The first Mooney M20 went into production in 1955 and variants of the Model are still in production. The original M20 models have wings made of wood and covered with cloth. Early in the M20 model history there were several incidents of wooden tails breaking up in flight. Most tails have been replaced with metal copies required by a service bulletin.
The M20C Ranger was certificated in 1962 and comes equipped with a Lycoming O-360-A1A engine.