Yooper Rocketman

At the risk of posting BEFORE the new owner of one of the most amazing M20E’s purchase confirmation, I will state I gave him a lead on my best friend of 15 years or longer’s plane, being sold by the fortunate and amazingly appreciative buyer several years ago,after making a MAJOR life career change, congratulations on a truly AMAZING M20E purchase!!! I will digress to HIS POSTS on his acquisition going forward, but feel an immense satisfaction knowing my best friends airplane will go to a trusted new owner!! And thanks, to the many supporters from this forum, for the trust and support you’ve provided me as I’ve tried to truly represent what my best friend had for an airplane!!!!! Tom

My primary Mooney parts suppliers are Don Maxwell and Laser. They ARE above average on service. I do almost all my own service work so rare I need an MSC for anything other than parts. Your case shows a bad experience in the parts department can cost the service department future revenue. If that customer experience was ever brought to my attention, in my dealership, my parts tech would be having a closed door discussion with me. One thing I AM CAREFUL WITH though, is I never burn bridges with ANY customers or suppliers. I never know when I may need them down the road, in spite of a bad experience. Tom

THIS ^^^^^ I couldn't have said it better!! My Truck dealership carries $2M in parts inventory. With Western Star being one of the lowest volume OEM's, we are comparable to the aviation market. I can't even guess how often (the labor cost) of time required for us to research, find, and order parts for a customer far exceeds the gross profit on the part. We do it because we desire future (larger) parts sales AND sales of new trucks to these customers (something MSC's do not have as a possible future revenue source). @Ragsf15e had it right. Calling after research and finding part numbers will demonstrate that the owner has dedicated some time himself before asking the MSC to look into a part he has no assurance his time will result in a sale (if the part is not available from Mooney or the owner elects to find it someplace else based on price). That said, I wonder what happened to my mechanical tach cable removed this fall from my Rocket for the glass panel install? Maybe that would have worked for you. I will check on it. Tom

D1-112-5223 Mechanical Recording Tachometer. 60 Day Warranty & Free Shipping Price; $200 Price dropped to $150 on 2/7/24 Price dropped to $125 on 4/15/24

Airtech Manifold Pressure Gauge for Turbocharged Mooney’s Price; $65

I am listing a bunch of serviceable avionics removed from my Rocket for the new Garmin Glass panel recently completed. I will upgrade the list as I get time. UPDATE 5/14/24 Almost all prices have been dropped and sold items removed. First item is a GNS-530 WAAS with fresh 8130 (overhauled by Garmin this spring) and still in the closed packaging from Garmin. It comes with a 6 month warranty and the mounting tray, two data cards and wire connecting back plate. Free shipping. Price dropped $1k 1/09/24 Price dropped $1k 2/7/24 Price dropped $500 PRICE $6,500 PRICE DROPPED ANOTHER $500 4/23/2024 Price $6,000 SOLD FOR $7,000 on Ebay 5/10/24

Nope. 406 but antenna broke off.

You going to Sun River next week? Tom

I scheduled with MT in Deland for a repaint, hoping to get it done in October when I go down for a cruise. I will be in Florida about a week.. MT said they need "TWO" weeks to paint the prop, and they will NOT do it if the prop is past 72 months since overhaul (without overhauling it too). Luckily for me, it is only 50 months old. They remove the blades to paint, said it takes 3 days just for the painting, and then a balance before reassembling the prop. I scheduled for late January because my winter trips are usually 2 full weeks or more anyway. Now the prior owner that bought that prop (the guy I bought my Rocket back from) is asking me what the warranty is on the repaint, since they wouldn't do anything for him when the paint started peeling in under a year. And my wife is asking what it's going to cost (I guess I should ask that question). MT did say the paint process is very specific and detailed. I hope that means the paint will stay on. I don't mind "paying" for a prop that looks as good as the rest of the plane. I appreciate the feedback on those having props without paint issues. I like the prop with the exception of that. Maybe the U.S. shop paints them better the the factory. In conversation with the last owner, he did acknowledge a drop in cruise speed with the MT. I've noticed my speeds with the prop are definitely down 3-4 knots from what what they were with the 3 blade the conversion came with. That said, the better CG and lighter nose is well worth a bit of speed loss. Tom

