The world's fastest single-engine, piston-driven aircraft has landed at the Santa Maria Public Airport, and pilots can get an up-close look at the Mooney during an upcoming open house.

Mooney Airplane Co. has opened a California base at Central Coast Jet Center on the southwest side of the airport.

Lee Uecker, regional sales director, has returned to California from Texas with his wife and 16-month-old daughter to take advantage of the market in a state where some 25 percent of all private U.S. aircraft are registered.

“California is such a unique market,” said Uecker. “The clientele is completely different from anywhere. California has got an edge because there are so many aircraft and such a large customer base.”

Santa Maria provides an ideal home airport for Mooney because it's centrally located.

Uecker said there are about 1,000 Mooneys flying in California already, and by the end of the year, he hopes to make that 1,020.

Twenty aircraft in a year might not sound like many when compared to auto sales - Uecker's previous job. But when the bottom-of-the-line model starts at $449,000 and prices can easily spiral to $700,000, that's a sizable number.

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Uecker expects even more sales in subsequent years, and given his enthusiasm for his product, that's likely.

“Mooneys have always been like the hot rods, the Porsches of aircraft,” said Uecker, as he showed off his own demonstrator, an Ovation3, the middle of Mooney's three models. “This one will do 197 knots.”

That's 230 mph.

Powered by a 310 horsepower Continental engine, the four-seater Ovation3 can climb at a rate of 1,300 feet per minute fully loaded, cruise at 20,000 feet and, with the optional fuel tanks, travel 2,400 miles without refueling.

“This plane can fly longer than most people can sit,” he said.

“One thing I really like about it is it has XM Radio,” Uecker added, noting all Mooneys come with Bose headsets. “I can be cruising at 17,000, 18,000 feet listening to real jazz on channel 70.”

The company's other models are the Ovation2 GX, with a cruising speed of 190 knots (218 mph), and the Acclaim, a twin-turbocharged model with a speed of 237 knots (273 mph) and a cruising altitude of 25,000 feet.

“One thing in aviation, everyone always wants to go faster,” he said with a smile. “But Mooneys are not just fast.”

Uecker pointed out that the hand-built aircraft are also focused on quality and safety. Each fuselage is built around a safety cage, much like a NASCAR race car.

In fact, NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Matt Kenseth owns an Acclaim, serial No. 3.

And while most airplanes are assembled from three pieces - a fuselage and two wings - the Mooney has a central spar that runs from wingtip to wingtip in one continuous piece for greater strength.

“Mooney was overbuilding airplanes long before the other manufacturers,” Uecker said. “And it's always good to have an overbuilt aircraft.”

Manufactured in Kerrville, Texas, the aircraft leave the factory already owned. Once an order is placed, it takes about 90 days to build and delivery a Mooney.

“They're a pilot's dream to fly,” Uecker noted. “They're fun, and they're easy to fly so you don't get yourself into trouble.”

Uecker should know. He's a commercial multi-engine and instrument-rated pilot with a background in aeronautics.

A native of Salinas who grew up within earshot of the high-performance cars at Mazda Raceway at Laguna Seca, he previously worked at Million Air, a fixed-base operator at Monterey Peninsula Airport.

He moved to Texas to earn a bachelor's degree in aeronautical science, with a concentration in flight management, from LeTourneau University in Longview.

He then spent two years looking for a job with an aircraft company, selling cars in the meantime.

“I showed up at Oshkosh with my resume,” said Uecker, referring to the world's largest fly-in, which each year draws 12,000 airplanes and 1 million people to the Wisconsin town.

He was hired by Mooney in February, and now, five months later at age 30, he's the Mooney sales rep for the entire state.

“I'm the only one with a sales territory of just one state,” he noted. “All the others have, like, eight states.”

That's because of the tremendous sales potential for California, said Uecker, just minutes before climbing into his Ovation3 to head for the Flying Physicians gathering in San Diego, where he hoped to line up a few customers by giving demonstration flights.

“I spend all day long flying (customer) prospects around,” Uecker grinned. “Which is really pretty sweet.”

Mike Hodgson can be reached

at 739-2221 or mhodgson@santamariatimes.com.

July 9, 2007