Jeff H.

Roy Halladay (former MLB Pitcher/Cy Young winner) has apparently died in an Icon A5 crash in the Gulf off of Pasco, FL. Thoughts with his family first and another blow to Icon in the second . . . http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2017/11/07/roy-halladay-plane/ http://www.wtsp.com/news/mlb-pitcher-roy-halladay-killed-in-gulf-of-mexico-plane-crash/489944976

Pilot dies, gets sent to Hell. (Shocking) Finds himself in a chair before 3 doors. Devil pops in, says "Pick Door #1 or Door #2." Pilot says, "What about Door #3?" "Not for you - pick #1 or #2", says the Devil. They argue back and forth for a few minutes, finally the Devil says, "Hold on, I'll be back" and pops out. Pilot, wanting to get an edge, stands up to check out each door. - Behind Door #1 were two pilots in the cockpit doomed to repeat the pre-flight checklist over and over for all eternity. "No way." - Behind Door #2 were two pilots in the cockpit doomed to repeat the same in-flight emergency over and over for all eternity. "Oh, Hell no." - Behind Door #3 was a pilot in recliner surrounded by Flight Attendants who were catering to his every need and desire. "That's more like it." Just as the Pilot sits back down in the chair, the Devil pops back in and says, "Time's up, make your choice." Pilot chooses Door #3. Devil refuses. "Why not?!?", says the Pilot. Devil replies, "Because that's Flight Attendant Hell!" ---------------------------- Suggest memorization and use as needed on your next commercial flight. Goes over really well with the Flight Attendants. :-)

- Field never previously flooded. Generally accepted fact was that as the field was higher elevation than the dam, it couldn't flood. True fact was that Corps of Engineers raised the dam 8 feet at some point in the past. That increase never made it into the general field fact file. - By the time it was apparent there was a potential problem, weather made flying out no longer an option. And prior to that time the city had become impassable - no way to the field. 30" peak, ~23" for 4 days.

Final update - getting ready to go on the truck today. Ovation from the field also undergoing the same tear down. Sad to see her go.

I was in your exact position when I bought my Rocket before getting my PPL. Your two best options are Falcon and AOPA. - Falcon has been great, no issues, no terrible restrictions imposed. www.falconinsurance.com - AOPA is the fall back - you'll get insurance, it will just be approximately the same cost as the value of your plane. (just kidding . . . although not by much) Really, just call Falcon - they're great and they will take good care of you.

I'm just going to pile on . . . Gremlin entry point - flip the switch to open the access port.

Gear motor, flap motors, limit switches, control tube ends and linkages and spar all submerged for 4+ days. Also the lower turbo and motor. Wiring issues alone were significant. The expert guidance is that the wires would wick water at junction points and draw it inside the insulation up the wire. Others here will know more . . . Provided in case you were pondering a reclamation project. :-)

Today was official notification that my Rocket is a total loss due to Harvey flooding. Some pictures attached of when first opening the hangar and then after getting the belly open. That would be mud and debris left behind when the water receded. I think the airframe damage was enough, however the flooded avionics in the aft fuselage pretty much sealed the deal. Remote transponder and audio through the GTN750 seemed like a good idea at the time, along with the FlightStream. Those boxes were real purty sitting back there next to the G500 equipment. Carl Sharon at Houston Tank Specialists was a great help in getting through the repair estimate and tips on making it through the insurance process. Thanks to everyone here for all their advice and help pre-buy and during ownership. Very valuable and greatly appreciated. Now to double down on more training and keep pondering those sweet used Acclaims . . . :-)

CooperDog - May your lessons be quickly learned, your memory be short and your ass back in the air . . . this week. Don't beat yourself up by overthinking this - remember only the good die young so raise a glass in thanks, start looking for your next Mooney and look forward to having you hang out with the rest of us grumpy ol' bastards here for a good long time.

Maybe they crashed a party? I'll go get some more coffee now . . .

For Sale: Mooney Rocket Condition: Unknown Features: Rare Mooney amphibian May be found as indicated below. Sigh. Addicks still not down enough to get access to check damage. Will continue to check daily.

Flying in coastal Texas (maybe similar to Florida), it has limited practical usage. Did a mountain flying course in Colorado and suddenly the usefulness came alive. Very helpful and very informative when combined with the G500 and GTN750 standard terrain functions.

I'm sorry, I know not of the concept of which you speak. I suspect it may be considered blasphemy, sacrilege, immoral and illegal in 47 states. Let's keep it polite and not have anymore of that talk, please.

I sense a challenge has been issued. Is there a possible group effort to answer? My Rocket won't get the job done. Willing to support in other means.

Rocket = Dolly. Larger displacement equipment hung on the front in place of the factory jugs.