I have and Evo owner friend in McCall that has asked to host us. He's going to the same convention a day later than us. It looks like I get to add a new airport to my list. Thanks everyone. Tom

If you guys desire, I may be able to get his presentation. It's been 2.5 years. I'm not sure I got all the details correct. My intent with the post was the value of having stand alone equipment, not dependent on ANY system of the airplane, be it power, static, avionics or otherwise, still part of your back up plan. Until I heard the presentation, my Stratus became a bench ornament in my hangar. A last note, with the engine and batteries torn off the Lancair Turbine, on Christmas morning (2021) with my wife sitting on the wing freezing with a foot of snow on the ground, S&R couldn't find us. I looked in the cockpit and saw my Stratus still blinking on the glare shield so I grabbed my Ipad, put my finger on the "blinking airplane" and gave the 911 dispatcher my long and lat's. Twenty minutes later S&R were loading us up and hauling us out of the north country woods. Nine months prior to that day was when I learned I should have my Stratus and Ipad as part of my flight kit. I just thought if one other pilot found my advise useful (and applied it), it was worth posting and having a few "question my foggy details". Tom

A 2.5 years ago, at our LOBO (Lancair Owners & Builders Organization) Convention in Henderson NV, one of our board members did a slide show presentation about a recent event that had happened after coming out of maintenance in Idaho. He departed Idaho on a flight to Phoenix and about an hour and a half into the flight the Evolution starting having A/P control issues. Other symptoms surfaced (it's been a couple years, I don't remember all the smaller details) so he decided to head back to Boise, hoping to make it there before dark (he didn't). As he was trying to figure out what was going on he noticed upon reaching 14k, descending into Boise, that the altimeter was indicating he was staying level at 14K. Boise Approach asked him to continue his descent for his arrival and although he felt he was descending, he was still showing 14K. It was dark and another call came from Approach to descend. At one point he was straining to see out the window and he spotted a farm with their lights on; he was within 1k' to 2k' of the ground. He climbed back to what he estimated was near 5k' and once he had the lights of Boise in sight, he managed a compete VFR arrival. All this time the controller insistently telling him he was too high!. The pilot took a picture of the panel showing him at 14k sitting on the ramp of Boise Airport. They found a static line had been routed to close to hot turbine engine components and had melted after 1.5 hours in flight. He completed his flight in daylight the next day. His take away was he will never fly again without his Stratus and Ipad running as back up. It will always give you ground speed (something better than nothing) and altitude, uncorrected for Barometric Pressure, but will never have you off far enough that the info is not valuable. Had he been using his Ipad and Stratus during that flight, he would have never been that close to the ground in the dark. My Stratus and Ipad are go / no-go items for any flight for me, even when requiring charging in flight on long trips, after hearing this story. Tom

You have two main TKS pumps as well. I would say I agree on the two alternators. I had my main one fail flying from the Lower Peninsula of Michigan to the Upper Peninsula (Sawyer KSAW) in the winter, in the dark, in a snow storm, and broke out at minimums. I'm not sure I would have had the juice to get the gear down without that second alternator. I'll share why I always fly with my Stratus and Ipad on, in another thread. A pretty hairy situation that was shared with our LOBO Group at a convention concerning an Evolution (Prop Jet).

I’ve flown out there a fair amount with a 231 Rocket with TKS (non-FIKI). If you are already going to be restrictive on flying in icing, the non-FIKI, IMHO, is every bit as effective as the FIKI models. In my experience, flying 3 Non-FIKI and one FIKI single engine airplanes, the only plane that left me with no de-ice in icing conditions was the FIKI airplane. Bad luck, but demonstrates “officially FIKI” gives you no guarantee you will be safer! Your decision to launch should have more basis on the weather than the “FIKI” certification Tom

Mine is flat black with white on the tip and one stripe. It’s been painted 3 times, on the tips the last two, and the white paint doesn’t stick. That said the factory paint was coming off within 2 years. Hoping it’s a paint or an application issue! Tom

