircraft history performance and specifications"
386:"The Al Mooney Story: They All Fly Through the Same Air"
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the market after World War II; it was later named the
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After his time with Bellanca, Mooney went briefly to
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322:project. Other designs credited to him include the
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449:. International Mooney Society. Archived from
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200:, Mooney decided to fly the M-5 nonstop from
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326:and another unnamed Lockheed business jet.
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339:, Albert Mooney died at the age of 80.
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571:20th-century American businesspeople
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392:from the original on 28 January 2007
516:. Indianapolis: Ball Publications.
413:"Mooney Employees Furloughed Again"
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279:The second Mooney Aircraft Company
275:, Mooney left the Culver company.
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180:The first Mooney Aircraft Company
556:American aviation businesspeople
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126:, and he taught his sons about
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162:engineer and draftsman at the
109:. The M-18 developed into the
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447:"An Interview with Al Mooney"
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190:Mooney Aircraft Corporation
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561:Businesspeople from Denver
551:American aviation pioneers
240:cargo plane and the racer
164:Alexander Aircraft Company
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320:Lockheed XV-4 Hummingbird
188:, where they started the
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514:Those Remarkable Mooneys
411:Marc Cook (6 Jan 2020).
152:Colorado School of Mines
512:Ball, Larry A. (1998).
154:changed after he saw a
124:Denver & Rio Grande
103:Mooney Aircraft Company
91:Mooney Aircraft Company
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432:Ball 1998, pp. 22–23.
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251:Monocoupe Corporation
206:Long Island, New York
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202:Glendale, California
27:American businessman
453:on 20 November 2008
445:Rank, Dick (1975).
318:. Later he led the
287:An M-18 Mooney Mite
230:Alaskan bush pilots
220:Bellanca and Culver
210:Fort Wayne, Indiana
128:drafting and layout
566:Aircraft designers
422:– via AVWeb.
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266:, he designed the
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234:Giuseppe Bellanca
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316:Lockheed Jetstar
198:great depression
175:Production years
107:Mooney M-18 Mite
99:Albert W. Mooney
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61:Denver, Colorado
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41:Albert W. Mooney
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57:12 April 1906
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18:Albert Mooney
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506:Bibliography
491:. Retrieved
455:. Retrieved
451:the original
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416:. Retrieved
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394:. Retrieved
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268:Culver Cadet
264:World War II
255:Model G Dart
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138:Early career
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74:(1986-05-07)
546:1986 deaths
541:1906 births
243:Irish Swoop
535:Categories
493:31 January
457:21 January
396:30 January
343:References
330:Retirement
273:Cessna 120
117:Early life
111:Mooney M20
72:7 May 1986
53:1906-04-12
390:Archived
309:Lockheed
298:Lockheed
226:Bellanca
159:biplane
156:Swallow
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194:Bullet
169:Bullet
418:8 May
324:AL-60
204:, to
518:ISBN
495:2006
459:2008
420:2022
398:2007
294:Mite
69:Died
63:, US
47:Born
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