Rocket ride

[aviatoreb]

Any rocket owners in MA willing to give me a ride? I want to see what its like

I'll pay fuel.

Thanks

 

Now bd322 - if you really want something fast in Mooney garb...you want the liquid rocket.  It is the fastest mooney, bar none.  It is faster than the normal M20K rocket I have and it is faster than an acclaim that I have never raced against but book says an M20K rocket is faster than an acclaim but at the cost of much more fuel but saving alot alot on hull value.

 

The M20K rocket has a TSIO520NB with the full feathering prop from the Cessna 340 and Cessna 414 - it is a relatively common and well supported engine platform, and at 305hp it is downrated from 310, 325, 335 hp applications found elsewhere.

 

The M20PML porsche engine mistake or M20M pre bravo - both the same basic long body lead rocket to hang an exotic liquid cooled engine on the airframe - a 351hp continental tsioL-550A derated to 335 hp.  I have heard that the airframe was strengthened as well by putting gussets welded at certain key places like where the wings join the airframe to cope with the extra speed.  I have heard reports that this airplane has a top (full power - not cruise power) speed of anywhere from 250/255/260TAS depending on where I read the rumor.  So lets call it 260 since this airplane is almost like a mythic beast and rarely sighted.  It has a very interesting liquid cooling system including a much more closed front cowl as compared to usual and a venting tube leading to a heat exhaust near the right rear of the aircraft.  See the picture in the ad below.  I hear that only 5 ever were made, and interestingly during the last year 3 have been for sale and one still is.

 

http://www.aso.com/listings/spec/ViewAd.aspx?id=144120&listingType=true&IsInternal=True&pagingNo=1&searchId=3729771&dealerid=

[aviatoreb]

reading: "At 3,500 hours, the TBO for the Allison 25 450-hp engine is nearly double the standard piston engine. Most importantly, the Allison’s failure rate is one every 115 years. That makes the engine 100 times more reliable than a piston-aircraft engine."

 

Now that I think about - this is a bit spooky if you think about it. Can anyone confirm this stat?

 

Read another way, there are 24*365=8760 hours in a year.  So if the Allison stated above has a "failure rate" of 115*24*365 = 1007400hrs - but what is that?  mean failure rate?  Time until a p=50% failure likelihood? I don't know.  Let's say it is mean failure rate but someone please correct me on how to read this.   Anyway for turbines that is super - you will rarely see a failure in your 3600hrs to tbo - 280*3600=1007400.

 

But for a piston engine with a 2000tbo and "100 times" worse, 1007400/100=10074 mean failure rate, or 10074/2000hrs = 5.037.  Does this mean roughly that 1 in 5 piston engines will suffer a failure during a given tbo run..that's not so good?  What did I do wrong?  Please correct me.

[Hank]

My first guess would be that the "failure every 115 years" and the "100 times safer than a piston" are both approximations, and neither number may be very accurate.

 

From what I read/hear, turbines fail rather infrequently [military single-seats excepted; their flight envelope is too broad].

 

Pistons occasionally have Top OH, and turbines have Hot Sections. Pay your money and choose your poison.

 

Personally, I'm shocked that a Turbine A36 can be had so cheaply. Wonder if he'll trade even for my ever-so-efficient C? 

[Hank]

Meanwhile I think a Jag would be a great platform for a fiberglass shell in all black that looks like the bat mobile.  Meanwhile I will start shopping for a leather batman cowl (for my head not for my airplane).

 

I'll deliver the Jag whose top can be removed with wrenches [no saws, no extra bracing required, it's already there; the soft-top models weigh 250 lbs. more than the hardtops] if you run me back down here in the Rocket. You may even use less fuel.

 

Bonus:  no STC or 337 required when adding custom parts to an automobile for use on public highways! Just don't send any photos of my baby before the work is done. Go for it, Batman!

