Advice on climbing to FL240

[Houman]

Planning to climb to FL240 with the Rocket next weekend with a friend instructor filing IFR and a 3rd pilot in the back seat to check us both.

To those Rocket owners or other turbo Mooneys that have tried it, any heads-up or anything in particular.

Will be flying with portable O2, oxymeters, and emergency O2 tank.

We are doing this just because, I have been up to almost FL180 with Rocket, but hoping to be able to go to the celing of my aircraft...

Thanks !!!

[Will W]

Going to the ceiling of any Mooney, having 3 adults probably won't make it there. Have you done the weight and ballance yet on it? Don't take off max gross and think it will make it up there without burning off a lot of fuel first. Why don't you kick the 3rd person to the curb and go enjoy it with just 2? You will definitely need the weight to invest in fuel to have to go up there.

[Houman]

That is actually a good suggestion, although I have checked the W & B and all is good, since all 3 people are less than 180 lbs each and no ludgage. I plan to go with about 50g of fuel and plan to fly for a max of 1 hour just to make it up there.

The Rocket is actually a great climber, I'm always impressed with it's climb capabilities, I had tried this once before couple of weeks ago with the same 3 guys and we were up to FL180 very quickly before being denied by ATC because of some restrictions in the zone we were flying...

[Parker_Woodruff]

You will certainly have the capability to make it to FL240 in a Rocket.

 

my only suggestion is just be prepared with your masks already plugged in and ready to put on well before you need them.

 

In climbing to FL210 in my M20K, I always put on my mask at a workload permitting time somewhere around 10,000' MSL.

[Yooper Rocketman]

Going to the ceiling of any Mooney, having 3 adults probably won't make it there. Have you done the weight and ballance yet on it? Don't take off max gross and think it will make it up there without burning off a lot of fuel first. Why don't you kick the 3rd person to the curb and go enjoy it with just 2? You will definitely need the weight to invest in fuel to have to go up there.

I was coming out of Sun &. Fun years ago, at gross, and was at FL 180. Shortly after leveling off, I was asked to take a heading 30 degrees left for a hot MOA. Since there were thunderstorms that direction, I asked what other options I had. The controller asked if I could do FL 240 and I said yes. We were still pulling 1,000' a minute when I leveled at 240.

Houman, you should have no problem getting there, even at gross.

Just remember to dial in 29.92 when hitting 180.

[Awful_Charlie]

Not a lot to add, but a few ideas for you (I don't tend to take more than one pax over cannula level)

Check your O2 flows and communications before you get too far - particularly if you intend to change from headset/cannula to mask - it would be a shame to get up to FL180 odd, and then find your mask doesn't allow you to talk to ATC.

Take a note of everyone's SPO2 before you take off, to give you a baseline and check that everyone gets on with the oximeter (painted fingernails for the ladies can upset them)

Be prepared for the cold! I don't know how good the Rocket heater is, but my Bravo struggles when it gets down to -30C or so - it's certainly not a shorts and tee-shirt climate! It is very affected by how much sun is coming in the windows, so putting the sun smack on the tail will make it a lot colder than when the sun is to the side.

Carry a kneeboard each to make notes if this is a learning exercise, and also take a quiz book for you each to try when you level out at the ceiling.

Keep an eye on CHT's as you climb - in a Bravo I need to open the cowl flaps progressively, particularly if going for higher rates of climb - I tend to negotiate a cruise climb for the last few thousand feet so as to be able to keep fuel flows and CHTs down.

When you've levelled, if you have a altitude pre-selector, dial in MSA or 8000' whichever is higher, along with a rate of descent - this is the poor mans 'emergency descent' button (well, two of them)

Go and have some fun! Write back when you've done it

[Yooper Rocketman]

You will certainly have the capability to make it to FL240 in a Rocket.

 

my only suggestion is just be prepared with your masks already plugged in and ready to put on well before you need them.

 

In climbing to FL210 in my M20K, I always put on my mask at a workload permitting time somewhere around 10,000' MSL.

Oh, great suggestion. The longer you are on O2 before going that high, the better. I usually don by 6k. Also, I always have a pulse oximeter with me and initially check ever 10 minutes until everyone stabilizes. No less than every 1/2 hour after that.

[Houman]

Thanks for the comments, the 3rd person im the back seat will have several tasks, 1st : providing logistics for O2 and emergency O2, also to film some or as much as possible and take pictures for the learning experience and 3rd would be to have a 3rd set of eyes on everything, the 2 pilots in front will be to pilot only and check SPO2 levels, not having to deal with O2 connections, camera or else...

