MOONEY M20M

The Mooney TLS, later renamed the Bravo, is the long-body Mooney with a 270 hp turbocharged Lycoming. At 220 knots in the low twenties it is one of the fastest piston singles ever certified, and with 89 gallons it will fly 1,200 nautical miles. For a pilot who wants to cross a continent quickly in a single, this and the Cirrus SR22T are the two serious options. The TLS of 1989 to 1996 has the original TIO-540-AF1A, and its cooling troubles are the reason the Bravo exists: for 1997 Lycoming's revised AF1B engine with better cylinder-head cooling went into production and the aeroplane was renamed TLS Bravo, soon just Bravo. Oxygen and speed brakes, previously options, were made standard from 1996. The Bravo GX of 2005 is the same aeroplane with the Garmin G1000 panel in place of conventional instruments. So a 1994 TLS has the early engine and round dials; a 2000 Bravo the better engine and round dials; a 2005 GX the better engine and glass.

The speed comes at a price in engine life and heat. The TIO-540 in this tight installation runs hot, the type went through cooling and exhaust problems early in its life that later modifications addressed, and careless power handling shortens cylinder life quickly. Establish what cooling modifications a candidate has. The usual Mooney points also apply: a narrow cabin you wear rather than sit in, a very clean airframe that floats a long way if flown fast on final, wet-wing fuel tank sealant leaks that are expensive to fix, and landing gear shock discs that need periodic replacement. Oxygen is required for everyone at the altitudes where it performs best.