David Mazer

WD-40 might be a good choice under icing/wet conditions but it isn't a lubricant. WD actually stands for water displacement and WD-40 is the 40th formula. I was pretty surprised to learn that after using it for many years incorrectly. A silicone based lubricant might do both lubricate and water displace.

Been there and done that. One brake up and one brake down. Very interesting and something I avoided after.

Early in my Rocket flying I flew into very cold conditions where OAT was -40F at 15,000 ft. for several hours. I found the plane performed flawlessly and, most surprisingly, the heater kept the cockpit warm enough that we both took off our coats. I later learned the general rule of thumb in Alaska is no flying when ground temperatures are below -40F due to the temperature at which fuel freezes and the problems with oils and greases. On the flight back, ground temps around -10F, I kept the plane in the FBO's hangar over night, started up fine, warmed up fine, flew home fine. One other suggestion that I have read about is to be sure to tap the breaks shortly after takeoff to warm and dry the brakes to prevent them freezing in flight and skidding on landing because they are seized up. I am aware of the use of isopropyl alcohol to dry fuel but doesn't that have a negative impact on the fuel lines unless they are specifically rated for alcohol?

I have sold 2 Mooneys through All American and I would probably do it again. In general, Jimmy made the process as painless as possible and offered good service (once he started getting back to me due to their very high volume this year). I do have one caution about All American. They consider the sale price the listed price and not the final purchase price. Their contract is very clear on the subject and my bill of sale specifically stated the sale price as the final negotiated price but the closing document came in with the commission calculated on the listing price. While I felt Jimmy was angry at living up to the letter of the contract (and I feel it is the spirit also) Jimmy didn't argue about it too much. One other wrinkle on the subject had to do with allowance vs a reduction in price. Jimmy suggest an allowance to the buyer and I wanted to reduce the price. My reasoning is that I didn't want anything to do with the repairs or the new buyer's choice of or relationship with the shop doing the work. I have been on the other side of that as a buyer and it turned out to be a serious problem when the seller's shop did a lousy job and wouldn't help me as I wasn't the party with whom they dealt. Twice the revised selling document came in with allowance and I had to firmly state that I would not proceed under those circumstances. I now wonder if that was to preserve the commission on the total sale price as an allowance wouldn't have shown up on the closing document as a revised price. Whatever, it wasn't the largest issue, and, as I said, I would probably work with them again.

This is something we created for a 4 way partnership in FL.. I believe the names have been deleted to protect the guilty! Mooney_LLC_Operating_Agrmt.doc

Me too. This started out okay but at the end really didn't make sense. I think you should get it looked at before entering IMC.

These look an awful lot like the Clarity Aloft headset. They weren't as comfortable for me and the replacement plugs seem pretty expensive too. I'm not sure that is an issue considering how rarely I replace my Halo ear plugs.

Oh, and I agree with 1964-M20E (who interestingly owns an M20F), salvation is no longer an option!

I also recommend the Halo. Cheapest, most comfortable headsets I've ever used. You can wear any hat you want, not just a baseball hat, and, if you do wear a baseball hat, the button on the top won't hurt your head. No batteries to worry about either. The only down side is no Bluetooth but you can get around that with a BluLink, then you need batteries again but far less often, or a Bluetooth audio panel if you are upgrading. Phil owns and runs Quiet Technologies is a great guy, knows his stuff, and he is the person who answers the phone when you call. He is also a Mooney C owner and a member of this site. You're already as real a pilot as one can be, you wouldn't need to prove that to anyone with the Dave Clark or Bose headsets.

I'm not saying that either. After the mains are on the ground, the nose drops very quickly if I used my previous landing attitude. While I have no direct information to confirm this, I was told at some time that the extra 10 in in the long body was just to increase the tails leverage for the larger engine at slow speeds (i.e., landing).

As a previous Rocket flier I can tell you that I felt I was going to strike the prop on landing early in my Rocket experience by landing nose high but not higher than I had typically landed with other planes. I decided, with no real information than my surmising, that the shorter body with the heavier engine resulted in loss of sufficient elevator authority at slow speeds to allow the nose to come down slowly. It felt like it dropped like a stone but never did strike the prop. I developed a flatter landing attitude and everything was good from there. I also taxied very, very slowly over rough ramps or ramps I didn't know intimately. In total, the performance of the Rocket was/is well worth the necessary adjustments. Every plane I've ever flown has required some specific technique so why shouldn't the Rocket be worth it too. It is.

First, I agree with Carusome about a Mooney CFI who knows the 252. I flew a Rocket and now fly an F. The main differences between them boil down to gentleness and advance planning. Be gentile with all your engine inputs. Advance power slowly, even on takeoff, adjust your mixture slowly, and reduce power slowly. That also means it takes longer to slow down and to descend. Plan ahead. The Rocket is about 60-70 KTS faster than an F so things happen faster. At FL200+ it usually takes 100 NM to descend without ending up at VNE. I would usually be nearing approach power settings 25 NM from the airport. I know others need less time but you might use that as a starting point until you understand your new plane. Enjoy it. A 252 is a great airplane.

Very sad. I just wish the "news" would make an effort to describe these events in a less sensationalized way. They always make it sound like every possible tragic event was likely to happen rather than unlikely, i.e. "lucky it didn't happen over homes." Considering an average of 4 people on the ground are killed in aviation related events a year over the last 50 years it seems that statistically it is highly unlikely that houses or people on the ground would be involved. Of course, they also don't mention the amount of aircraft movements at non-controlled airports to put this event in context.

Thanks to all for your responses. We also had the manifold pressure issue and the unit needed to be returned to JPI for a fix. We have contacted them about the fuel pressure but may need to again. I don't know how the sensor is mounted or ground wire is run. What would be the differences and which should it be?