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I've been enjoying my Rocket 305 for three years now. I've made a few upgrades along the way, always dutifully tracking the changes in the Weight and Balance log. I have also corrected a couple major mistakes in the math made long ago. Starting from the original factory Basic Empty Weight of 1923 lbs @ 43.4", 290 pounds of new equipment have been added to the aircraft (mainly the Rocket 305 conversion, built-in O2, and Charlie weights, plus a new COM radio and two G5s). 90 pounds of old equipment originally delivered with the aircraft have been removed (KFC 200, KCS 55A system, BX2000 system, and associated wiring). Q: How much *should* the aircraft weigh now? (Basic Empty Weight, including 10 gallons unusable fuel for the Rocket 305) A: 2123 lbs (@ 43.5") Q: How much does the aircraft actually weigh? A: 2273 lbs (!!!!!!!!) (@ 36.5") (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) Obviously, I'm freaking out. That's a 150 lb increase and a 7 inch forward CG shift that are unaccounted for. I've been all through the airplane with my A&P. There's nothing we can find that comes anywhere near explaining even a 15 pound difference, much less a 150 pound difference. The panel looks like a ghost town with all of the ancient avionics gone. I've got 20 lbs of wiring alone that was just removed. There are no errors remaining in the historical W&B entries. I read with great interest Rspencer612's topic Mooney Missile CG. I read about the possibly incorrect arm for the main and nose axles. Even if I can justify ignoring the actual measurements we made, adjusting to the referenced numbers still leaves the CG off by at least 3" from where I expect it to be, and where other Rocket 305s are. I also read that Rspencer612 appears to have resolved his problem by installing the Charlie weights that had never been installed when the Missile conversion was performed. In my case, though, the Charlie weights are definitely installed. I also have a heavy O2 bottle that should be biasing the CG well rearward. We tried this with two different scale sets, and they agreed to within 0.2%. Yes, we followed the correct leveling procedure, twice. We weighed with full tanks and subtracted the weight of 70 gallons usable fuel, per the POH weighing instructions. Has anyone seen a ~150 lb weight increase *and* been able to explain it? I read some comments on this forum and elsewhere about significant weight gains in aircraft as they age, but I haven't found anyone that was actually able to confirm the source of the gain (as opposed to just guessing that it might be dirt and oil, etc.).

Well I just signed the intent to buy. I'll be minority shareholder with my credit union on the 1985 Rocket that was listed on All American Aircraft. The pre-buy went well. Thanks to Chris @MIm20c and Paul @PJClark for their helpful input! This plane has had one owner since the mid-90s. It's been well taken care of although the panel, interior and paint are dated. The engine and airframe are solid with no major issues. First order of business when she's mine is to name her then install an engine monitor. The owner flew it for many hours using the Rocket Engineering suggested power settings. I'm super excited to start my Mooney ownership journey for the 2nd time.

Anyone tried to use a new design and composite prop for the rock?

As mentioned in a separate post, I'm overhauling the McCauley C505 prop on my Rocket. I was initially hoping for a simple reseal, but then the prop shop called me and said, "you should really come take a look at this". Pic attached. Fun! The last time this prop was overhauled was 1996, and the last time it was opened up for service was 2001. It has been hangared all its life, well inland, south of the Bay area, and pampered by its previous owner, except of course for not doing the McCauley recommended 6 year calendar time overhauls. I am told that an overhaul (or at least a reseal) on a more regular basis would have caught and corrected the corrosion early enough that so many parts would not have needed to be replaced. As it is, the overhaul is going to cost me 8 AMU, as opposed to 4 AMU if the parts were still in good shape, or 2 AMU if all I needed were new seals. My shop says it's not like the blades were about to fly off because of this - the bearing races and retaining rings aren't cracked yet (corrosion pitting can initiate cracks), and the prop roots are still in good condition. The blade pitch control was working fine. The only clue I had was that I was starting to get grease spatters on my cowl, and maybe if I had been paying attention I would have said the leaked grease might have looked rust colored.

Hi Mooney K and Rocket owners, I'm seriously considering purchasing an M20K Rocket to upgrade from my current, well-equipped 1976 Arrow II. I'm new to the Mooney community, but have loved the look, speed, and efficiency of Mooney's since the 80s. I'm a PPL pilot with an instrument rating, about 530hrs TT and 330 hrs in an Arrow. If you're in the SoCal area and would like to share your experiences as an owner (I'm all ears) and a familiarization flight, please reply in the comments. Thanks! -Brian

Earlier this year I joined a Mooney Rocket partnership, though only recently have I begun flying it. The performance is phenomenal, especially compared to the Piper Cherokees I came from. As part of my checkout, I flew a 900nm trip in an afternoon and cruised easily in the O2 levels--something unimaginable to me only a few months ago. With the Pipers, I was very involved with the maintenance, and I've continued to be involved with the Mooney. We've had several large mx issues since I've joined, and though I'm fortunate to work with an A&P who is both meticulous and communicative, his time is limited, and so I'm hoping the collective experience of MSers will fill in my knowledge gaps. The latest issue is with the engine truss. One of the beams close to the turbo was corroded. If I understand correctly, the heat of the turbo corroded the paint, which opened the truss to additional corrosion. It's been cleaned off, but there's some question whether that section needs to be replaced completely. My A&P has contacted Rocket Engineering to see whether we're still within guidelines of AC 43.13-1B (where a 10% reduction in material is acceptable). In the meantime, I'm looking to learn more about it, how to avoid it, etc... in general, anyone else's experience with this. Thanks!

I am a complete noobie considering private aviation as an alternative to commercial flights from Eugene, OR to the San Francisco Bay Area. I am considering the Mooney 305 Rocket because of its speed, seating capacity and matched range. I am interested in hearing from other Mooney Rocket 305 owners out there if this makes sense. In particular, I am interested in a deeper understanding of the cost-of-operation for this model as well as qualitative impressions. The trip I would do is around 403 nm, I welcome any comments on this idea, including how much flying experience I would need before it would be reasonable to start flying a plane like this. Many Thanks, Steve