Yooper Rocketman

I would think real hard about whether you want to fly above 24K. I routinely fly in the flight levels, and have done many trips at 23k and 24K. There is little room for error as to keeping O2 sat's where they need to be. My wife pulled her O2 off for less than a minute to reach back in the luggage area and grab something and she was getting hypoxia symptoms before getting her O2 back on. I usually only go above 18k to 19k if there is a real considerable benefit in winds, or I need to get over weather. There's just a lot less time to determine hypoxia issues as you fly above the teens.

Hank, We sell a ton of new log trucks, and just delivered log trailer number 88 (we manufacture them in house). The one we delivered yesterday is here; https://www.facebook.com/UP-Truck-Center-Inc-317627121061/ But then logging is alive and strong in the upper Midwest too. Tom

Flew from the U.P. today to lower Michigan to pick up a customer that was taking delivery of his brand new log truck and trailer at my dealership. I got to see the sunrise over Lake Michigan, albeit above a small cloud layer. Had a decent tailwind (ok, I'll fess up, that was during the descent, but I still saw 230 knots in cruise). Tom

Like Bravoman, I had a recent hair raising experience and can relate. Great job and thanks for sharing. Your information could help another Mooniac some day! Tom

I installed roller tappets in my big block Chevy of my 1969 Chevelle the last time I did serious engine work and in less than a couple thousand miles one failed and now requires the engine to be pulled so I can get it out without destroying the block. I found this out this summer when trying to get it going for my weekly ice cream runs, and didn't have time to do that much work to get it fixed. I know not "apples to apples", but I never had a standard cam and lifter combination fail that soon and cause so much work to fix. Not sure I would be real excited about that combination in my airplane engine.

Ouch.....That hurts. Tom

Erik, As promised, here is a view of the turbo through the air filter housing. I inspected everything that was touched during the turbo replacement after getting home. Removing the housing would only entail removing 4 more bolts, but from experience, those 4 bolts are a real pain. I will try to get a small magnet through the openings in the mesh to inspect for play in the turbo shaft during my future annuals. Tom

Good job getting it back on the ground! I've welded up several engine blocks but feel the same as you. I would NOT want to use that Continental block after it was weld repaired. I would quote it with the different options and make a decision based on that. Tom

My 1982 231 (Rocket conversion now) came with a vernier throttle? I like it much better than the quadrant on the Turbo Bonanza I fly.

I bought the GAMI's and did the GAMI test back in 2001 when I bought my Rocket. I swapped out injectors at least 4 times, ran more tests after every swap out, talking with either George or one of his staff, and was never able to get the engine to run anywhere near smooth enough to live with it. I was starting to get concerned I was going to be reducing engine life with all the lean testing and decided the fuel savings were simply not worth it. In the end, George admitted to me the TSIO520NB was not an engine they had a lot of luck with getting to run LOP. If I recall, it had something to do with the updraft intake system on this engine. I DO run our turbo normalized Bonanza (Northwood's Airlifeline) LOP, so have no issue with that procedure. As Erik eludes to, everything must be working right with the rest of the engine components to allow reasonably smooth LOP operations (notice I said "reasonably" smooth). We have several guys flying the Bonanza and some don't lean aggressively enough on the ground, and/or go full rich on final and I find after a few flights by those guys I need to have the plugs pulled and cleaned or it runs really rough LOP. So.....how do I run mine? I run 2300 RPM, 30 inches manifold, and 19 GPH. I have flown one 5:45 minute flight (years ago with my "F" model) and decided I will never do that again. Just too sore and tired after the flight. I would much prefer to land after 3 and certainly under 4 hours for fuel, walk around, get fresh air and a potty break. As far as those settings, 1 jug in 1840 hours (on a 1600 TBO engine), and still going, which my IA says is pretty unusual. He works on a lot of twin engine Cessna's which use the same engine. On both planes I fly, I never touch the mixture once it's set, including on descent and landing (LOP or ROP). I have practiced go around's, both actual and in my head, and I verbalize "MIXTURE - THROTTLE" every time before touching anything. I also do not pull back the manifold pressure or RPM's during climb. I did that while climbing out of Atlanta after first purchasing the Rocket (was delivering the "F" model to new owner) and had cylinder temps climbing past 400 degrees at the approved 2500 RPM / 35" MP. I went back to 2650 RPM and 38" MP and the temps all dropped below 400. Both the climb and descent procedures I describe are pretty much the way Tornado Alley taught me to fly the Bonanza after the new engine and turbo install too. Hope this helps.

