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Mooney M20 Checklist

A free, printable Mooney M20 checklist — 20 sections from Preflight Inspection to Landing Gear Malfunction / Emergency Extension, free to edit, sized for a kneeboard.

Last updated NormalEmergency
Mooney M20J on the ramp
Photo: ZLEA / CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons, cropped
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What the Mooney M20 is

A fast retractable single, in production on and off since 1955, easy to spot by the forward-swept tail. This checklist centers on the M20J “201”: normally aspirated, fuel-injected Lycoming IO-360, built 1977 to 1997, named for the 201 mph Mooney got from 200 hp with an aerodynamic cowl and gear fairings. Other letters don’t transfer. The carbureted C, E, and F crank the gear up with a manual “Johnson bar,” the K “231” is turbocharged, the Bravo, Ovation, and Acclaim are big-bore. The J is the one most pilots fly, usually stepping up from a 172 or a Cherokee, and it brings a constant-speed prop, a gear handle, and a fuel selector with no BOTH position. Snug cabin, one door, on the right.

The airframe is slippery enough that a little extra speed down final costs you real runway, so this checklist is built around flying the published number. I used the 201 because it’s the Mooney most people rent and train in, and gear-down, three-green sits at every pattern position where somebody has landed one wheels-up. Print it, add your tail number, fly the numbers in your own POH.

Normal procedures

Preflight through securing: before start, start, taxi, run-up, takeoff and initial climb, climb, cruise, descent, before landing, after landing, plus a Mooney M20J V-speed table. Two items repeat on purpose. Gear down, three green at every pattern position, and the LEFT/RIGHT/OFF fuel selector (no BOTH) so tank management stays deliberate. Configure early; this airplane does not slow down for you.

Emergency procedures

Memory items are bold. Covered: engine failure on the takeoff roll, engine failure after takeoff, engine failure in flight with a restart attempt, engine fire, electrical fire and smoke, an alternator/electrical abnormal, and a gear that won’t confirm down and locked. That last one carries the caveat. The J’s electric gear has a hand-crank backup, and you pull the gear-motor breaker before cranking so you aren’t fighting a powered motor, but crank direction, breaker label, and max airspeed changed between 1977 and 1978+ production. Verify it with your POH and a CFI.

Verify it against your POH

What varies by variant, model year, and serial. Check each against your approved POH/AFM:

  • Emergency gear extension. Highest priority. Pull the gear-motor breaker before hand-cranking, then confirm crank direction, breaker label, and max airspeed for your serial: 1977 and 1978+ differ, and this detail is forum-sourced.
  • Vfe. Sources ranged 110–132 KIAS and split on whether there’s one Vfe or two. Use one POH revision.
  • Vlo / Vle. A mid-production change raised gear/flap limits from about 107 to 132 KIAS. Find your serial break.
  • Takeoff flaps. Clean (0°) or a takeoff setting, depending on the source. Confirm for your model year.
  • Boost pump ON/OFF timing across takeoff and climb. Commonly flown, not confirmed against POH wording.
  • Fuel selector at shutdown. On a tank or off reads as operator policy, not a POH mandate.
  • Short and soft field. Technique notes here, not a verified J-specific POH procedure.
  • Variant deltas. These Mooney M20 V-speeds are 201-representative; the turbo K “231” and the Johnson-bar C, E, and F differ.

Why not just print a static PDF?

  • It's free with no caps — build, edit, save, and print as many as you want.
  • You can add your own tail number and logo, so the checklist matches your airplane.
  • Every page size is here — half-letter, A5, letter, and folding trifold or 2-up.

A PDF from the internet doesn't know your tail number, your panel, or your instructor's habits. Build your own in the time it takes to read this page — still free.

What's inside

  1. Preflight Inspection
  2. Before Start
  3. Engine Start
  4. Before Taxi & Taxi
  5. Run-up & Before Takeoff
  6. Takeoff & Initial Climb
  7. Climb
  8. Cruise
  9. Descent
  10. Before Landing
  11. After Landing
  12. Shutdown & Securing
  13. V-Speeds (M20J “201”, typical)
  14. EmergencyEngine Failure on Takeoff Roll
  15. Engine Failure After Takeoff (Low Altitude)
  16. Engine Failure in Flight (Altitude Available)
  17. Engine Fire in Flight
  18. Electrical Fire / Smoke in Cockpit
  19. Alternator / Electrical Failure (Abnormal)
  20. Landing Gear Malfunction / Emergency Extension (Abnormal)

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Questions pilots ask

Is there a printable Mooney M20 emergency checklist here?
Yes. The emergency section covers engine failure on the takeoff roll, engine failure after takeoff, engine failure in flight with a restart attempt, engine fire, electrical fire / smoke, an alternator/electrical abnormal, and a landing-gear-malfunction / emergency-extension flow, with the memory items in bold. The manual-extension detail rests on secondary sources, so confirm the crank direction, breaker, and airspeed limit against your serial's POH before you rely on it.
What speeds are in the Mooney M20 checklist?
The checklist carries an M20J "201"-representative V-speed table. Watch two gear/flap-limit items: Vfe showed an inconsistent 110–132 KIAS spread and sources disagreed on whether there is one Vfe or two, and a mid-production change raised Vlo/Vle (about 107 to 132 KIAS) at a specific serial break. Confirm the figures for your model year in a single POH.
My Mooney has a manual crank for the gear — is that the same as an old Johnson-bar Mooney?
No, and the difference matters. The early M20, M20A, and many M20C models used a manual "Johnson bar" as the primary gear system. The M20J "201" has fully electric gear; the hand crank is an emergency backup only. Before you use it, you pull the gear-motor circuit breaker so you are not cranking against a still-powered motor, which has damaged the system on airplanes where pilots skipped that step. Confirm your serial's exact procedure, breaker, and airspeed limit in the POH.
Why does the fuel selector matter so much on this checklist?
Because the M20 selector has no BOTH position — it is Left, Right, or Off. Unlike a simple Cessna with a BOTH setting, you have to actively manage tank balance and remember which tank you are feeding from. After every tank switch, keep a hand near the selector for about fifteen seconds and confirm fuel pressure holds before you trust it. That is why the selector shows up as a repeated killer item across the flows.
Why is speed control such a big deal on approach?
The M20 is a clean, slippery airframe that accelerates fast and does not want to slow down. Carrying excess speed over the fence increases landing distance sharply — much more than in a draggy trainer. The type's owner community stresses flying the precise reference speed for your weight rather than adding a cushion "for the family." Fly the number, and configure early.

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