Yooper Rocketman

Pull your yoke to full aft (up elevator). With the Rocket’s nose heavy tendency, I never taxi without full aft elevator. It will help with the bouncing too. Tom

Here’s my last weekend and this weekend. A bit of a contrast. Lake of the Clouds near Lake Superior snowmobiling last weekend and our daily walk on Spruce Creek today. Tom Sorry about the sideways one. Posting off my IPhone and can’t fix it.

I claiming a speed loss based on before and after installation of the TKS. I flew for 6 months prior to the install. My original numbers, less TKS, were always less than the ones they sold the mod on ;>) Tom

I’ve had mine for 17 years. I file 190 knots at 11k-12k, 200 knots around 18k and 210 knots at 23k-24k burning 19 GPH ROP at 30” manifold pressure and 2300 RPM. I have TKS so likely seeing 3-5 knot speed penalty from that. It will climb at 1,000’ a minute right up to FL240. Quite a bit better than that when ambient is cold, at lower altitudes when under gross. I currently am 450 past TBO and it’s still running great. Two exhaust valves since overhaul and both likely due to periods of inactivity. Payload at full fuel depends on if you have extended range tanks. The conversion comes with a gross weight increase that’s about 3 times the actual empty weight increase from the mod. I’ve not seen the weight limitations any more challenging than most Mooney’s. Tom

Very possible we’ll still be here. Let’s talk as it gets closer. Tom

That would be great. My phone number is nine zero six- 458- 698nine. Tom

We got an early start to Florida this morning. We got off at 5 AM and landed at Milan TN before 8 AM. Spent some time with Brad, owner of the paint/body/ interior shop making decisions on a ton of questions on my Lancair. We were off before 9:30 and landed at Spruce Creek FL 2 1/2 hours later. At least we saw some tailwinds this trip down. A couple pictures near Chicago as the sun rose and a bit of tailwind on the TN to Florida leg. Tom

My Rocket has TKS , but is not FIKI, so that’s not an issue. I DO have a Flight Director that drives my KFC 150. So the HSI “could” be replaced by a G5? That’s an interesting option. I will have to check out the G/S issue when I head back home in a couple weeks as I guess this will be the determining factor on what to do. Thanks Tom

Be glad to have you stop by. The Lancair should be in new paint and have the interior done. Will have to get you a ride in it! Tom

I'm heading to our Spruce Creek Air park home tomorrow and would be open to visitors wanting to see the most awesome air park in the world. We should get in there tomorrow afternoon and can host, my wife's schedule provided, if interested. Spruce Creek is about 10 miles south of Daytona Beach and is a gated private air park, open to visitors only by invite (well, there is one other option), but getting a golf cart tour of the premises is, by far, the way to go. Previous visitors are welcome too (Hector, Alex, Steve). Best to text me first, as I don't usually answer phone calls coming from someone not in my contacts list. I will try to monitor this post too in the event there is any interest. Disclosure, I will have the slow plane down there this time (my Mooney Rocket), as the "other one" is at the paint shop in Tennessee. Tom

Well, my standby electric attitude indicator went TU a couple weeks ago for the third time since I bought my Rocket, the last rebuild just 2 years ago at the most. I spent $1200 ten years ago and $900 the last time to fix it, and was advised to replace it with a Garmin G5. Since the plane will go on the market before this year is out (when the Lancair is done), I really don't want get a lot of money in it I can't recover, but then fixing outdated instruments is likely to be a worse choice than installing something that will get me, at least, some of my money back. So..........I committed to the G5 and just haven't got it into the schedule yet, especially since I have a couple more flights to our Florida home in the next two months planned. So...I flew to Green Bay yesterday, visiting my best friend Steve who almost died in the hospital this past weekend (looking better after emergency surgery Saturday and should recover completely), and flying two ILS approaches, the autopilot wouldn't capture glide scope. Fortunately, I had my KX155 dialed in as well, and hand flew both approaches, but caught the glide scope bars are not coming into view on the HSI on the last approach, clearly the reason the A/P is not capturing glide scope. The localizer captured fine, just no glide scope. I talked with Chad today at Kubick Aviation, and he is suggesting if we find it's not in the GNS530 (then actually a HSI issue) I should consider a two G5 update, as the HSI repair would cover a bunch of the second G5 cost. But when I asked him about redundancy (my Flight Director would get removed too, and where do I get a second A/I?), he was too busy to think that through and give me an answer (I was busy too, getting ready to head out tomorrow for Florida). Another advantage of this system is eliminating the vacuum pump, a second failure point, but I'm really not liking a lack a second attitude indication. What am I missing here? Tom

