WrightFlyer

I wanted to take a moment to say thanks to the group for the knowledge and support over the past few years. This group has been invaluable as I ventured into my first plane purchase then my first few years of ownership. Whenever I had an issue or question, I'd scour the board and typically find my answer without having to even post. When I did reach out, the group has been very helpful. My Rocket was delivered to the new owner last week and will be in very capable hands. I'm glad it's being flown since my mission changed and I just wasn't flying as much. Now that I'm a "planeless peasant" I'll rent when the itch strikes and bum rides when I can. The new venture is a wedding venue in a 260 year old house...and you thought plane ownership burned AMU's!! If you're in the DC area, stop by. 2W5 is only 10 minutes away and I'd be glad to pop over to say hi and even give you a tour. In the mean time, check out the latest press from the Washingtonian https://www.washingtonian.com/2023/07/21/peek-inside-a-historic-maryland-home-that-also-doubles-as-a-wedding-venue/

MS has been a great resource during my initial Mooney search and then as a first time plane buyer. I wanted to pay it back by offering my Rocket here first. My mission when I bought the Rocket was monthly, solo work trips from DC to Tampa. With the Monroy tanks and turbo I was able to make that trip nonstop in the high teens at 205KTAS at 19GPH. Staying above the Florida pop-up thunderstorms in the summer and getting around icing was cake. I enjoyed cruising above the NA traffic and below the airliners – made getting direct routing easy many times. When I bought the Rocket in 2021 it was already in fantastic shape. Had just come out of an IRAN and TOH from a ground prop strike and had a brand-new MT 4 blade non-feathering prop to counter the nose heavy feel of that big Continental. It had everything I wanted – new paint (2019), GAMI injectors, speed brakes, Monroy tanks (104 gal), on board O2 (115 cubic feet), yaw damper and more. A few of the upgrades under my care include: - JPI EDM 830 Engine Analyzer - New windshield - WAT LED lights all around (awaiting shipment of recogs) Excellent maintenance history with much done at Top Gun MSC when it was on the West Coast and now by @jetdriven at GAI. Took care of all of the "first year" plane squawks - the plan for this year was to upgrade the panel so at the annual (November 2022) we started consolidating and moving things to make room for upgrades. This plane has been coast to coast - took it from Half Moon Bay to Ocean City MD – and all along the east coast. I’ve changed jobs and not flying as much as I used to for work and this beast needs to be flown. Please PM me if interested. EDITS: Finally had a minute to get the Rocket listed on Controller and TAP, should be live soon, asking $219k. Lots of extras for MS buyers included: AC robotics tug, twin hornet engine heater, black box engine saver, and switcheon box....plus whatever else I might have laying around the hangar. UL is 969, if there are other questions I missed PM me. Thanks!

I've flown with Seth in his Missile a couple of times and can attest to his meticulous care of his plane. The new buyer will be getting a great plane!

Quick plug for these lights. I upgraded my landing, taxi, strobe and nav lights with LEDs at my recent annual. @jetdriven did a kickass job getting the strobes synced and they all look great. More importantly, I had a night flight back to my home field that is in the middle of rural Maryland. Our southerly runway does not have REILs, VASI/PAPI or an approach, all I could see was runway lights in a black void. As I turned final, I was able to make out the ground because of the LED landing lights. I know I would not have been able to see as well with my old bulbs. Looking forward to the recogs coming soon!

Ha! My home airport is in the SFRA and the procedures are relatively benign especially when filing IFR. I'm so used to it that now it feels weird leaving another airport VFR without getting a discrete code. Good luck with the windshield, I'll let you know how mine goes.

Might be stretching your tank of gas but Byron @jetdriven at RPM Aviation at GAI has done a bunch of windshields. He's doing mine later this month.

Keeping an eye on this as I'm doing planning this morning. Planned flight is for tomorrow and I'm doglegging south through Texas. Looking at potential overnight locations along the route. Won't matter much if I miss the first half day of the conference. Appreciate the heads up @carusoam! Also, do you any of you sleep?

