Yooper Rocketman

No......I am doing the flight testing/break in flights. I did them years ago for my F model. Difference now though is I replaced my F model engine and it was a factory reman. The Rocket is a lot more complex, engine was NOT dyno run, and I didn’t do the work. But then I flew off the 40 hour test time on a pretty complex experimental turboprop I built in my garage. This should be a cake walk (sarcasm alert). Tom

I will get the exact terminology when I talk with the mechanic on Monday. Did Chad’s crew get that twin going for your customer? Sounds like the pilot did a yomans job saving the plane when that jug blew apart just before rotation....at night! Tom

Dan, When Chad, the owner of Kubick Aviation (and an A&P / IA), read your eventually discovered problem, it sent shivers up his spine!!!!! They had already pressure tested my intake system, but he realized how difficult a shop would find trying to discover THAT issue. Tom

Well, they found the issue today. Apparently it was a rod adjustment on something at the right rear of the engine compartment where the rod goes vertically up and down. He told me what it was, something that effects boost anyway, and it appears to been out of adjustment from before. Not sure if the mechanic had that apart as it doesn't look like it's actually on the engine. And if he did, I know he had an Iphone full of pictures as he removed the engine to make sure he put everything back together the same. I watched and heard them run it up afterwards and the new engine sounds mean as hell. I, and several of the mechanics at the shop, were amazed at how loud and mean the thing sounds under a full ground run-up. The shop closes at 3:30 and the mechanic sent me a text at 5:30 (stayed late to finish for me) with a picture of it cowled up and right up to the hangar door, ready for test flights tomorrow and Sunday. Thanks for all the tips guys. I reviewed all of them with the shop manager and FBO owner and, although all but one test had been done (Clarence's), they still appreciated any and every angle/tip that could help them get me flying again. Hopefully my buyer is still interested. I have to close on this sale by end of year or take a huge tax beating. Tom

I had a flight this weekend where I saw some really serious winds; on my tail outbound and on my nose coming home. What was exciting about this one was my best ground speed (yes, I know, it's all in the wind......but when you see a nice number you can't help but like it) prior to this flight was 395 knots. I saw 410 Knots on this flight, so clipped my best by 15 knots. Just wish I could see those more often on our Florida trips (well, on the way down anyway). .https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N994PT/history/20181110/1415Z/KIMT/KAGC https://flightaware.com/live/flight/N994PT/history/20181110/1945Z/KAGC/KIMT One screen shot showing 409 Knots GS and some FL240 shots over central Michigan during the snail pace trip back home. Tom

Thanks Clarence. I will do that in the morning. Tom

Wasn’t touched. Same as when engine removed. Planned to do that later.

Well, they got the engine back, installed and test ran it the last two days. They cannot get the manifold pressure above 34" and the RPM above 2500. They adjusted something to increase manifold pressure....to the max, and still no fix. Just wondering if anyone with a Rocket or 400 series Cessna's has an idea. I really need to get this thing flying and sold by the end of the year or it's going to cost me a bundle in depreciation recap. Tom

For those that wonder about the feasibility of solar (cost verses return), here's a picture of my first REAL solar project. I had played around with a small pop can collector, which convinced me of the value of solar. One day as I am standing outside my building talking with a customer in January, with the outside temperature around 15 degrees F., but a nice sunny day with the sun beating on the southern wall of my brown steel building, I noticed my hand touching the building (I was leaning on it) was warm from the 90-100+ degree skin temp of the metal. At that point, I decided I was going to give this a shot. My hangar solar collector has been installed for about 10 years. The second photo shows how many hours of free solar heat I have gotten off my hangar "hot air collector" over the last 6 or more winters since I installed the hour meter. On a average winter day here in the U.P. of Michigan, with outside temps anywhere from +20F to -20F, I will see the hangar inside temp rise to +50F to +60F by 2 PM, with no heat in the hangar (I have a gas furnace, but only run it when working in there) . This is just a simple solar hot air collector, very cheap and easy to build, but only supplies heat when the sun is shining. Hot water systems such as Clarence's will store heat longer, either by storing it in the concrete or in a storage tank. The link below is for the hot air collector (which is a total DIY project for which I sell no parts for). If you go to the main home page, there are links to many affordable DIY solar projects, of which only one does my company sell something for (the aluminum solar absorber for hot water systems). That is about the only item for all those solar projects you can't source easily. My website is more about "How to do a DIY solar collector" than about selling the absorber. On a last note: I can't count how many hangar owners have talked about doing one of these collectors, yet none have. It's pretty clear Clarence has thought this through and is a leader in more than just aircraft maintenance! Hopefully he will help some of the other stragglers in giving this a try! www.upsolarsolutions.com Tom

