Aircraft manufacturer Mooney has announced that it is now under new management made up of “pilots and Mooney owners” led by CEO Jonny Pollack. The announcement follows a period of unrest for the company, which culminated in the unexpected shutdown of its Kerrville, Texas, factory for two weeks beginning in November 2019. Kerrville employees were furloughed on Nov. 11, recalled in early December when the factory was reopened and furloughed again in early January 2020.
“Our first and immediate focus is to make sure that we’re properly servicing the community’s fleet of over 7000 aircraft,” Pollack said in a statement on the company’s website. “For the last 6 months, we’ve taken over parts production and managed to keep spares moving to service centers. We have plans to improve our efficiency so that parts are easier to order and arrive sooner.”
Mooney also announced that it is now offering an upgrade to legacy G1000 software and carbon cowl for the Ovation. According to Pollack, design items the company will be looking at going forward include a useful load increase retrofit followed by a ballistic parachute option, autoland system and larger cabin. He also stated that the new management team will be working “in partnership with and in support of” the China-based Meijing Group, which currently owns the company, to expand Mooney’s international network.
Hope this works out well for the new management. If they can survive the next few years, they’ll sure have proven themselves.
More lives than a bionic cat.
I thought the same when Eclips Jet owners took over the company and to be sure they did a great job upgrading the jet but in the end, I think they focused more on upgrading than marketing and selling it, results prove this out!
All the best with a 7000 aircraft installed base they have a lot going for them!!!
Kerrville economic Development believes anything. These guys could have got a boatload of money from them. Top management has always been the problem. Cost accounting was nonexistent. The only reason they survived was a loyal and devoted workforce who actually felt they were appreciated.
Most of those people are either gone or old. Al Mooney left some bad karma in those buildings
How to make a small fortune with Mooney? Start with a large one…
They might be able to stay afloat as a parts supplier but there’s no market for another piston-powered four-seater. Most people would rather buy a 10-yr old Cirrus SR-22, with all the support imaginable.
I’ve owned a Mooney for about 7 yrs. they are fine aircraft…
Oh, and I can’t be seen flyin around in something with the gear hanging down… It’s like being in bed alone while wearing a condom.
Under new management tells me the Chinese and maybe the Kerrville business development folks are footing the management bill. No loss, no risk for the new management because it appears they have no investment in Mooney. The support money is from everyone outside the management group. The Chinese say they want to expand their international Mooney presence. These folks are not spending their money for the G1000 upgrades, new/larger cabin, ballistic parachute, and AutoLand. Sounds like a pretty cushy deal in a Covid ravaged aviation scene that has turned everyone else financially upside down.
But, I can’t blame them for trying…and get paid to do it. Better than sitting on the aviation sidelines waiting for an unemployment check hoping for financial life support from a dysfunctional Congress.