David Mazer

The first day I had my Rocket I spent 45 min starting it after I added fuel. I finally called an A&P for advice which didn't really help. I feel your pain. I have been using this technique and it has worked for me pretty well. Prop full forward, mixture full forward, throttle full forward, prime 3 seconds, half throttle, engage starter and be ready to retard the throttle when it kicks in (which takes a little longer than you would expect so let it go a little longer than normal). Viola, engine on! Welcome to Rocket land.

Flyboy, You may want to add the diode supression since that should prevent it from happening again.

Quote: DaV8or With all the stories above mine from such a small cross section of the aviation community, I can't believe we tell people that flying piston airplanes is safe with a straight face.

I have had two incidents with precautionary/emergency/priority landings. Both in an experimental airplane - a SeaRey By priority landing I mean the circumstances warranted cutting to the front of the queue. 1. Immediately after taking off from a lake about 14 miles from my home base I knew the plane wasn't right. I had good airspeed and the engine instruments all in the green but the rudder didn't act right. It required too much rudder but it was very light and sensitive. Flights in the SeaRey are usually done at low altitudes (500 - 1000 ft) but after about 700 ft. the plane didn't feel right on the climb and I stayed there. Normally I would descend to 500 in class C airspace but requested to remain at 700 just in case. I made as few power adjustments as I could and landed without delay and without a problem. On inspection both bolts that hold the engine mount to the plane had sheared off, the mount had cracked, and only one broken and bent bolt and the oil reservoir holder was left holding the engine in place. The engine, a pusher style behind me, was canted with the propeller down and to the right. The propeller missing the right flap by inches. If I had known what was going on and the degree of the problem, I would have put it down anywhere and immediately. Just by luck we made it to the airport. 2. Same airplane, after the engine mount was replaced with a stronger mount and the bolts with larger bolts, I noticed the oil temperature was a little higher than usual but still in the green. Especially at higher power settings. On a test flight around the pattern the oil pressure read zero and I requested an immediate landing on a crossing runway that caused a couple of people to have to go around. In that case, one of the oil lines used in the re-installation was too thin walled on the vacuum side of the oil system causing it to collapse and cut off oil. That was why it was too hot and eventually zero pressure. No engine failure and no engine damage on oil analysis. More than 100 hrs of incident free flying and my wife still won't get in the SeaRey.

You might check this out: http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/pspages/rta400.php

LOOD, My K has a pocket on the pillar between the front and back windows on the pilot side that has a pocket on it. The very small halon extinguisher fits in the pocket. You may be able to fashion something like that.

Pretty much the same idea for me in a K. The trick is the electronic charts on a yoke mount so there isn't a lot to search for. I also have a knee board for notes and a pilot side pocket for anything else essential.

Had it. Used it. My kids used it. It is good since it is self paced and has all the information you need but it can be a little dry.

Bob, Looks like a nice unit. Do you go to the air shows like OSH and LAL? I'm not in the market since mine is working well but others might like the option you provide and would appreciate the opportunity to see the product.

The transition isn't that tough. Really. You just need to understand that speed control for landing starts much earlier on a Mooney than a Cessna. Learn to fly then chose a plane based on your mission and you will be happier and more satisfied. I come to SRQ on a rare occasion. I will try to notify you if it makes sense to meet up. If you are coming this way, let me know and we will work something out.

An airplane isn't a car. The time and effort put into perfecting a mass produced product like a car is orders of magnitude beyond that for a limited production, limited market product like our airplanes. Things that "pop up" can be very expensive and a little extra isn't really enough. Flying can be done at a reasonable expense but it isn't ever cheap. For me, flying is definitely worth the time, effort, commitment, and money and I recommend it to everyone to explore and decide but I wouldn't buy an airplane until I knew I liked to fly, could afford to fly, and understood my mission profile. I'll take the same heat as xftrplt and advise you to slow down. Get an instructor, take a demo flight, get some flight time and then decide. I'll also agree with Parker that a non-turbo Mooney isn't beyond a proficient private pilot's capabilities with good transition training (I'd probably avoid the turbo models as they do take a lot more attention as does higher altitudes). I will also reiterate that going to Mooney Mart is a bad idea. People tend to incorporate information received even if they later learn that information was false. It is difficult to avoid once exposed. We get it everyday in the media, in advertising, on the web, and here but if you question the source before you are exposed and know that the source is unreliable, the best answer is don't read it or listen to it in the first place. Coy is as unreliable as a human being can get. Go see Parker instead. Come see me, I'm in Orlando.

