PJClark

Thank you gentlemen. to clarify: as it happens, the 185 knot Rocket has no step. I kinda figured it had to be drag--I'm thinking mostly of control rigging, or even an elevator trim setting that's having to overcompensate for forward CG. That airplane should be fairly clean. It has a 1 piece belly, and the panel has a 430W, a KX155, and a KT76 xponder, no ADF. Maybe the antenna is still there... Or maybe it's the way his fuel system is set up? I figure at that 21gph setting he's running the recommended 100-150 ROP, but maybe not getting a clean burn and actually making the HP? on the other side, the YouTube Rocket (N231AM, just looked again) is almost certainly running LOP at 15.9 gph. I can't divine his CHTs from the JPI, but the legacy TIT guage is reading 1425. He's got a 530, a KNS 80, something else as a King Comm, and a newish looking Garmin Transponder. Antennas should be about a wash between the two unless they have a bunch of un-removed stuff (I'm not enough of a GA guy to know if you can even leave that stuff on). Point is, the faster guy is getting 210 at 65% power at FL180, he'll probably also get the book number of 195 KTAS at 12,000, which is plenty fast, still at the elegant ~16 gph--and those 10-15 knots are enough for me to want that airplane more than I'd want an Ovation (not trying to start anything with that--I can live with an Ovation if the differnce isn't big enough). But the slower guy is getting pretty much an Ovation number on a ton of gas, and he's 18 KTAS slower than book at 12 k, so he llikely won't make 210 KTAS at 65% power, either. The slower airplane is nicely priced, and I'm tempted--pending the approval of the aforementioned Ministries, which are not yet in danger of granting it--but suddenly wondering about this speed differential. Any other ideas? And to thrown in another one: IF I were to buy one of these machines, are there Rocket CFIIs one can find to teach what needs to be learned??? And can one get some training in a Rocket from such a CFII before one goes to collect the airplane from its pre-buy? I'm obviously not the first person to confront this problem so I'm guessing there's a simple solution I'm too dumb to have thought of! Thanks PJ

Hey all, New guy here. Don't own a Mooney right now: I'm still negotiating with the Ministries of Interior and Finance. However, I did own a '78 J back in 2003-05. Now I've got the bug again. For reasons similar to some of the earlier posters, I am used to going FAST so I'm interested in a Rocket. I don't care much about efficiency with in reason, and I'm not interested in another J. :-) Here's my question though, and it's about speed (of course). There's a video on YouTube of a guy's Rocket at FL180, power set at 30" and 2200 rpm, and he's getting a TAS of 210 knots. hard to read but it looks like OAT is -10. He's doing this at 16 gph. 65% power, nice and cool and going to make TBO. Freaking awesom, I've got the bug. Meanwhile I've got someone's power settings sheet for the Rocket and that's about book numbers. Freaking awsome again. Where do I get one? BUT: another guy says elsewhere that he plans 10-15k feet, 185 KTAS, and 21 gph. Not so good. According to the Rocket sheet I reference above, 21 gph at 12k feet matches 75% power with 31" and 2400 rpm, and he should be getting 203 KTAS with that. He's 18 KTAS slow. Big deal. Not so good. Doesn't scratch the speed itch in a way that feels right. What's up with these two airplanes? the second one is an '83 231 conversion. I don't know what the YouTube airplane is. Could that 18 KTAS difference be because the faster airplane is a -252 conversion? Or is maybe something not set up right with the slower one? Or--and this is way possible: am I such a single engine piston noob that I'm not reading it right? (however, there's no fuzz on the YouTube numbers, they're right there as he pans over each of the instruments). Help me out? Rocket wannabe... Thanks