Mooney Missile with a 4 Blade MT Prop

[aviatoreb]

9 hours ago, Austin305Rocket said:

Great thread.  Thinking about flying our Rocket to OSH this year.  After watching arrival videos what worried me the most was tower getting planes to veer into the grass right off the runway.  I guess you could do an 'unable...need a taxiway'... But depending on the taxi length to the tie down area and potential mud conditions...lots to think about...

For the stress of this reason - the one time I went to Oshkosh I didn't fly to KOSH - I flew to Fond du Lac nearby.  A much more sane experience in all ways and 100% tarmac experience.  My prop and my engine thanked me.

[gsxrpilot]

10 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

For the stress of this reason - the one time I went to Oshkosh I didn't fly to KOSH - I flew to Fond du Lac nearby.  A much more sane experience in all ways and 100% tarmac experience.  My prop and my engine thanked me.

Flying into Oshkosh with the MooneyCaravan is a fun and rewarding experience. But there is a fair amount of work and effort in the months/year leading up to Oshkosh and there is some risk as well. And no one will fault anyone for mitigating the risk and the craziness of Oshkosh by flying into Fond do Lac.

You're still more than welcome to come by the MooneyCaravan tent in the North 40 camping area, share a beer, get out of the sun/rain in the big tent, pull up a chair, and visit with other Mooney owners from around the world.

I will say, that after many many years of dreaming about flying to Oshkosh, hearing Oshkosh Tower say, "Mooney cleared to land on the purple dot, welcome to Oshkosh", might have gotten me a little choked up. Fortunately they don't want a reply, just nail the landing. There are thousands of pilots watching.

[aviatoreb]

33 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

Flying into Oshkosh with the MooneyCaravan is a fun and rewarding experience. But there is a fair amount of work and effort in the months/year leading up to Oshkosh and there is some risk as well. And no one will fault anyone for mitigating the risk and the craziness of Oshkosh by flying into Fond do Lac.

You're still more than welcome to come by the MooneyCaravan tent in the North 40 camping area, share a beer, get out of the sun/rain in the big tent, pull up a chair, and visit with other Mooney owners from around the world.

I will say, that after many many years of dreaming about flying to Oshkosh, hearing Oshkosh Tower say, "Mooney cleared to land on the purple dot, welcome to Oshkosh", might have gotten me a little choked up. Fortunately they don't want a reply, just nail the landing. There are thousands of pilots watching.

I definitely see the value in that.

Some day I might do caravan.  :-). Not likely soon.  

I am not going this year but I bet I go next year!  I will most definitely come to the tent.  Thanks for suggesting.

E

[gsxrpilot]

30 minutes ago, aviatoreb said:

I definitely see the value in that.

Some day I might do caravan.  :-). Not likely soon.  

I am not going this year but I bet I go next year!  I will most definitely come to the tent.  Thanks for suggesting.

E

Option 4?  Drop your Rocket off in Fond du Lac and catch a ride to Madison. You can have my right seat for a ride with the Caravan and arrival to Oshkosh.

[aviatoreb]

13 minutes ago, gsxrpilot said:

Option 4?  Drop your Rocket off in Fond du Lac and catch a ride to Madison. You can have my right seat for a ride with the Caravan and arrival to Oshkosh.

hah - I could see doing that some day!  I have a conflict this year, but I am dreaming of Oshkosh next year.

Actually if I wanted to fly out of Madison, I would...fly to Madison.

[rustanov]

On 3/3/2021 at 7:10 PM, Seth said:

Story of why my airplane is named Hank: I purchased it using a broker from Hank Williams III. Son of Hank Williams Jr. Son of Hank Williams.

This is why our Hank feels the airplane is named after him!

The first time my wife, then girlfriend at the time took a flight with me in "Hank" she said "Hank wanna fly" during the takeoff roll. She said she could feel the power increase compared to my former 1967 M20F.

Here's some information on Hank Williams III

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hank_Williams_III

Also, the airplane is know as "Lady Luck V." 

My paternal grandfather who I never met passed away in 1071 at 50 years old. He flew B-17's with the 401st in Europe during WWII. He completed 43 combat missions. His first B-17 was the "Lady Luck" which he ditched in the english channel. "Lady Luck II" was shot down over france - he bailed out. "Lady Luck III" he finished the war in. My former 1967 Mooney M20F was "Lady Luck IV" and Missile is "Hank" and also "Lady Luck V"

-Seth

 

I think it would be wrong to expect an efficient lift in that much mud.

[Niko182]

any updates on the longer term performance of the MT prop? how do you like it so far.

[Seth]

On 4/8/2021 at 11:16 AM, gsxrpilot said:

That only works if you have a reservation to park on the ramp at the FBO. And the truth is the taxiways are all on the grass.

Taxiing in the grass is just the way it is at Oshkosh. Generally the Marshals are pretty good at keeping airplanes on firmer ground. I'm sure they don't pay out a lot of these insurance claims every year. But obviously $*!t happens.

In my previous years they turned me around when it was a bad area. I tried to go around this was, and was marshalled in after shaking my head no and given a thumbs up and waive ahead. I should have gone with my gut and will in the future. Even if I had veered a foot or two one way or the other it may have made a difference. That said, I now have an overhauled engine and the three blade prop.

In 2022 I currently plan to return to Oshkosh with my daughter, and we'll taxi on the grass.

I know I have not posted in a while - I have some aircraft and family updates.

-Seth