Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004: A Century of Flight

Mooneys are built to go fast. A focus on speed seems natural for a company that at one time offered a plane powered by a Porsche engine. Although the partnership with the Germans didn't last, Mooney's commitment to speed certainly has. In keeping with this idea, Mooney has experimented with a number of "big engine" models. The Bravo is Mooney's fastest; with 270 hp all the way to 25,000 ft, the Bravo can attain speeds up to 220 KTAS, making it the fastest single-engine airplane currently produced.

Although turbocharging an engine adds cost and complexity, it gives the airplane more flexibility as a vehicle. You can get higher and go faster when the turbocharger is feeding the engine denser air than it would normally find at higher altitudes. And this is what the Bravo is all about; the ability to get above the bulk of the nasty weather and still achieve 220-knot cruise speeds. At low to medium altitudes, the only thing that will outrun the Bravo is Mooney's own Ovation. Above 10,000 feet, the Bravo will outrun virtually any new production piston single or twin, even challenging such accepted twin-engine speed demons as the out-of-production Baron 58P and Aerostar 601P.