Missile 300

Soft and/or rutted runway or taxiing surfaces and Mooney's with big heavy Lyc or Cont 6's don't mix well - especially when braking.

You mention Rocket Engineering. On the Rocket 305 and Missile 300 conversions they used Factory Rebuilt Continentals in the conversion unless an owner demanded New. Here is how Air Power Inc. describes Factory Rebuild in a post on Beechtalk a couple years ago.: Can you define differences between overhaul and rebuilt exactly? Sure. First, let me say that there are some fantastic overhaul shops out there, but all are not created equal. Some overhauls use more new parts than others, some focus on new limits while some focus on overhaul limits, it is a lot less controlled. But again, there are some really good shops out there. To name a few, Ly-Con, Pinnacle, Tim's, Poplar Grove, etc... Here's why we sell so many rebuilt engines: -A rebuilt engine can only be done by the OEM. It comes with a new, zero timed log book and new serial number. -A factory engines includes all latest product improvements, all engineering changes, all service letters, all service bulletins, all service instructions and all airworthiness directives. -On the aircraft sales side, we see a boost in resale value with a factory engine. -Even on a rebuilt, the majority of the parts going into the engine are new. They are all OEM, no aftermarket. -No core surprises. The price you pay for the engine is the price you pay. As long as you send your core back in a condition where it could be run, with the same equipment that came on the new one (example if the new/rebuilt comes with a turbo, you return a turbo), there are no up charges or pricing changes. -If you plan ahead, you have less downtime. Fly until your new engine is ready. Here are a couple articles from our website: https://www.airpowerinc.com/eleven-reas ... ry-engines https://www.airpowerinc.com/top-twelve- ... -power-inc _________________ Darryl Taylor General Manager, Air Power, Inc. dtaylor@airpowerinc.com

They have been repaired in the field and reported here on MS. I don't recall anyone saying that they know of a shop that will do it. The Missile engine frame is made of 3 different types of tubulars with wall thickness that gets thinner the further out it goes. I think the Rocket is similar. I assume they did it to save weight. It does not take much corrosion to exceed 10% of the wall and render it non-airworthy. At the first sign of corrosion get in there and spot treat/paint. It happens where the tubulars are near the exhaust. At Rocket, corroded tubulars are cut out and the replacement tubulars are filled with linseed oil in the welding process and the entire frame is all powder coated. The field repair (see below) is different and is a patch with split sleeve splices . Apparently Rocket shared drawings or specs with the owner and AP and signed off on the repair. It ain't pretty but it worked. You asked about "Cons". The Rocket and Missile engine frame designs result in a lot more time to remove and replace the engine than compared to an Ovation or Acclaim. This post below said budget 80 shop hours to "R&R" the Rocket engine. So if your shop is hitting you with $100-125/hr then just the cost of pulling the engine and reinstalling will be $8,000 - 10,000. Others scoffed but I can tell you it took the same for the Missile. The Missile has an eight (8) point engine mount - that is 8 mounts to buy and install.

I had an engine mount repaired by Rocket in Spokane a couple years ago. They answer the phone occasionally. email works better. Online records shows that Darwin Conrad, founder/owner is 74 years old......so don't wait too long.

That is an open ended question. It is a function of the condition of all the components in the nose gear and truss including bearings and landing gear pucks, the weight of your plane, nose gear rigging, regular and complete lubrication, the type and condition of the runway and taxiways you frequent and how you land. My experience has been, if the entire nose gear and truss has been set up right - with proper bearing tolerances and properly lubricated regularly, that it will last a long long time. I have a J that was converted to a Missile 300 long ago and have hundreds of pounds more weight on the nose than you. The last time any work was done on the nose gear components, other than lubrication and new landing gear pucks, was done in 2009. I only land on paved runways generally in good condition and I avoid taxiing off of paved taxiways although sometimes on hard dry ground. If you have looseness in nose gear truss bearings, improper rigging, insufficient lubrication, land on rough surfaces, and/or bounce the nose then you are going to put a lot of excessive forces on these small components and bearings more frequently and cause them to wear more quickly. If you have looseness and excessive tolerances to start with then bearings get slapped around (high shock loads) as you bounce or hit rough surfaces and load and unload the landing gear and bearings.