I’ve hosted many Mooney Space travelers over the years and not necessarily looking for overnight lodging, but at least a overnight stop on a trip to the Annual LOBO (Lancair Owners & Builders Organization) Convention in Sun River, OR, at our second fuel stop around 9/30, where we could do dinner before heading to a hotel for an overnight. My wife does not want to do this trip in one day. As an almost 30 year Mooney owner, and a Lancair Propjet owner working on a rebuild, I might make the visit worthwhile. I am a couple weeks out of a complete Garmin Glass Panel upgrade on my Rocket, which came out of the shop without a single squawk!! Let me know if anyone would like to get a dinner on us! Tom

I also have the MT 4 blade. I like the benefits of the 20 pound weight reduction but have had paint issues that MT has claimed to have fixed years ago. Since I’m probably going to have MT in Deland, FL make an attempt to resolve this lingering problem this winter, when I’m in Florida, I’ll reserve final comment until after I see how they deal with this issue. Otherwise I’ve been pretty happy with the prop and associated nose weight reduction!! Tom

My "first" purchase of my Rocket, in 2001, was through Ivr Fehr, one of the first Rocket owners and very good friend of, and salesman for, Darwin Conrad, the STC holder for the Rocket Conversion. He was a retired Marine (not sure if a military pilot) with a lot of hours in his Rocket. He advised me during the buying process to be careful of a transition instructor wanting to perform "power on stalls". He said there had been reports of Flat Spins when getting that higher horsepower conversion into a power on stall. I was probably at 1600 hours (1400 M20F time) when I bought my Rocket and the only CFI I could find to sign me off for insurance had 600 hours in her logbook. She was also the instructor my seller was using when he bounced a landing and ended up with a full engine tear down and prop repair for a prop strike (just before my purchase). The owner, having signed docs for the sale but funds not to him yet, insisted on riding back seat with us during the transition training, and he was a good size guy. We had a 1,500' to 2,000' ceiling, and we flew out of a small airport just southeast of Boing Field (near Seattle). Approach power stalls were as docile as any Mooney in the Rocket, but I wasn't really comfortable doing them without more altitude. The instructor wanted me to perform power on stalls, and I initially started the simulated climb attitude and power. Within seconds I pulled power back and told her "I am not doing these", and explained my position on why. She threatened me she didn't have to sign off my training, and I responded I wasn't letting her decide my odds in having a successful outcome to her request. I simply would find someone else to complete the training. She thought about it for a while and agreed we would move one. The Rocket conversion has a very forward CG. Forward enough that with full fuel and two good size adults, you would need the passenger in the back seat to meet CG. It got better by moving the passenger seat back to the end of the seat tracks, or placing weights in the baggage compartment. It handles like a regular Mooney now with the 4 blade MT prop. I still taxi with the yoke in my belly, but it doesn't make the nose rise anywhere near what that procedure did with the heavy metal 3 blade before. And a last note, the Lancair Type Group (LOBO, Lancair Owners and Builders Org) prohibits type group endorsed (FITS Approved) Training to perform stalls in the IV, IVP, and IVPT series aircraft. There have been some pretty challenging stalls in that aircraft, including one from 12k above the ground that entered a flat spin, requiring the two pilots to crawl up onto the glare shield and recovered at 1K above the ground! Not all high performance airplanes should be stalled, especially power on stalls. Tom