"The impeller is made of a version of SS. How well the magnet grips it could be interesting." The shaft is NOT Stainless. I have already gripped it with the magnet and determined it grips securely enough to check for play in the shaft/bearings. " I understand now the tool you are suggesting, but I am still not exactly understanding the place where you are getting this access." If you remove your air filter you will see a mesh at the rear of the filter housing designed to keep the foam filter from being sucked into the turbo inlet. I will expand one of the openings just a bit to get the magnet through. The turbo shaft and impeller are about 8" behind the mesh. I will be working on the Rocket soon, wrapping up a couple minor issues we left to finish once I got home. I will take a picture for you. Tom

I've worked far too long in the repair industry to not realize this is a great resource for others that MAY encounter the same issue. No sense in every owner having to go through the same amount of work as yourself if you can help them. Like Peter, I always try to follow up, as well as reflect on how the problem may have been discovered earlier, or been avoided by some additional process or technique. Hopefully your suggestion will encourage others to do the same.

My "F" model was run out to exactly 2400 hours SMOH and I found metal in the oil filter screen during an oil change. It looked like cam flakes. Like Mooneymite, I installed a Factory Reman I bought from Van Bortel (or was it Airpower, Inc.). It ran $14,995 back then. I would hate to see what they run today. Anyway, the only thing ever done to it between overhauls was to replace the oil pump gears at 2,000 hours (A.D.).

"Hi Yooper, I am not fully understanding the tool/test you are suggesting to test for excessive turbo play, and I would like to please." Just basically a small (pocket size, like a pen) extendable magnet tool. The mesh at the back of the air filter assy is to support the foam filter. You can view the intake impeller through the mesh, but it is about 8" back from the mesh. Short of removing the air filter assy, which is a real pain (8 small screws, safety wired, and half of them almost impossible to access) this was the only option we could think of to inspect for play. I placed my small magnet on the end of the impeller shaft before installing the turbo and felt it gripped it sufficiently enough to detect any future play in the shaft and bearings. I might check to see if I can get my arm up the exhaust pipe to grab the exhaust impeller. That might be a second option.

There was NO play in the new turbo impeller shaft. My small magnet gripped it decent enough if there was play I believe I could detect it from distance (through the air filter housing mesh). I know on heavy truck diesel engines a slight amount of play is acceptable, I cannot say I know what it is on aircraft engine turbos. Maybe Doc can comment, but otherwise I had planned on doing some research if I found any in the future. Having wrenched basically my entire life, I guess I expect I should be prudent enough to eliminate as many maintenance issues as possible before they surface as a serious issue. I will certainly be reviewing the annual inspection check list to see if we should have been scrutinizing the turbo closer. I've had annuals done by several shops in the past (when too busy to do them ourselves), but mostly complete them myself with Steve, my hangar partner and A&P. My squawk lists are always 3-4 times longer than I ever get from the shops, but then they are not getting nick picky either with stuff that would more likely P... off customers. The last turbo was installed about 800-1000 hours ago, which means the first one only lasted about the same amount of time too. I bought the Rocket with 300 SMOH, but only 10 since a complete tear down and everything but a few items short of another OH due to a prop strike during a botched landing. The last failure was detected during exhaust piping work (had some cracks and sent out the complete exhaust for overhaul) when I spotted some decay/erosion of the exhaust impeller. I sent it out to Main Turbo in California for overhaul. I suspected the first failure was the prior owner (or my new ownership) operations, as that type of failure is most likely from over temps in the exhaust system. I am pretty certain my operations on the one that just failed were completely within parameters so we sent the turbo out to a different overhaul shop (think it was ATS). Recent articles I have read about aircraft turbos, they SHOULD last the life of the engine, so I am not real happy with my turbo life on this bird. In the end, I got a new turbo because there was nothing reusable on my old core. They actually pulled the "Garrett" tag off and installed an "ATS" tag on the side of the turbo, leaving the original Garrett tag in my accessories bag. With my project plane within 6-9 months of completion, I suspect that any future turbo failure will be with the next owner.