Drive???????? Are you kidding? We're pilots! Good job Mike! Makes my 5 hour trip tomorrow to Florida, via Milan TN to check on my Lancair paint project, at about the same distant, look not so painful. Nice to see other pilots actually flying cross country flights! Tom

So......what did you find out? Tom

Here's my website for solar. I have a lot of information on there as well as links to a few other good solar DIY sites. For specifics on building hot water solar collectors, look under the menu tab "Solar Projects". I have a hot air collector on my hangar too. Very cost effective project. https://www.aluminum-solar-absorbers.com/ My friend Gary has probably the best Solar DIY site in the world. He has so much information it's almost overwhelming. http://www.builditsolar.com/index.htm Tom

What's NAFTA? It's a freakin joke. I developed a solar collector absorber out of aluminum that I stamp out with dies and have sold all over the U.S. for building DIY hot water solar collectors. What we stamp is about the only part of a DIY hot water solar collector that would be difficult to make, so our product is pretty popular. We're close to Canada so get a lot of inquiries for the product by our northern Do it Yourself builders. The first 3-4 times we sold it to our Canadian neighbors we quoted the cost and shipping (which was high, but still pretty reasonable). I got calls after they received the product that some agency with your Government followed up after the product was delivered and hammered them with a tax that exceeded the cost of the actual product. We can sell it and ship it for cheaper to Alaska (thousands of miles away) than to Sault St Marie, 200 miles from me, and that's before your people get hit for the follow up tax/bill? Now we just suggest they find a friend in the U.S. that's just across the border and we ship it there and they drive over the border and pick it up. Because it's not "shipped", they don't seam to be getting hammered with the follow up bill. That process doesn't work for Canadians too far north from the border though. Tom

I should make it. We are planning on being in Spruce Creek during that time and Beth and I will be coming over with two other Spruce Creek couples. Tom

Just ordered mine. Don't need it for the new plane, but have several flights left this winter in the Mooney. After reading this chain of emails, I was thinking about not having a detector in the plane all the way back from Florida last week. Tom

Congrats Eagles on your first Super Bowl !!!!!!!

Cancer REALLY SUCKS! Sorry to hear about your friend. I flown airlifeline flights since 1994 and many patients I have flown I also attended their funerals. The only bright side is we've shared some special time with them! I honestly believe your friends impact on YOUR life will allow you to impact another's in the future! Tom

It's all in your operating limitations. Mine are 28,000'. You can't get that high flying VFR! Experimentals have never been restricted from IFR Operations in the U.S. UNLESS the builder limited their plane while certifying it. As long as you have instruments installed required for IFR Operations, there's no issue whatsoever. Tom

Partners in my IVPT? Haha, just kidding. I owed you that for all the crap you've given me! :>) Tom

First off, thinking CAV is going to come up with a solution is dreaming. Their solution to the clamps breaking for the prop spray bars was to continue providing the same $3 clamp, but raising the price to $50 each!!! This part now becomes an "owner produced part". A Cies replacement would be awesome! Coming down to Florida on Friday I used my TKS several times without the quantity indication dropping one tenth of a gallon. After landing in TN, on my next start up it shows 3 gallons down on the TKS fluid level. Keep in mind, when I repaired the sender 3-4 years ago, it was reading low or empty because the float was saturated with fluid. This is a common trait that the gauge will stick showing more fluid during flight while using it and then correct itself after landing, shutdown, and a restart. These gauges suck. Tom

I suspect when I "checked brakes" just before dropping the gear I applied a little more pressure to the left peddle. Witnesses at the airport said they heard tire squeal from the point of first contact with the runway, suggesting the tire was locked before touchdown. Since I was slowing quickly enough anyway and had crosswind from my left, I was initially using only left rudder. As I slowed, and it was pulling hard to the left, I had full right rudder but still applied no brakes. By then it was evident I was stopping fast enough I needed no brakes. Having never applied any brakes during the landing I believe that's why the right side didn't lock up. Needless to say, all brake functions including parking brakes were checked before my next takeoff. I had plenty of incentive to insure everything was working correctly as my next landing was going to be in the dark. Tom

Yep, AIRNAV review submitted this morning.

It's not as old as you would think. Come to think of it, there are quite a few younger than @Marauder. :>) Tom