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?

Awhile ago we installed a JPI 900 in a 74 M20F. Since then we regularly get a high fuel pressure warning with pressures as high as 44 PSI. The warnings last for a few seconds to a few minutes,comes and goes for extended periods (hours), and happens at various stages of flight but doesn't seem to be related to a cold start or to start or high OAT or less high OAT (we are in Florida so it really never gets too cold) or altitude or power settings or anything I can determine. The engine continues to run smoothly and without power loss or surging. I've never noticed the fuel pressure to be low. The boost pump is off. The JPI's fuel pressure range is pre-set at JPI for Mooney standards. Anybody seen this before and found a solution? Thanks for your advice.

I fly down that area, at least the northern portion of your possibilities, pretty regularly and never go to Boca. The ramp fees are steep and the gas prices are high. I'm pretty sure they don't want pistons there. FXE has the better gas prices but taxiing there is complicated. PMP has the friendliest FBO and self serve gas that isn't too bad on the west side of the ramp and then you can park on the east side. In and out is pretty easy but the IFR departure to the north is a little weird (090 over the ocean for about a mile, 300 until west of PBI, then 360 for about 30 miles to intercept V3) but only adds a few min to the flight. I always have to wait for IFR departure a few min at any of them. MIA seems to be a little busy or their slower than most at releases. Enjoy the flight where ever you land.

Zephro (Zepro?) did die a few years ago, Coy didn't. He was arrested though (for what I don't know) and I know he was at SNF this year so I also know he isn't in prison now (if he actually went to prison or not I don't know). Coy is a scourge on all airplanes, not just Mooneys, and for general aviation in general. His current reputation despite Bennett's good experience is to cheat his suppliers, perform sub-standard work at a price well above the original estimate, and to hold your plane hostage to get paid for whatever he claims he did. Of course, Sarasota Avionics held onto one of the planes Coy was working on for over a year because Coy refused to pay them for the work done and the owner had already paid Coy. What a mess that was. As far as I'm concerned, Coy is dangerous and having him involved in anything with your plane is a risk not worth taking. My experience with Coy was so bad, and people know of it, that many Coy related stories come my way at places like SNF. Now, having said all that, it is my understanding that Coy is no longer involved in any way with Mooney Mart and the poor schlubs who purchased it may not have realized haw badly that name has been tarnished.

What's wrong with orange? It turns out that orange really is more visible than most other colors except for the yellow/green color they use on fire trucks. Even though I hear a lot of pilots say I have the red traffic, the point is they have the traffic.

Flying along at FL210 in my 82 M20K Rocket, ATC asks can I climb to FL230. I say yes. ATC asks, can you climb to FL 240. I say, yes. ATC asks, can you climb to FL250. I say yes. ATC says, do that. Climbed without significant effort and enjoyed the flight. It is particularly memorable now that I'm flying a 74 F that seems to struggle to get to 10,000 ft. Ah, the good old days of 20 gal/hr!

If you don't mind going off the field, I've used Chris Reilly for years and always felt he did a great job at a fair price. He is located in Sanford, KSFB, and his phone number is 407-288-3215 and his web site is ksfbamc.com.

If Palestine were to lay down their guns tomorrow, there would be no war. If Israel were to lay down theirs, there would be no Israel. - Benjamin Netanyahu Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us. - Golda Mier When the ill winds blow, I will always stand with the Muslims. - Barak Obama A more complete version of these comments shows this portion was taken out of context. I need to do more homework before posting. I think these quotes say more than anything I can say.

I think you'll find the unit doesn't work well without water for the heat exchanger. Think about it like your radiator without and coolant. Doesn't work. Also, you may burn out the bilge pump if you forget and turn it on and run it without water. I live in FL and don't bother to run the unit in advance of boarding. The unit cools the cabin down so quickly, it just isn't worth losing the cooling time later. I enter the plane, close the door and vents and turn on the master and the arctic air immediately. Then I start my engine start checklist/procedure.

If you are in the Orlando area or can get reasonably get to KSFB, I've used Chris for some time with very good results. He is now very familiar with Mooneys and always does the extra work to research any outstanding issues. I highly recommend him. His website is: http://www.ksfbamc.com

What do you think he did to the L main when he landed? Toe brake on?

1. Climbing to FL250 is a non-event in a Rocket. 2. I've been told, in testing, the Rocket has been taken as high as FL310. My Rocket had a certified ceiling of 28,000 ft. 3. I find the autopilot very helpful at those altitudes and prefer not to hand fly. 4. Make sure the O2 is actually flowing. Initially, my )2 was lasting a very long time. That was how I finally learned the bottle hadn't been connected to the airplane at the pre-buy annual/inspection. !7,500 ft without O2 is a very bad place to be. 5. I believe, only pilots are required to have masks above FL180. Passengers must have O2 available over 15,000 ft. I'm not sure what that precisely means. 6. Why mess around with masks in flight if you know you're going to FL240? Put them on before the flight and just turn on the O2 as you pass whatever altitude you want but by 14,000 for sure. 7. I always found I needed to level off just a little at 16,000 before resume full climb to cool the engine a bit. Watch that..