rocketman

The other day right after a proper preflight check, I turned the boost pump on in preparation for takeoff in my 1994 Bravo and noticed engine roughness and sputtering at 1000 RPM. Turning off the boost pump eliminated this problem. I taxied back to the apron and tried this several other times which the engine continued to run rough only with the boost pump on. I attribute this to flooding the engine with excess fuel. I then shut the engine off and restarted it 10 minutes later and the problem went away. I reattempted duplicating the problem with the boost pump at various RPM's, even going through the same conditions on engine preflight checks to try to duplicate this condition but could not. I then flew the plane and everything was prefect. My rocker switch never experienced so much of my fingerprints for a 30 minute flight so now this intermittent problem cannot be duplicated. Any thoughts on why this condition existed and what do I do now to check where the problem might be.

MNV in Madisonville, TN for those who are flying through the Knoxville area has fuel for $4.89. The airport board keeps it low all the time

I'll be there for sure.

Would an umbrella policy cover an airplane accident (or car) if you no insurance in the first place on that vehicle?

Any ideas on the numbers for other Mooney's other than the J? Like the Rocket of Bravo?

As you know most engine wear according to some people in the know believe that most engine wear occurs during start up especially on cold mornings where the oil is slow to lubricate the upper reaches of the engine. So for me engine preheat is an absolute requirement. Where to began heating at a certain temperature is where some disagreement might exist. 20 degree F - Absolutely. 32 degrees - probably. 40 degrees - probably not. Lots of variables. Remember to check the temp in the hanger, not outside. Its usually warmer especially if their insulated. Also if the plane sits in freezing conditions overnight and the temperature warms up quickly to 40 degrees, I doubt the engine oil will heat that quickly so even though it might be 40 degrees outside, the oil temp might still be much less and probably still needs pre-heat. I have 3 engine preheaters for my three Mooney's - a Reiff on my 201, a Tanis on my Bravo, and I use an Aerotherm Turbo for my rocket. Which one is best? Who knows. And I will probably never know. Some people believe in Incandescent light bulbs for a slow maintenance heat. Good idea. But if your interested, better go out and buy them quickly. Their coming off the market very soon.

I have a Reiff on my 201, Tanis on my Rocket, and the portable Aerotherm I just bought for my Bravo. Give me a few cold months and I'll give you one pilots experience with all three of them.

I don't yank teeth for a living but fix broken bones - orthopedic surgeon

David - I am sorry you decided to sell your Rocket. As you know, you have been extremely helpful to me in deciphering the nuance of the Rocket POH and its abilities and limits. I regret your decision to sell but perfectly understand that. Please stay with us on Mooneyspace and chime in when you can on Rocket issues. You have been a great help to many on this site and we will not want to loose your insights.

As many people know me informally as Rocketman, my name is Ronald Dubin and am working with Mike Elliott whom I recently met during a recent BFR and Instrument Competency checkride in PCB recently. We discussed having a safety and social Mooney Summit in Panama City Beach and I agreed to offer my units to the Mooney group at my expense (only cleaning fees which goes to the rental agency-not me). I live in Northeast Tennessee and recently purchased these units over the last few years during the recession and want to make these units available to my Mooney friends whom largely I have never met or talked to personally. Why: for two reasons a} because I can and because I think this will be a great educational and social gathering of Mooney minded people. For those of you who do not know Mike Elliott, he is a Mooney specific CFII and loves to teach. He also has some experience in putting together events like this and we both agree that Panama City Beach would be a great venue for this. Its a relatively new airport with a 10,000 foot runway with a helpful FBO, and typically nice weather during this time of the year in early February. It is also a few weeks before the beginning of Spring break so there won't be any spring breakers here which normally begins on March 1 (sorry to all you single Mooney pilots). If successful, I wouldn't mind a bit contributing my condos to future Mooney events in PCB. Mooneys are my passion and hobby. If you have not read any of my past messages, I own a 1982 201 (since 1989), a 1980 Rocket and a 1994 Bravo which I recently purchased a few months ago. I love everyone of them and fly them regularly. And if you can keep this a secret, I would buy a fourth Mooney if I knew my wife would not divorce me if she found out I did! Well, I can't take luck that far so I'll stick to the three I have. In any event, please try to join our group on February 7-9. I think it will be a fun and educational time. Our social meetings will be at my 15th story Penthouse (5800 SF including the large roof top balcony), be prepared to fly, learn, get FAA wings certification, and most of all, have fun. The price is cheap, cheap, cheap, except for the 100LL (which I can't help). And if you do come, just remember, all my efficiency units have a fold out twin couch which can accommodate 4 adults, so my 14 units which I offering to my Mooney family can double the number of people (families) if necessary. See you at KECP Ron

