RJBrown

First a little History. I bought my first plane N231NH in November of 1994. Flew it stock for about 100 hours before converting it to a Rocket. Sold it in March of 2003. Flew it as a Rocket for over 800 hours. Sold the plane to use the money on a real estate deal and promised myself another plane when I could. When I sold the old warehouse I started looking for "the last plane I'd ever need" Started to seriously search in Sept of 2008. Finding and buying N1079V in March of 2009. I chose the MSE as the plane to fly throughout my upcoming retirement because of the legendary efficiency of the J models. She has lived up to the billing flying efficiently on less than 10 gal per hour. Problem is with me. I still miss the Rocket. It is just too hard a step back in performance for me to be satisfied. I WANT another Rocket. So here she is, For Sale. N1079V has 1810 total time airframe and engine. The prop has 225 hours since O/H. No damage history very clean and original airplane with the Classic Plus avionics package. Including: Nav #1 KX-165 Nav Com with glide slope Nav #2 KX-155 Nav Com with indicator KLN-88 Loran KR-87 ADF with indicator KN-64 DME able to remote read both Nav Coms KT-76a Transponder Kap-150 Auto Pilot KCS-55a HSI compass system WX-1000+ stormscope Fuel Flow Meter Four Place Intercom Reiff preheat system Aero Safe Guardian Plus electric standby vacuum system. Electronics International SC-5 Clock Original paint in good condition. Original interior in good condition except seats that were recovered in fabric in 2002. Clean CORROSION FREE Colorado airplane. Annual and IFR certs just signed off in July. 2900# Gross Weight increase Intensive Annual done at purchase with MSC including Lake Aero nose truss and hydraulic brake system O/H Asking $1**,*** (now with broker). Very clean no squawk plane More Pictures in my Gallery

When Rocket did the conversion in 1994 they added a FP-5L to it. They added it below the panel on the right side. A sub panel was added for this purpose. See pictue below. I really liked the FP-5L it was very accurate and more user freindly than the unit in my MSE.

This is a good example of why you buy as much with the plane as you can. Compare N1152L with http://www.controller.com/listingsdetail/aircraft-for-sale/MOONEY-M20K-231/1980-MOONEY-M20K-231/1207093.htm? N1152L would have to be close to free to match what was added to this one. To figure value you need to add what you want or need to fly and compare it to the market. Minimum on N1152L would be Engine, Prop and a "Get all caught Up Annual". About $50-65K. Done up right Engine, Prop, Paint, Interior, Panel upgrade and the annual and you could spend between $100k and $150k over the acquisition costs.

Sorry Shadrach That double post was me. Thought I had lost the post and re posted. If you are troubled losing posts highlight right click and copy your own post before submitting it that way you just paste it back and re post it. I think it is a matter of time that does it. If the window has been open too long you will lose it.

I think Panther is looking to buy a plane and is wondering which auto pilots to buy or avoid. My Rocket had a Century 31 and my J has a K150. Both did the job and were trouble free for me. The 1990 J has the King HSI\KAP-150 setup. Mooney used the DG\ Century setup in cheeper versions like my 1980 K\Rocket. The King auto pilot was part of the upgraded avionics packages from the 80s and 90s. When I was shopping I looked for the King set up the second time around. Not so much for the auto pilot its self but for what came with it. Yes a Century HSI could be added to the century 31 in my Rocket but I like the King all electric unit better than the Century vacuum HSI. Buying a plane without and paying to add it would be the most expencive way to go. That goes for both the HSI and the auto pilot.

The Beech Baron in the Tail Lights! A true story by Me. Not a silly little Bonanza mind you but the "You Have Arrived" Baron. All 600 horse power no less. Some poor guy had just bought a Baron. On his first flight out of the local (Denver) area he chose to flex his new muscles going to Santa Fe NM. Unbeknownst to either of us I left Centennial (APA) after he was enroute. I flew south just over Colorado Springs airspace at 11,500'. As I listened in on Colorado Springs approach I heard them hand off an IFR Baron to center. Cruising along in the Rocket at my normal 72% power I was doing 205 knots true. Once clear of approach I called up center for flight following. When center passed me off to Pueblo approach there was that Baron again just going back to center. Back with center it wasn't long till he started calling traffic at 12 O:clock 500 below and closing. I simple walked on by without even trying hard. I landed first in Santa Fe. We tied down, used the facilities and loaded up in the courtesy van to town. As the van pulled off the airport I saw him taxi in. We enjoyed the time in town seeing the sights and eating lunch at an outdoor cafe. Once back at the airport the girls headed to the facilities as I went out to untie and preflight the Mooney. Parked right next to me was the Baron. The pilot was preparing his plane for the flight home and we talked. He could not believe what had happened on the way down. He had tried to stay ahead and could not, he did not believe that was my normal cruise. If the power is even close there isn't a Bonanza that can keep up with a Mooney. They are just too FAT. With the same power the Bonanza is 30 knots or more slower. Face it speed just isn't what they were designed for. I took off first on the way home and never heard of him or his crushed ego again.

double post

It is not listed anywhere but I am ready for a Rocket. My 1990 J has about 1800 TT airframe and engine. Pictures in my album. Just out of annual in July. High time engine and priced accordingly at $110,000. Avionics are as original. Classic plus package.

Quote: aviatoreb

Quote: aviatoreb Really? Some of the rockets do not have the gross weight increase? Ouch - the engine weighs more as we both know. As far as I know the rocket does not get improved brakes or landing gear. I could be wrong. I am not the least bit surprised with that mongo engine out front that it can get up but I am a little surprised that there is no gear issues. Anyway, first thing I did when I got my rocket in April was to change out for fresh gear pucks since they seemed a bit tired. Is there an upgrade path that would get a 231 to be a 262 then up to the newer 252 style engine to 220hp for the gross weight increase? Just curious.