KIWS hosted an aviation expo this afternoon. Went out to see what I could see. 4 people walked past, looked like a father and his adult children. Boarded what I think was a Cherokee. It's a hot day in Houston - figure 95F and 60% humidity. Still checking out the Piper M350 when the Cherokee departed to the south. At lift off the baggage door in front of the windscreen opened. Airborne in the first 1/3 of the runway. Struggled in the air and at midfield began a turn back to the left. A halting, slow turn, nose up attitude. At the 180 point - now downwind - left wing still down, nose up. The wings leveled. Nose up the aircraft was descending. Appearances were of a behind the power curve descent. Estimating 100ft in altitude the aircraft appeared to stall, left 90 degree roll and went nose down into a field 1/4 miile east of the airport with a post crash fire. Have witnessed two accidents. The first had an outcome that with a little stretch could be call miraculous. This one did not. The sound of aluminum hitting the ground is distinctive and can do without hearing that again. Doing what he probably loved to do. Likely doing it with loved ones. A series of unfortunate events. Not to over state - I did not know these people - but this one left me a little rattled. Prayers, comfort and blessings to those they left behind. Sort of a therapy post. Thanks for your patience.

That's correct - with the exception of ~140kts for climb. (Search for "Vz" speeds, if you haven't already. Apparently the most efficient climb rate.) When does a Rocket make sense? - Common cross-country trips at the outer edge of range. (No fuel stops.) - Willing to fly using oxygen. (Pretty sure my FBO thinks I'm doing something weird with the O2 given my frequent service requests.) - Price difference between cheaper Rockets and more expensive factory options is appealing. As stated before - happy with the plane, works for me. Would like to have some icing protection, pressurization and Erik's 4 bladed MT prop*. Aspirational goals for next aircraft purchase . . *Note that with the big propeller on the Rockets, ground clearance is an issue for uneven aprons, grass field ops (big Nope!) and the dreaded landing bounce. While I always fly within the W&B restrictions, the real world rumor and hypothetical situation is that a Rocket will perform a drama free take off and climb with whatever you can stuff in the cabin.

Between 15.5k and 17.5k, 200kts true at 14gph. Not setup for LOP operations on my plane, so this is 1500 degrees TIT, ~150 ROP. (DO NOT want to start a LOP/ROP war - bought the aircraft from a NASA shuttle pilot/Chief Test Pilot for F-15E program and from engine data this is how he flew it. As a new aircraft owner and pilot, emulating his engine management approach seemed like a reasonable place to start.) At 3k, 200kts = 20+gph - only done this once when I really needed to get somewhere on time.

Just to wrap this up - my Rocket is the only one I am aware of that does not have extended range tanks installed, so 75 gallons is the max. With extended range tanks - 30 gallons with speed brakes - useful load is as below: 906.00 lbs useful 437.25 lbs - main tanks 174.90 lbs - extended tanks 293.85 lbs - cabin contents. If you add in the CG field modification as described above (120 lbs) I would be left with dieting requirements to fly the aircraft. Regardless, still happy with the aircraft. True 200kts long range cruise. That's hard to beat at the available prices . . .

After recent avionics upgrade: 906.00 lbs useful, 75 gals @ 5.83/gal 437.25 gas 468.75 for cabin contents My issue is rarely weight, but balance. Rocket mod left the aircraft CG very forward. Have 6 sand bags rigged up in varying volumes to maximize baggage compartment weight in order to move the CG aft and, in theory, gain back a few knots when it's just me in the plane.

I have one in Houston, if you happen to find yourself in the area. As opposed to the grumpy nay sayers above, I find it to be a damn fine aircraft that does not require constant dieting to stay within W&B restrictions. :-) Jeff

Received a similar letter in the same time frame - except without the "agreeable to renewing this policy" wording - just flat out said they were not renewing. No claims, no FAA actions. Falcon is shopping the policy and we'll see to what result . . .

My friendly field FBO crew did the same to my flaps (on both sides). The issue is whether the rivets need to be pulled to allow the aluminum to return the original form. If the deformation reaches the next rivet row/column then you're likely to need a formal repair. I did not notice any flying issues with the damage. While yours is an aileron and mine flaps, for reference, one flap was able to be repaired. Replaced the other with a $500 used flap (non-matching paint . . . for now.) New build flap from Mooney was ~$3,000.00. FWIW and YMMV. Good luck. So frustrating. Jeff

I have a Rocket, not a 252, so your mileage may vary as the kids say . . . Check your climb temperatures - if a little high the issue may be require the fuel injection system to be re-balanced. Too lean at max throttle and too rich at low throttle. Check for any engine service bulletins related to the fuel injection system as a guide for your AP to diagnose the issue. And the above may not apply - just threads to pull to find a resolution. For me, I have to lean about a fingers width in the pattern to avoid stumbling and engine quitting on roll out. Still working on the FI issues . . . Sigh. Jeff

I just read about this requirement over the weekend - the details are in the regulations regarding the new ACS standards.