Forget about public disclosure and fearing FAA. Icing is a serious threat and if we can't discuss what we as Mooney pilots have experienced, than the past will be repeated. I flew from Kentucky to Sun-N-Fun maybe 15 years ago IFR over the Smokey Mountains. No known icing forecasted in my 201 without de-icing equiptment. Over the mountains, the worst fear in my entire 28 years of flight hit me. I was in severe icing conditions very quickly, maybe 30 seconds, 8,000 feet and loosing speed very fast. Could not hold altitude and the mountains was a few thousand feet below me. ATC said I had to maintain altitude but I couldn't. I prayed! Even cycled the prop to shed the ice on the prop. Scared the S#$% out of me! And pleaded to find out my quickest escape. They told me South was the fastest route and so I continued heading towards FLorida. Within 10 minutes as best as I can recall, I got out of IFR conditions and proceeded to the air show sublimating my near death leading edge water crystals over the Georgia landscape. DON't FLY IN IFR CONDITIONS IN VISIBLE MOISTURE! If you do, have an escape, like lower altitudes with higher temperatures below you and before you land. Go through narrow bands of clouds and don't stay long in solid IFR conditions. ICING IS SERIOUS! And if you're not FIKI, don't temp it. Trust me. IMO, the laminar flow Mooney wing attracts ice better than any other GA plane. Your a target, don't venture into enemy territory.

I know that tire selection is not something a lot of pilots talk about during hangar flying on a dreary Saturday morning at the airport. However, I am replacing my main tires for my '94 Bravo. The POH states they should be 6 ply but the tires on the plane now shows them as a 8 ply as installed by the previous owner. Would it be OK to continue with the 8's or should I go back to the 6's as recommended by the POH. Any other recommendations about tire selections would also be helpful such as the brand (Goodyear vs Michelin), metal vs. rubber stem etc.

Welcome back John. Good to hear you chime in again. Always appreciate your input. At least I know I am not hurting anything at 36 MAP

Lacee - please be sure to post a picture of the quarter size hole on the baffle in front of cylinder #6! My #6 and #4 and to a lesser degree #2 all on the pilots side of the engine run higher than the odd cylinders. Go figure!

My 1910 TT TIO-540 AF1B Lycoming engine on my TLS/Bravo only gets 36 MAP on TO. RPM is 2575. All compressions 76 or better. No oil burn - normal oil analysis and no metal in filter. What would be the likely cause of low MAP?

Good point. I didn't have the POH with me when I posted it but I fell certain it was a high setting. Check it out, if you need a copy PM me and I'll email you the page. The POH says to check it every time you fly.

