Fort Lauderdale, Florida-based Premier Aircraft Sales brought a 2019 Mooney Ovation Ultra demo airplane and its two regional sales experts to staff the bird this week at Mooney’s Sun ‘n' Fun 2019 pavilion (MD-009A). Travis Peffer and Lee Drumheller are splitting duties at the booth, ready to answer questions about the airplane’s composite fuselage modifications and—unusual for a Mooney—two-door configuration.

“Mooney is doing a great job with the new product,” said Peffer. “At Premier, we are a full-service dealership. If you buy a Mooney from us, you get the advantage of our assistance with financing, as well as the assurance of a three-year or 300-flight-hour basic maintenance program, plus transition training,” he explained, noting that most of the sales he’s closed recently were financed on three- to five-year terms because of attractive rates.

Drumheller also added that Mooney is offering a $10,000 flight training credit to new owners that can be used for any rating above that of private pilot.

The Mooney Shares program, introduced last year, is also designed to help sell airplanes by matching prospective buyers to help create partnerships. “The program is still in the ‘definition’ stage, but it attracts people,” said Drumheller, who noted that he’d had two instances where the program brought the interested person to the airplane, but in both cases buyers decided to purchase the whole airplane for themselves following a demo flight.

“I find that the Cirrus and Bonanza are tough competition until I get them to take that demo ride,” he smiled. “That’s when they are sold.”

Premier Aircraft Sales also has representatives on hand at the Diamond Aircraft pavilion this week at the airshow.