Clarence, If you don't mind would you compile and send a little story/description and photos to my work email ( tom@uptruckcenter.com ). We like to post builders projects on my solar website to motivate others to try using solar heat. Hangars especially are a great place for it because of the wall and roof size and the significant offset they can provide on sunny days to your heat bill. You also normally have unobstructed solar exposure on airports (tree's and other buildings). Tom

Thanks Clarence for the post. I thought this post had been sent out right after your first post but when I went to reply today it came back up as saved. Now remember a minor "wife household Emergency" came up as I was posting. Tom

Not sure if it's ownership or staff. But, my local FBO was a huge fan of them for many years. After sending several exhaust systems down there a few years ago and having them take 3 months to complete, they no longer use them. They said they checked with a few other shops in the region who reported the same issue. Tom

I have been a BIG fan of Dawley, but they are not the same company as far as service. I've heard a bunch of horror stories getting work done in a timely manner. Good News on Rocket Engineering. They did some tech support for my FBO during my engine OH, free!! Tom

Congrats BIG A!!! This forum would not be what it is without you. Tom

I have seen plugged filters cause some issues similar to what you describe on the pressure issue. MAKE SURE you are not pumping your fluid out of a drum with a hand pump. I ALWAYS install a paint filter in my funnel when filling to ensure I am not introducing any particulate matter. Have seen several failures do to that. Also, any moisture in the system can freeze and restrict flow. As @Mlm20c says, I had a float problem that I fixed. They have a cheap level sensor system with an equally cheap float. Mine was doing the intermittent level thing and I got mad and pulled it during one of my annuals (I do most of them myself under the watchful eye of my hangar partner/best friend, an A&P, and another friend that's an IA. Anyway, I found the float had a small hole in it (hollow copper float). I sealed it with a Locktite product called "Hysol", which we use for bonding on wing skins in the composite world. It's extremely strong and fuel resistant. It has worked flawlessly since (about 4-5 year ago fix). Tom

So, Paul, what do you compare this one to??? Tom

Way to go @aviatoreb You rock!!! Tom

Mine are 8 years old and still doing fine!!! Tom

Hey, hey, Mike, Be careful there!!! Tom

I know the life rafts are expensive but a few years after I bought my F model, I needed to pick up a customer buying a used log truck from us down in lower Michigan. It was July and thunderstorms were concentrated over Manistique and northern lower MI. At that time I was flying to ISQ, Beaver island, and Charlevoix to cross the lake so I was always within gliding range of land. When I told the customer I couldn't pick him up until the next day, he threatened to back out of the deal. So.........I got some life jackets and did the straight across the water trip. Man it shaved some time off the trip. I later calculated the amount of fuel saved, the value of 40 minutes of less engine and aircraft time for each trip (two way time savings) and I could pay for the raft in 5 years. I bought the double tube, fully enclosed Winslow 6 person raft and haven't looked back. I even had it inspected several years ago, for almost half what I originally paid for it. But then I split the cost with my mercy flight organization as they use it for lake crossings in the Bonanza during the colder times of the year as well. Now it you were based at IMT, that might be an option too!!!! Just saying................... Tom

Yikes. I'm in the service business too with my Truck Dealership. I am sure glad the local truckers don't do an on-line forum. We try hard to meet everyone's expectations but service work, selling labor, is one of the most challenging forms of making money in a business. Lasar is essentially a new business now, and that comes with growing pains for the new owners. Having a chance to "learn" from their experience with the OP without having the dirty laundry hung out in the front yard would have been much more productive. I believe your "report" was not intended to be hurtful.............but............if your ending comment is true, the support and constructive feedback should be between you and Lasar, not the nationwide Mooney community. Just my honest thoughts as one who's been on the other side of this as a service provider. Tom

That would beat the heck out of my drive. I would rather put in the windshield time to ensure it gets there sans any damage than ship it, spending more money to save a little of my personal time and possibly getting some damage far exceeding what I would have saved in time. Tom

Ok. I guess it’s time to fess up. I built the plane for speed and to incorporate the type of mods only an experimental could get away with. You don’t win an award at Oshkosh, at least at the highest levels, without purpose building for an Oshkosh award. So, I took a 200+ hour bird down there, threw it into a judging category (kit built home built), competing against guys looking purely for an award with barely over 25 hours on them, and got a Bronze Lindy. I submitted an article to Sport Aviation ( at their request) last week, so it will likely get some press there in the next few months. Thanks Steiger and other Mooniacs for stopping by and looking at my project. I really enjoyed sharing it with my awesome Mooney friends! Tom

Shorter wing. Same pump and flow rate as a Mooney or Bonanza.

My wife says she likes you already, even though she's never met you! Especially when you put me in my place :>) Tom