Dear Mr. Bill and Dr. Chen I am so supportive of the cooperation of Dr. Chen and Mooney Aircraft. As a current owner of three Mooney's, a 1982 201, 1980/1992 Mooney Rocket, and most recently a purchase of a 1994 Mooney TLS/Bravo, I have more "skin" (pun intended) in the game as most anyone else here at MS and elsewhere. I heard of Dr. Chen and his incredible credentials and feel Mooney International is in great hands once again. Your eloquently stated opening on this thread exhibits the enthusiasm that we all need. Perhaps the doubters in the past (which I was not) just didn't have enough knowledge or communication to understand the value that our new owner could bring to the table. I purchased my first Mooney in 1988 (N201M, a 1977 201) and have owned Mooneys since - and for one absolute reason. Because it is the finest flying machine ever made in the world. Everything in aviation is a trade-off - speed, space, efficiency, safety, cost, and comfort. MOONEY HAS THEM ALL! So I put my hard earned dollars and my life behind the planes they produce since 1988 - 25 years! Aviation is a hobby only to me - I fly because I want to, and probably most MS readers are too. I derive no income from Mooney planes and I am not even commercially rated. I spend many thousands of dollars per year because I want to, and I love to, and I want to support those who support me. Which brings me to my final point - I believe we are all here to support Mooney - and we will. Work with us, we are a wealth of information of the machine and possibly the best ambassadors Mooney can have. Keep us in the loop, give us excellent quality, efficient production schedules for parts (and service maybe) at a fair price. We are your army, navy and marines, and best of all, we will all work for you in our networking and aviation relationships for free. Mooneyspace is my home address as is others. I go here every day to learn what others are experiencing and may even contribute a little knowledge though I am not aviation mechanically inclines. Please come here daily, listen to your soldiers as you might have always in the past. Don't ignore your best supporters, because every day should be a new learning experience. I believe that Mooney is in a new set of excellent golden hands and the future looks promising. As the economy recovers, so too will GA. And hopefully with the new found skills of a successful aeronautical engineer that sees the excellence of our "magic carpet machines" and the future of Mooney International, we can grow this aviation tide together! Ronald S. Dubin

There is a TIT check in the Rocket "POH" that commands you to fly between 8,000 to 12,000 MSL, full rich, RPM at 2400 and 35 MAP. GPH should be around 24 and then lean to max TIT. It should be at 1700. If it above 1700, then your TIT probe-guage is reading high by that many degrees. So adjust accordingly downward. If your TIT temp is below that 1700 mark at peak, than adjust upward accordingly. The problem occurs during the latter when your TIT probe indicates a lower temp than actual since you will be flying higher than you think. I am a stickler on temperatures and always error on the safer (cooler) sides, right or wrong. I note that there is not a similar TIT check on the TLS/Bravo. Wonder why?

Personally I am ready for any company, American, Chinese, or whoever to take over Mooney and make it Happen! They are obviously committing resources, human capital, money, political muscle, and eventually advertising and selling to the American and international aviation community that they mean to produce a real and prosperous flying machine with the type certificate of Mooney Aircraft. For now, thats good enough for me. They have to deal with the FAA, NTSB, lawyers, and everyone else that regulates quality issues, and that probably means that they will NOT be taking the company offshore to China. I was expecting this and I really believe that it probably will be good for current and future Mooney owners. The parts and products they produce should be as good if not better as the previous multinational owners of Mooney in the past! Lets give them a chance..

Don't think I would ever put a propane tank in my plane. How about a regular fold up feet powered bicycle? Can accomplish exercise and travel at no extra cost. Even exceeds the efficiency of our Mooney's. Having just completed running my 36th marathon (26.2 miles), I am all about exercise.

I own one, had it replaced within a month, not consistent and unreliable. Still had to go to the airport the night before to turn on the engine warmer. Also has very confusing instructions but not insurmountable. Many styles seem to be sold on the internet. Also T Mobile is the provider of choice so make sure you get a GREAT reception at your hanger. Mine was decent but still intermittent. For me, I don't fly airplanes for chance. Reliability must be 100%!

I also have a 1982 J Model and every so often in 24 years of owning it could I get my mechanic to look at the screen. The good story is that every time it was inspected, it had no metal or debris of interest. I also have an oil filter with a remote oil filter access which I change every 25 hours with oil analysis Whats good for me might not be for others, so no recommendations other then what the POH and SB states. I doubt there are many owners that look at the screens during every oil change.

Looks interesting but unless I know what its made of or its an approved application for planes, I would not let it have any contact with the planes skin, carpet, seats, etc. I might try it on my car though. Thanks for sharing this, whoever patents this should do very well.

Ever hear of shock cooling cylinders in decent? Its real. Speed breaks help to protect from cylinder damage in descending. Also, it allows to adjust landing speeds on final approach when the gear and flaps are down without adjusting power. I have always used speed breaks until I am off the runway onto the taxi. It makes the Mooney land like a Cessna.

Check your probe or instrument. If your not low on oil something is wrong.