I use the moustache style at the recommended settings with no problems at all. Oxygen is an area where YOUR physiology is all that matters. Use an oximeter to learn about your body. Jlunseth lives at low altitude, I live at 5880 that may be part of the difference. Some people show hypoxic symptoms at altitudes I regularly visit. I have ridden a bicycle over 12000' mountain passes with no hypoxic effect. How YOU react is all that matters. The moustache (mountain high or aerox) and pendant (aerox) styles are better than the plain medical cannula. They allow a lower flow rate to do the same job. You must breath through the nose only for the cannula to be effective. 18000' is a FAA requirement. You may do just fine with a cannula at higher altitudes. When it comes to the effects of hypoxia this story is interesting. The conditions that killed the pilot only put his assistant to sleep. http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=38638

The part I had the problem with was easily adjustable on the ground without pulling the cowl. I carried a small pair of pliers to bend this part back to the proper shape. But in a pinch it can be done without tools. The cowl is 2 position only. "Closed" is not fully closed it is what Rocket calls "in trail". Open is fully open and there is no in between. As you pull it open the mechanism goes slightly over center. The cowl opens fully and then closes just a fraction. This is why it gets hard to push against high airspeed. As you close it you push it open against the airflow slightly before closing. The amount of "overcenter" is important none and it wont stay open. Too much and it is hard to close. Way too much and it can't close. In operation I would push the cowl knob just before leveling off when the airspeed is lowest. Once closed and up to speed it is impossible to reopen. The in-trail position is fine for short or slow climbs. At 200+ knots you can trade airspeed for altitude and "zoom" climb in 1000'+ steps quickly and easily. Closing below 100 knots makes it easier to push and puts less pressure on the part that bends. Kind of a cheep solution by Rocket. I considered machining a replacement out of aluminum block but never did. I was always worried that the part that keeps bending would eventually fatigue and break.

Quote: aviatoreb That is the thing. You may get a beautiful M20F for say $60-70K? But what would such an airplane cost new in today's market? $350k? So as far as maintenance and replacing aging parts, you are maintaining a 350k airplane. My Mooney Rocket developed two squaks in one flight yesterday - my ammeter started bouncing and my cowl flaps wouldn't close - not even on the ground. Compare that to a piper cub where the ammeter never bounces since there is no electrical system and the cowl flaps never get stuck. I presume my alternator will need to get replaced and it will cost the same in my 81 rocket as if it were a 2007 newish acclaim.

Quote: DaV8or After re-reading this business, it got me wondering these things; Was there a contract at all, or just verbal agreement? Did the contract stipulate a payment timeline, or a point in time when failure to buy results in voiding the agreement? Why wasn't escrow used? When I bought my plane and also when I was in contract with another, we used purchase agreements. Both clearly stated when full payment was due and how much time I had to make up my mind after inspection. I also used an escrow service in both cases and highly recommend it as my escrow company did both a title and records search for me. If they had used a standard contract and an escrow service, I believe we wouldn't be typing about this now.

Quote: fantom

Quote: DonMuncy I've been keeping count. We now have 2 people saying Jimmy is a lying thief and 27 saying he is a honest, straightforward square shooter. Knowing the general tendency of forum hangers-on to pile on when a bad guy is being criticized, I think that speaks volumes for Jimmy's character. Don

Quote: jwilkins Returning the deposit minus direct expenses is an indication of a honorable businessman. Jim

This whole thread sounds like too much piling on and a little misplaced "hero" worship. Quote: jgarrison My guess is that this is also going to bring out several others who are going to have something to contribute to the negative aspect of dealers/brokers in general and AAA in specific. I know who some of them are, others not so much. Some I have a response for, as I know who they are and what the issue is. In response to one, I will go ahead and just state that I will not negotiate offers that are wholesale or below, even if you are just using it as your starting point – if you get your feelings hurt because of that, then I am sorry. Sincerely, Jimmy Garrison

Missile? not Rocket.

I had an alternator failure in a Rocket IFR out of Jackson Hole heading to Spokane. The ring gear that drives the alternator is secured by 6 bolts that are fixed with bend tabs to keep them from backing out. The factory (Continental) forgot to bend the tabs and the bolts backed out at 80 hours. Chewed up the alternator and sent garbage into the engine. I continued to Lewiston Id where Rocket brought me a mechanic and an alternator. Once the culprit was found we removed the bad alternator and ferried it up to Felts Field. Batteries were strong as can be the whole way. Including the restart in Idaho. Quite a bit of backup in those two batteries.

Get a good fuel flow meter,I had a EI FP-5L in my Rocket, that is accurate to a tenth or 2 over 100 gallons. Each time I topped the tanks I just pushed the button to reset the gauge to full. On partial fills I would enter the number off the pump. To get a repeatable full you fill the inner tank then fill the outer tank. Now with the outer cap off you remove the inner cap to vent and watch the fuel level rise as the outer tank tops the inner tank. Once full cap the inner and re top the outer. You are now full. If you are careful you can always know what is in the tanks. Even after 3 or 4 partial fills in a row I was never off more than half a gallon. The Electronics International FP-5L sells for $575 plus install and is always dead on accurate. Every time I reset fuel level in my MSE I miss the EI gauge. The thing in the new plane is nowhere as user friendly as the one in the Rocket I used to own.

What Lance said. The C41 in My 1980 K would only capture from below.