Well, we were at the airport before dawn and I took off just after daybreak. I did a pretty aggressive climb and was able to stay within 10 miles of the airport up to 10K to get a good 15 minute test flight in. After landing, we detected no oil leaks, oil level exactly where it was at after last night's run up, and flight test parameters were very normal. I installed my oil cooler "winter block off", a piece of rubber mud flap cut to fit exactly over 1/2 of my oil cooler in a nice recess (have used it every winter since 2001) to keep oil temps up where they need to be. I had gotten 190 degrees in the aggressive climb, but started dropping down quickly once level. Other than that, we felt safe flying it home (well, I did anyway). http://flightaware.com/live/flight/N1017L (ignore the filed speed, some anomaly filing with my Iphone. My file speed at FL180 is 200 knots) Flew home at FL180 over the lake, and everything seemed great until I started over the lake. I just thought I detected a slight roughness until I was almost completely over it, and then once I started concentrating on the ILS into my home drome, never noticed anything unusual again during the flight. Pretty sure it was the "over water jitters" with a recently worked on engine. I think the last time I watched my gauges that closely during a flight was during break in of my Lycoming Factory Reman IO301A1A in the "F" model back in the 90's. Anyway, when I landed, while everything was still hot, I pulled the oil filter and cut it open; totally clean. The oil was exactly on the same spot on the stick (10.5 qts) as when we finished the ground run yesterday, and looked clean as it did when I poured it in the engine. I also did a compression test and all cylinders were within a couple pounds of my February 2015 annual readings. I might borescope as long as the plugs are out, but thinking I probably will be good for a while on this engine yet. Reflecting back on my last annual, I am wondering if I might have detected some play in the turbo back in February had I been diligent enough to check it. When the air filter is removed on the Rocket, the intake impeller is within view though the back of the housing. There is a 1/4" mesh at the back of the filter housing which would prevent any decent sized tool to grip the impeller, but I checked with a small magnet on the end of the shaft during reassembly and I think if that could be squeezed through one of the mesh openings. It appears to grip the impeller shaft sufficiently to check for play in the shaft. It's something I will do going forward, and just thought this tip might be of value for others with turbos. This scenario is not one I would like to repeat, nor wish to hear from another turbo owner. Having it happen in the flight levels near airports is a lot easier to deal with than over mountains or during night operations. I'll put this thread (and issue) to bed. The last couple of posts were purely intended as informational. I fully intend to lurk again for a while and let you guys tell me about the exciting stuff.

We flew down and installed the new turbo today. Found some debris in return fitting and the first hose off the turbo going to the one way check valve was almost completely plugged. We removed the check valve and blew some carbon out of the hose. The check valve was clean and the 2' hose from there to the scavenge pump was clean so looks like we got lucky. If you have never pulled a turbo on a Rocket it's a real treat. The intake housing has to be separated from the turbo to get it dropped through the engine mount tubes. Reinstallation requires the same reverse process. Some of the bolts and nuts are nearly impossible to access. In addition we pulled both inter coolers to check for aluminum debris and blow them out. We ran the engine just before dark and had very good oil pressure, all engine parameters looked good, and it sounded great. We decided to do the hotel overnight and conduct the first test flight in daylight. If all goes well tomorrow I will fly it over the pond to the U.P.

Dan, I installed the Bob Fields inflatable seal right after purchasing my Rocket in 2001. I installed the bulb style with the small curly hose and clip to store it on the door. It takes about 4 pumps to inflate it, I fly in the Flight levels regularly, and am very happy with it. I ALWAYS close and lock the door myself (have had far too many doors pop after passengers close them). I even had the door pop coming into Atlanta on the way back from Sun & Fun, after 2-3 hours up at FL 240. Luckily it popped at 6K and we were only 10 minutes out. On that occasion, the door had been closed by a pilot that had been flying longer than me. That said, I am reaching across my passengers on every flight anyway, so the door seal is just one more step in my pre-flight. I am still using the original seal, but have replaced the curly hose once as it seems to deteriorate over time. I hangar, so imagine the hose life would be even worse if the plane sits outside. I have learned to inflate the seal to about 50% (two pumps) when I am traveling and the bird needs to sit outside on the ramp. Otherwise you will get water inside. Tom

Done. Love the site. Sure beats the last Mooney blog I was on (many years ago) getting tons of emails a day. Hope my 20 years of Mooney ownership and experience has helped a few members. I know I've learned a lot too. Tom

