stormflyer Posted March 8, 2021 Report Posted March 8, 2021 Rocket drivers ... Take-Off and climb settings in your Rocket. I have a friend who climbs at 65%, 30 inches and burning 18 GPH. Curious what others are doing. Thank you! Quote
carusoam Posted March 8, 2021 Report Posted March 8, 2021 Storm, First let’s ask a few questions... like... why would your friend do that? If you have 305hp available, and you want to get to the flight levels... and cruise at maximum speed... Climbing out at 65%bhp sounds like leaving a lot of performance on the table... On the other hand, your friend has chosen a very cool approach to cylinder wear, and that must be important to him... No two Rocket flyers are going to operate the same way, every day... There are conservative, LOP days... flying slower, with maximum CHT and TIT control.... Then there are less conservative, ROP days... where flaming dragon mode is all the rage.... Friends don’t let friends fly conservatively all the time... PP thoughts only, wait for the Rocket men to stop in... Best regards, -a- 1 2 Quote
PJClark Posted March 8, 2021 Report Posted March 8, 2021 Balls to the wall in the climb. I get about 37.5", 2650 rpm, 34-36 gph (very cold air right now, 34 in summer). Right now with 75 gallons on board, me and my wife, about 3065 lb gross, around 1500 fpm. For the first several months I thought the thing was 35" and 2500 rpm but discovered (thanks to MS) that you get better cooling with full throttle. 30" and 2200 is a fine cruise setting but I can't imagine you can keep 130 KIAS with that and more than maybe 500 fpm? 3 Quote
N201MKTurbo Posted March 8, 2021 Report Posted March 8, 2021 Every time I’ve flown a Rocket somebody else was paying for the gas, so balls to the walls always worked for me! Quote
PJClark Posted March 8, 2021 Report Posted March 8, 2021 It's really not that much. I mean, I'm at 15,000 10 min after brake release which is 1/6 of an hour..so at most 6 gallons to climb. Then I'm doing 198 KTAS around 18.5 gph...which is a lot, I grant you...but God is it glorious. And that's 65% power: loafing, not even pushing the engine at all. It's what Disney long ago called an "E-ticket ride" 6 Quote
N201MKTurbo Posted March 8, 2021 Report Posted March 8, 2021 The first time I flew a Rocket, someone asked me to fly it to the paint shop in Wickenburg from Steller Air Park. At the time the base of the class C was at 4000. I had never flown a Rocket before and this one had a verniers throttle. After takeoff, I was at the base of the class C in no time and I couldn’t get that damn throttle to come back fast enough, so I worked on the trim. Damn that thing could climb! 2 1 Quote
stormflyer Posted March 8, 2021 Author Report Posted March 8, 2021 PJ, Correct on all counts. 130 to 135 kts and 500 to 600 fpm at 30 inches and 2200 rpm. Thanks for the prompt reply! Quote
PJClark Posted March 8, 2021 Report Posted March 8, 2021 Ouch! That will take 30 minutes to get to 15,000 feet, or 9+ gallons of gas....more than at full power. Plus because of the speed at altitude I'm 87 nm downrange when you level off and you're almost 30 miles behind. Odd numbers, never thought of that. 1 Quote
aviatoreb Posted March 8, 2021 Report Posted March 8, 2021 That's not good engine management. And not how it was designed. If he wants to do a low power climb I would sooner he do something lower pressure but higher rpm. 26'' 2400? But really this is all silly. POH calls out 100% 38'' 2650 or 88% 35'' 2500 as climb settings and that is what I do. Full power is better for cooling on a hot day. I will often do the 88% when in no hurry and cooling is not an issue - e.g. winter. Quote
stormflyer Posted March 8, 2021 Author Report Posted March 8, 2021 Thank you all very much! If I ever own a Rocket, WOT, "balls to the wall" climbs for me too! 1 Quote
aviatoreb Posted March 8, 2021 Report Posted March 8, 2021 Just now, stormflyer said: Thank you all very much! If I ever own a Rocket, WOT, "balls to the wall" climbs for me too! I like how in aviation, balls to the wall, actually has a specific rather than just a figurative meaning. The engine controls having a ball on the end to grab onto, then full throttle being pushing this balls full forward until reaching the panel wall. Quote
Hank Posted March 8, 2021 Report Posted March 8, 2021 Just now, stormflyer said: Thank you all very much! If I ever own a Rocket, WOT, "balls to the wall" climbs for me too! That's how I climb in my C, too. Works well for all Mooneys, there's a bunch of HP and a turbo between my plane and a Rocket. Quote
Hank Posted March 8, 2021 Report Posted March 8, 2021 3 minutes ago, aviatoreb said: I like how in aviation, balls to the wall, actually has a specific rather than just a figurative meaning. The engine controls having a ball on the end to grab onto, then full throttle being pushing this balls full forward until reaching the panel wall. My controls actually have those on them. But in this hangar photo, they aren't "to the wall" . . . . And yes, this is an old picture, the stupid CO card has been replaced by a Sensorcon (thanks, Dan!). 2 Quote