Appreciate the insights from the group. True that I'm not crossing the Rockies or heading to Leadville and more than likely won't experience true high DA. All of my high DA training was in turbine aircraft which is a different set of issues. The purpose of my post was to find out the little things that can make a big difference in a piston airplane. What may be common sense to some is new knowledge to others. That's what MS is about right? My take aways: Aim for Vy, be patient on a longer than expected takeoff roll Be prepared for turbulence and stay ahead of the plane more than usual Write down traffic pattern altitude when getting ATIS/ASOS Lean on rollout instead of on the taxiway Order a copy of the Mountain Flying Bible Keep a lookout for training ops at CFO on arrival - hit up @FoxMike for the best local watering holes Fly early - which is already my SOP! I know more than when I posted my question, which was my goal. Thanks all! -

I'm an East Coast/flat land pilot heading to Colorado for a conference for work next week. Specifically I'll be at KCFO near Denver. Been awhile since I've done high altitude training - and that was in a helicopter about 20 years ago. Thought I'd reach out to the hive mind and locals for tips/techniques for operating out of high DA airports in a piston aircraft. I have a 252 Rocket, I'll be the only passenger with minimal bags. CFO field elevation is 5500' and runways are 8,000'. I've been calculating take off and landing distances using the POH using the current METARs at CFO to get a feeling for what right will look like. (current winds 300 at 19G29 - yikes!) What should I expect for starting, mixture settings, aircraft "feel" and any other high altitude anomalies? I've been reading articles on operating in high DA areas and talking to a few other smart folks I know. Appreciate thoughts from the group. Travis

Fewer things are harder to find than a good lawyer, a good CPA and a good mechanic. Once you find one, the conventional wisdom is to keep it to yourself so you don't lose out to the other guy. I'm happy to buck the conventional wisdom for two reasons, first the members of this site have freely shared their collective wisdom freely. Every message I have sent on here has been answered quickly and been more informative than I could have imagined. Second, Byron (aka @jetdriven) does exceptional work and has gone out of his way to mentor this new Mooney owner. I was in need of an oil change and a few other minor squawks. Byron came recommended by @Seth and I gave him a call. We talked about what I wanted done and agreed to a date. I had an upcoming trip but knew the work would take a couple of days and planned on dropping it off. KGAI sits on the north side of the DC SFRA and my home airport is on the south side. What should be a 15 minute direct flight turns into a 40 minute tour of Maryland. My wife was working this day and I didn't have a way to get back home and planned on Ubering. Byron offered up his car for me to drive while he worked on my plane for the week. Talk about service! When work started on my plane, I got multiple texts each day with pictures (over 40 for the week!) of each step Byron and his crew were taking. I felt like I was in the hangar with them and was able to make informed decisions before any action was taken. Like all exceptional mechanics, Byron took the time to give my plane a once over while the cowling was off and found some wires that needed to be attached and some excess insulation. We talked about what should be done soon and what could be put off until annual. If you are in the DC area or in the NE, I can't recommend RPM Aviation highly enough. I don't promise that you'll get a loaner car but I do promise you'll get exceptional service.

Great flying plane! Just got 6 hours in it with @mschmuff for my flight review and IPC. Happy to answer questions for anyone interested.

Thanks for the warm welcome! I'll start a new thread with specifics on my background and mission plus the research I've done so far. It would be great to have this group pressure test my assumptions and highlight what I might be missing. I firmly believe that there is no such thing as a dumb question, but there are lazy questions. I like to ask informed, researched questions. I'm talking to one of my fellow Marylanders @Seth later today, I'll save my dumb questions for him!

I've been lurking for the past few months as I contemplate a Mooney purchase this year. This site has been a wealth of information as I get closer to pulling the trigger. 2020 Goals: Returning to flying wasn't even on my mind - then COVID hit and a I began new role with some regular travel. 2021 Goals: Complete my Class 3 Medical Complete BFR/IPC Buy a Mooney (J or K?) Less lurking and more engaging on MS