What a sobering bit of news. My prayers to his son, family and friends. Tom

Not on a 231. Been there, done that. When I bought my system for the Rocket, I was told the FIKI could only be added to the 252 or newer Mooney's. They said they did the flight testing for FIKI on the 252, but not the 231, so even though they are the same "K" designation, for purposes of FIKI the 231 doesn't qualify. We ran into the same problem with the Northwoods Airlifeline Bonanza, and ended up selling a perfectly good 1982 to buy a 1986 model that met the year requirement for FIKI. Another consideration is CAV Aerospace will not install a FIKI system on any plane with an air frame mod either (thicker windshield, different cowls, any speed mods, any engine mods, etc). They want a perfectly unmodified air frame. We got around that (wanted Tornado Alley Turbo system) by purchasing an engine timed out air frame, having the FIKI icing system installed, and THEN getting the Tornado Alley engine upgrade. Also, fwiw, I have had a TKS system ordered for my Lancair for 15 months and am still waiting on the panels. If you want a system for an upgrade (in other words, you are not an OEM), you will likely wait a LONG TIME to get it. This is the fourth system I have bought, so I'm not new to their company. Tom Sullivan

Semper Fi pops. 11/27/31 to 12/16/15

My local airport manager went to bat for me and after a written request by me to the KAZO airport Manager, explaining the problem of no service available for at least two months, he authorized me and my A&P to proceed with troubleshooting and repair. Chad Kubick, the owner of Kubick Aviation (my maintenance facility) called Duncan Aviation, the large FBO on the field that doesn't conduct engine repairs, and requested a hangar. When we produced the letter authorizing us to work on the field, they provided us with a heated hangar. Truly a TOP NOTCH FBO. So we flew out today around noon and ultimately found the turbo had failed. The bearings are shot and the shaft is really sloppy in the housing. We drained the oil, having a holly crap moment at first, forgetting they had just brought it in from outside. After about 20 seconds oil started dripping out the drain extension tube and we ended up with 4-5 quarts coming out. Adding the quart that was in the filter, we should be OK on the engine. I checked new turbo pricing last night and Cessna (the Rocket engine is from the 340/414 Cessna's) shows $3600. I will be looking at overhaul and rebuilt exchange options tomorrow. On another note, Dad was doing good when I left on Saturday, but after 3 days of decline has opted for hospice. They pull all the tubes out tomorrow and work purely with "comfort measures". I sincerely appreciate all the support and interest from my Mooney friends, just wanted to pass the latest news on. Thanks everyone! Tom

Walt, To be clear, Kalamazoo Aircraft is where I taxied up with the plane upon landing. They went out of their way, dropping what they were doing, to look at the plane. They pulled cowls, removed and cut open the oil filter, checked engine compression, and head crunched between three of them what the likely mode of failure was. I asked for a bill and they would not charge me. My mercy flight organization had them inspect the first Bonanza we purchased and had a very good experience with them. I believe they are a Bonanza Service Center. They even ran Steve over to a hotel when it was all said and done. The owner was frank with me about getting the plane in for more serious work. He is extremely busy, and has customers expecting work done beyond what he can do now, so adding work is simply not an option. He was pretty apologetic about it, but as a business owner, I understand his customer expectations and what it will look like for a long standing customer to walk in and his plane has taken a back seat to a transient that hasn't waited in line to get their repairs completed. I inquired about Duncan, the large FBO on the field, and he had nothing bad to say about them, but simply stated they did not do engine work, at least not at the level I may require. My local FBO, with whom I have the utmost trust and respect for, will be arranging access to my plane for next week and feels there is no way they can deny him access when no one ON FIELD can get me going. I will be checking in with him on Monday, as I just got back home this afternoon. I suspect we will be going down on Tuesday to determine what I am dealing with. The local pilot association will be an option if I hit any brick walls, so thanks for the tip. Tom

Dad went from about as close as you can to leaving this world to the doctors now talking about transferring him to the Asheville VA by last night. I have to believe all the prayers helped. His long term will likely be a nursing home or assisted living, but he refused to give up. Not sure I would have been as tough. Sitting in ATLANTA waiting my flight back home. Steve, my best friend, agreed to accompany me on the original flight down. He refused to fly back that day, taking a rental car back to the U.P. Thursday. He's been in conversation with Chad from Kubick Aviation about the likely failure mode and Chad is going to demand ramp access to my plane for diagnosis and repair. A crew of us will be going down on Tuesday to see if I had a turbo failure and verify how much oil was left in the sump. I will keep everyone up to speed on both situations. I have to say the support I've received from my Mooney friends was beyond anything I ever imagined. You guys ROCK!!! Tom