Jump to content

Mooney Rocket Climb


stormflyer

Recommended Posts

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-

  • Like 1
  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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?

  • Like 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

:D:D:D

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"

  • Like 6
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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!

  • Like 2
  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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" . . . .

20150211_182518.thumb.jpg.c3310ec6c76e6e00102c656ed3bdbe18.jpg

And yes, this is an old picture, the stupid CO card has been replaced by a Sensorcon (thanks, Dan!).

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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-

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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 by N201MKTurbo
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

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?!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

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.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.