That's not how Kubick Aviation here at KIMT "normally" works. I have picked up NUMEROUS pilots after repairs on their planes, flying them back to our airport (at no cost to the owner) and a few ran over on estimated down time. One particular one was a Mooney owner on this site who's recently posted a picture of his ride in my Lancair Turbine and had the unfortunate untimely luck of serious avionics work scheduled at the time Chad's top avionics installer quit. I know Chad was personally talking with him and I was following the progress, since I had recommended the shop in the first place. I've seen Chad fly out at night and weekends taking care of good customers that are AOG at their home base. Just looking at the distance some aircraft owners fly from to get service here indicates exactly what I see. His shop does good work, treats the customer well, keeps them in the communication loop, and they exercise good judgement in reviewing all work required to solicit parts procurement to keep down time minimized. Our own @aviatoreb , on a cross country stopping for an overnight at my home, arrived just before closing time on a Friday afternoon with an A/P problem. I asked them if they could squeeze him in and they kept a tech late until he arrived, and it was fixed before that tech left for the weekend! They also opened their parts room on Saturday morning so I could get a tube to fix a flat Erik had the next day. They would have called in a tech if I had not been available to repair it for him (or shall I say "assist with the owner approved maintenance"). Sorry to hear stories about some of these shops. There are good ones out there. Tom

Yes, A Garmin remote com as @Niko182 said. The Transponder & Audio Panel are remote mounted as well. Not enough panel space on a Mooney.

I’ll post a better picture of the complete upgrade soon, but here are the seats, reupholstered at KSUE, Sturgeon Bay, WI, before they will be installed in the next few days.

I still owe you a visit, from before my Lancair had its untimely demise!! We need to hook up!! Tom

God I loved that plane!!! I need to get going on the rebuild SOON! Tom

I know some thought my due diligence was unfounded in getting a “Legal installation” of the Garmin A/P in my Rocket, but an inquiry to Oklahoma FAA records found NO 337’s filed on any prior installations I was aware of. We DID get an approval from our FSDO after a very thorough and calculated approach to why this installation should be approved. We will gladly share the data required for any future 337’s for Garmin A/P’s in Rockets! The installation is complete, with just final setup, programming, re-weighing of A/C and flight testing remaining. I reupholstered my front seats in new leather, had my control yokes wrapped in leather, the glare shield covered in leather, and “another” new windshield installed (story for another time). It looks amazingly like my Lancair Turbine now. I can’t wait to fly it! Tom

I run a Heavy Duty Truck Dealership with three different departments providing service work. I can't fathom a shop tearing down your engine, especially with the parts availability we are dealing with in today's world, and not inspecting every component that might need replacement or repair at the time of the initial tear down? Finding the need for more parts this late in the game in my business would be a real issue with ME and MY CUSTOMERS. We had a local A&P / IA open his own shop about 25 years ago. He performed pretty good maintenance and I believe the turning point on his business (no longer growing, actually declining) was his customer base realizing what my mom schooled me when I was young, with asperations to be a business man. She said knowing your skill or trade is important, but if you don't know and are committed to all other aspects of business management (financials, handling your money and credit properly, dealing with customers and marketing, managing people, keeping your eye on every aspect of your business) your likelihood of being a statistic in 5 years is very strong. Back to my example. This mechanic completed an annual inspection on a very old, yet nice looking, Travel Air. During the inspection he found a lot of minor, non-airworthy issues that the owner agreed to pay for, knowing the growing amount of his costs were becoming a stretch on his budget and the actual value of the airplane, but feeling it was time to address those items. As the Annual dragged out over many months, and the owner applying pressure to get his plane completed, he finally gave the mechanic a deadline he had to have the plane finished for business he needed to conduct. Seeing the squawk list, it was clearly doable, and should have been done much before this time had the mechanic not taken on more work than he could complete within his schedule. Two days before the deadline, as the mechanic was completing all the paperwork, he found AD's on both props, requiring replacement at a tune of over $10k each! The owner was LIVID. Why were these AD's not reviewed at the beginning of the annual? He could have deferred all the elective maintenance and still been in budget with his annual. He ended up selling the plane after it was completed. We need to be the manager of our maintenance! Ask questions, research and understand what you are having done with your plane. Don't expect every shop to have the foresight to be prudent enough to ensure they do everything within their power to review things that might cause further delay down the road. I have a great relationship with my local FBO/Maintenance shop. But I also do 90% of my maintenance and the shop owner and shop management understand that. I know, without question, they are on high alert when they work on my plane. I WILL hold them accountable to work on my plane at the same level of expertise, efficiency, and accountability as I provide MY customers in the Class 8 Truck Industry. There is nothing wrong with being proactive in your maintenance. Tom