Quote: 201-FLYER coy is still there. I spoke to him a couple of weeks ago about his 252 conversion...interesting guy

I can't believe I'm the first to tell you to stay as far from Mooney Mart as humanly possible. I understand Coy Jacobs is no longer involved, rumor has it from others at SRQ that he was seen being dragged off in cuffs (and I'm totally certain he deserved it), but those left worked with Coy for some time and guilt by association if fair in this situation. DON'T BUY ANY THING OR ANY SERVICE FROM MOONEY MART EVER, EVER! There are plenty of reputable people in the aviation industry and AAA seems to always get high praise. I would go with that over any snake oil or promises you get from Mooney Mart. I'm not alone in my opinion. Do a search on this site and you will find many that have had similar experiences. So much for item #3 on your list.

As a side note, I have a friend that allowed an Arrow to sit for 3 years at KSFB. When he finally decided to do the annual and start flying again, the plane was totaled. The engine was shot and the fuselage had corrosion everywhere. As they say in real estate - location, location, location.

The infamous Coy Jacobs had my plane for an expected 6 weeks that turned into over 3 months while only doing 2/3 of the work. The plane had just come out of annual when he received the plane with all 6 cylinders in the 70s and using about 1 qt of oil per 4 hrs of flight. He didn't turn the engine over once and it sat in Venice Fl right on the Gulf of Mexico. When the pllane returned it was using 2 qts of oil per 1 hr of flight. The oil consumption came down after about 5 hrs of flight to 1 qt per 2 hrs and the engine had to be rebuilt at the next annual.

Quote: helojunkie As a totally separate (but hopefully sort of on topic) request - does anyone here that uses fltplan.com have the performance set up for an M20M? I utilized fltplan's built in performance for the Bravo, but I suspect it is wrong based on the fact that it is giving me the exact same performance cruise numbers (time & FF) for a flight at 7,500' and one for 17,500' - I am sure that has to be wrong. Thanks!

fltplan.com can be tweaked so it produces very predictable results. I have spent a fair amount of time entering and refining the performance characteristics for my plane and the time and fuel requirements are usually within a couple minutes and fuel within a few tenths of a gallon. It is remarkable. It also tells you what ATC route is likely to be given and that is also helpful. I've tried other programs but fltplan.com gives me the best results. I believe you can import a similar plane's performance chart and tweak it from there. fltplan.com's weather is now considered an official weather briefing and, if you log in, it records that you checked. As Allsmiles notes, it is good to have it recorded in case.

I've had a number of pre-purchase inspections and each plane still ended up with issues I think should have been caught. I doubt a pre-purchase inspection is any real value over an excellent annual.

I'm pretty sure you can find a member of this group near you that would be willing to let you at least sit in one. From where do you post? Aviotoreb is about your size and he purchased a Mooney rather than a Bonanza because he fit in the Mooney better (and all the other benefits of a Mooney over a Beech!).

They appear to be flakes and the survey is 75% that the airport isn't a problem.

Consider New Smyrna ($6.02/gal), KEVB. Of course, Daytona Beach, KDAB, is close to a lot of resorts but it is a bigger airport and I would expect higher fees ($5.33/gal - I'm shocked). New Smyrna is more laid back. Fernandina Beach ($7.15/gal - ouch!), KFHB, is also worth considering on Amelia Island. Although I have to practice pronouncing the name a few times before I go there. KVNC is $5.30/gal and south of Orlando a little but it is a beautiful spot. So is Sarasota, SRQ, for that matter.

At my airport, KSFB in Sanford (home of all too much recent news coverage), our A&P population has been decimated. There are some A&Ps that do some freelance work and there are a couple FBOs with some A&Ps but the other shops have closed one after another over the last few years.

Why not find a refurbished MX20 to slip right in? Wouldn't that be the cheapest option? Assuming, of course, you aren't really wanting to replace it with something else. A quick search found one for $2,800 at this web address: http://www.avspec.aero/avionics-store/item.php?iid=819&ItemCategory=6

Since, and I think you are correct with respect to the information provided here, that there is no conclusive evidence one way or the other with respect to the Mooney roll cage improving survivability in a crash, we are left to make a guess from indirect information and statistics. The general guess seems to be that an airframe designed to withstand higher G forces and that has a markedly better in-flight failure rate should also provide better protection at the junction between survivable and unsurvivable accidents. With no other information from which to make a conclusion, I would side with the stronger frame provides some benefit at that particular intersection knowing that it is a guess and knowing that I don't want to test the hypothesis with any Mooney or any other airplane for that matter.

Follow up on the master relay about which I posted. The shop pulled the relay and found that there was some carbon build up. Another friend recommended diode suppression and the shop installed one after cleaning out the carbon. Parts - zero. Labor - $500 (ouch). So far, so good.