stormflyer Posted March 8, 2021 Author Report Posted March 8, 2021 Rocket Owners ... Does the Rocket conversion increase your Gross weight to 3200? Quote
adverseyaw Posted March 9, 2021 Report Posted March 9, 2021 7 hours ago, stormflyer said: Does the Rocket conversion increase your Gross weight to 3200? There are two different STCs: SA5691NM adds the TSIO-520 and increases gross weight to 3017 takeoff/2900 landing SA00243SE further increases gross weight to 3200/3083 Many (but not all) Rockets have the second STC, which appears to only be paperwork. Someone reported a few years ago that Rocket Engineering sold them that STC for $3k. Quote
carusoam Posted March 9, 2021 Report Posted March 9, 2021 The coolest STCs come from Rocket Engineering.... As in the booklet of engineering procedures, charts, and graphs... are all complete... As if you bought a new POH for your plane... Of course... my experience is one STC or two from the same organization... one STC covered the engine, the other covered the prop... for one upgrade... Go Rocket Engineering! Best regards, -a- 1 Quote
Stetson20 Posted March 14, 2021 Report Posted March 14, 2021 Anybody care to comment on why this Rocket has been sitting on trade-a-plane for so long? I'm shopping now and this is an interesting plane to me. What am I missing? https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Single+Engine+Piston&make=MOONEY&model=M20K+305+ROCKET&listing_id=2390460&s-type=aircraft Quote
N201MKTurbo Posted March 14, 2021 Report Posted March 14, 2021 (edited) On 3/8/2021 at 8:29 AM, aviatoreb said: I like how in aviation, balls to the wall, actually has a specific rather than just a figurative meaning. The engine controls having a ball on the end to grab onto, then full throttle being pushing this balls full forward until reaching the panel wall. I’m sure you realize that the phrase comes from the flying ball speed regulator on stationary steam engines. If you were running at top speed, you were running with the “balls out” or “balls to the walls” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_governor https://jalopnik.com/heres-why-balls-to-the-wall-is-actually-an-engineering-1790023623 Edited March 14, 2021 by N201MKTurbo 1 Quote
N201MKTurbo Posted March 14, 2021 Report Posted March 14, 2021 2 hours ago, Stetson20 said: Anybody care to comment on why this Rocket has been sitting on trade-a-plane for so long? I'm shopping now and this is an interesting plane to me. What am I missing? https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Single+Engine+Piston&make=MOONEY&model=M20K+305+ROCKET&listing_id=2390460&s-type=aircraft Kind of expensive for the dated avionics. 1 Quote
aviatoreb Posted March 14, 2021 Report Posted March 14, 2021 22 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said: I’m sure you realize that the phrase comes from the flying ball speed regulator on stationary steam engines. If you were running at top speed, you were running with the “balls out” or “balls to the walls” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centrifugal_governor https://jalopnik.com/heres-why-balls-to-the-wall-is-actually-an-engineering-1790023623 And no reference to pi day?! Quote
PJClark Posted March 14, 2021 Report Posted March 14, 2021 3 hours ago, Stetson20 said: Anybody care to comment on why this Rocket has been sitting on trade-a-plane for so long? I'm shopping now and this is an interesting plane to me. What am I missing? https://www.trade-a-plane.com/search?category_level1=Single+Engine+Piston&make=MOONEY&model=M20K+305+ROCKET&listing_id=2390460&s-type=aircraft Hmmm. I wonder if there's maybe some heinous damage history there once/if you look in the logs. OR...maybe it has a hideously low UL? I bought mine in 2019, same list price, I paid a little less. Mine had a 530W, a 430W, and an EDM800 but everything else was probably original, and it had 230 hours or so on a 2013 Victor Black premium overhaul. The 530W can be traded to replace it with a GTN750 for about $8900 cash...so there's some value there. IDK, but that's not a bad starting place price-wise unless there's something ugly in the logs or hidden in the airplane...a 125 hour TSIO-520NB is not to be scoffed at if it's a quality overhaul. 2 Quote
N201MKTurbo Posted March 14, 2021 Report Posted March 14, 2021 1 hour ago, aviatoreb said: And no reference to pi day?! Oh, yea, Happy Pi day! 1 Quote
aviatoreb Posted March 14, 2021 Report Posted March 14, 2021 25 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said: Oh, yea, Happy Pi day! Pi to you! 1 Quote
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