Honored 1972
Albert W. “Al” Mooney was born in Denver, Colorado, on April, 12 1906. He excelled in mathematics at Denver South High School and planned to attend the Colorado School of Mines after graduation.
His plans were suddenly and dramatically changed after an encounter with entrepreneur J. Don Alexander, president of Alexander Aircraft of Englewood. At a local airfield he noticed several mistakes in the aircraft rigging of a Swallow biplane owned by Alexander. Young Al offered to help with re-rigging the plane, and at age 19 he was hired as an assistant to the chief engineer and draftsman at the Alexander Aircraft Company.
Al worked on the first Eaglerock biplane design with Dan Noonan, and became the chief designer at the Alexander Company in 1928. He was responsible for the development of many innovations in aircraft design including the inward retracting landing gear which was incorporated in the Bullet-a high speed low wing airplane that Alexander Industries built in 1929.
The economic depression of the 1930’s seriously hurt Alexander aviation industries and Mooney left to found his own company with his brother Art. As the depression worsened aircraft sales continued to decline and that business closed. He went on to work for the Bellanca and then Culver Aircraft companies.
In 1946 Al Mooney and his brother Art resurrected the Mooney Aircraft Company. He designed the M-18 Mooney “Mite” a fabric covered wood-construction sport plane powered by a 65hp Lycoming engine. The aircraft incorporated his unique safety innovations and was popular with pilots. In 1953, Mooney designed the four place M-20 airplane. This popular aircraft combined speed and efficiency with a number of variants produced. More than 11,000 have been constructed over the years.
Al Mooney’s career extended into the 1960’s with work for the Lockheed Corporation on various projects including the JetStar business jet and AL-60 light utility aircraft. Later, he led the Lockheed XV-4 Hummingbird project, an innovative Vertical Take Off and Landing (VTOL) aircraft.
Today, Eaglerocks and Mooney sport-planes are proudly displayed at airshows and museums-the products of a great innovator in aircraft design.
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