Thanks for the temp information charlie, I will try that if my EDM indicated that my CHT, EGT or TIT is going too high...

[FBCK]

I believe this is the same engine that is on a cessna 340 (?) and lots of those planes fly that high.

[rainman]

You may already have this covered, but just to be clear, masks for all occupants. I monitor pulse ox continuously above 15K and have a monitor for each person. They're cheap, small, accurate, and easy to use.

[Houman]

Yep, got masks and SPO2 for everyone on board, pilots will wear a model with alarms that go off under 80%

[carl]

I see you are in Montreal, not a good place for this . 

 

why not try and set a new ground  speed record . 

 

of course from west to east , winds alot have been 110+ 

 

perfect spring weather for records. 

 

bon chance.

carl

[Guest]

A friend of mine flew his normally aspirated 180hp RV6 to 26000' you should have no issues getting there.

Another client set a number of ground speed records in his Bravo in the mid twenties.

Clarence

[Yooper Rocketman]

I believe this is the same engine that is on a cessna 340 (?) and lots of those planes fly that high.

Can't say it's NOT a 340 engine as well, but I was always told I was flying one side of a C414, which spends a lot of time up this high.

[Piloto]

Make sure the O2 hoses do not not get kinked. That's what I like about the O2 ceiling outlets.

José

[aaronk25]

Going to the ceiling of any Mooney, having 3 adults probably won't make it there. Have you done the weight and ballance yet on it? Don't take off max gross and think it will make it up there without burning off a lot of fuel first. Why don't you kick the 3rd person to the curb and go enjoy it with just 2? You will definitely need the weight to invest in fuel to have to go up there.

You can stick 10 clowns in that rocket powered animal and at FL240 will be climbing better than a A,B,C,D,E,F,G and J Mooney (Hey they skipped H?!?) at sea level.

These things rock and a Rocket mooney is still the fastest mooney ever made, well converted. Even the new acclaim can't touch it.

[chrisk]

I find it much more convenient to plug the 02 in before I take off.  I've been as high as 21,000 in my 231.  It would still climb at 500 fpm and I was near gross.  With a Rocket, you should be at 24,000 quickly.  Also, be prepared for the trip back down.  A 1000 fpm decent will still take 24 minutes.  And if you don't do it under power, the engine will be cold.

[Danb]

Awful Charlie hits the home run, I would add an extra oximeter, I have no problem getting to FL 250 in my Bravo I don't see you having any difficulty, the POH is at max weight, just pay close attention to all your temps., it is Critical and it is cold up there good time for longest let us know how it went..

[Yooper Rocketman]

I was climbing out to FL 210 or 230 years ago on a flight to Altanta with my wife and kids and just as we leveled we heard an explosion. My wife and I were looking at the instruments to see what the he.. happened and then heard our two young boys in the back start laughing. I looked back and a bag of Doritos had exploded all over the back seat.

Never had that problem with the"F".

[bonal]

Does anyone know the highest recorded flight of a Mooney. Any one here care to spin a yarn

[Houman]

I find it much more convenient to plug the 02 in before I take off.  I've been as high as 21,000 in my 231.  It would still climb at 500 fpm and I was near gross.  With a Rocket, you should be at 24,000 quickly.  Also, be prepared for the trip back down.  A 1000 fpm decent will still take 24 minutes.  And if you don't do it under power, the engine will be cold.

Yeah, for now planning a 240 NM direct to east to see if I can get a speed over 300 kts GS, and then turn back into the wind for a slower descent and since I will have then a big headwind, I will have to keep the engine running high enough to keep up the temps and speed while descending at about 500 pfm...

But since I don't have my IFR rating, it will be my friend CFI that will be the PIC, so will see how he sees it, maybe there are better ways ?

[Piloto]

Does anyone know the highest recorded flight of a Mooney. Any one here care to spin a yarn

The Mooney 252 TSE has a certified ceiling of FL280.

José

[Jimhamilton]

As another member mentioned, watch your engine temps.  It seems natural that the colder air would cool the engine better, but thats not true.  The air cooling the engine is very thin at these altitudes and lost much of its ability to cool that turbo charged engine.  So, with that in mind, you should do just fine.  Even with three pax.

[Danb]

Hulman. Hope you make the 300 club. Looking forwards to pix depicting 305...if you can have ATC approve descend at 200-250 Ftm to really make use of the inertia you built during and level then enjoy a long 20-25 min. Descent at a rate cheating the wind. Good luck..

[David Mazer]

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..