 

Unless the ride in the Rocket would completely spoil me and ruin the fun of my much slower ride. Flying a friend's F didn't do that, although I found a need to change my descent procedure, as WOT/2500 and 500 fpm got really close to redline  where my C is still at top-of-the-green [~170 vs. 190 mph].

[bd32322]

Now bd322 - if you really want something fast in Mooney garb...you want the liquid rocket.  It is the fastest mooney, bar none.  It is faster than the normal M20K rocket I have and it is faster than an acclaim that I have never raced against but book says an M20K rocket is faster than an acclaim but at the cost of much more fuel but saving alot alot on hull value.

 

The M20K rocket has a TSIO520NB with the full feathering prop from the Cessna 340 and Cessna 414 - it is a relatively common and well supported engine platform, and at 305hp it is downrated from 310, 325, 335 hp applications found elsewhere.

 

The M20PML porsche engine mistake or M20M pre bravo - both the same basic long body lead rocket to hang an exotic liquid cooled engine on the airframe - a 351hp continental tsioL-550A derated to 335 hp.  I have heard that the airframe was strengthened as well by putting gussets welded at certain key places like where the wings join the airframe to cope with the extra speed.  I have heard reports that this airplane has a top (full power - not cruise power) speed of anywhere from 250/255/260TAS depending on where I read the rumor.  So lets call it 260 since this airplane is almost like a mythic beast and rarely sighted.  It has a very interesting liquid cooling system including a much more closed front cowl as compared to usual and a venting tube leading to a heat exhaust near the right rear of the aircraft.  See the picture in the ad below.  I hear that only 5 ever were made, and interestingly during the last year 3 have been for sale and one still is.

 

http://www.aso.com/listings/spec/ViewAd.aspx?id=144120&listingType=true&IsInternal=True&pagingNo=1&searchId=3729771&dealerid=

Certainly a vey fast aircraft .. but people here mentioned that mechanics are not expeienced at working on that engine and that it has next to no useful load unfortunately. Look at that cowl though !

Anyway for that price I would expect to get TKS with it.

[fantom]

Certainly a vey fast aircraft .. but people here mentioned that mechanics are not expeienced at working on that engine and that it has next to no useful load unfortunately. Look at that cowl though !

Anyway for that price I would expect to get TKS with it.

 

In aviation, as in life, everything is a tradeoff

[Seth]

I know someone who has Meridian and the vibration is much less.

 

Think about it - a piston engine has parts that move back and forth against each other non stop.  A turbine, they all move the same direction.  That's a huge reason for the reliability, the engine isn't trying to tear itself apart (well it is, but in a different way).

 

I don't plan to see my plane in the long term future, maybe add a small taildragger with an engine that sipps fuel, but if turbines were less expensive, that would be hard to not consider.  Also, doesn't the IO-550 qualify for an STC for motor gas?  I heard that somewhere on this board, but have not yet looked into it personally.

 

-Seth

[carusoam]

IO550...100 octane but no LL requirement.

-a-

[John jolly]

I just bought a rocket and I am trying to find out if other owners have pressurized mags. I do not and I am having some misfire problems!

[Hank]

Go to members and look up aviatoreb in NY.

[Mcstealth]

Good luck

[aviatoreb]

Go to members and look up aviatoreb in NY.

 

Someone call?  :-) Hi Hank.

 

Hi John Jolly, Where are you located?  Please introduce yourself and tell us about your new Rocket.  Congratulations!  Rockets are awesome!!!  Not that all the other Mooneys aren't pretty - awesome too.....

 

I do not have pressurized mags.  I have bendix s1200 mags.  They seem to work perfectly.  She purs like a kitten even up to 23,000 (highest I have been).

 

I figure anytime you buy a used airplane it takes a year to two years of time and money to make it perfect to your own standards chasing demons - no matter how excellent the pre buy.  This keeps me from pining for other airplanes more than anything else.

[John jolly]

Thanks for the info. I have the same mags. I think it may be a spark plug gap problem. I am located in Nashville tn. Only owned it 3 weeks. It is my first aircraft and I am learning alot.

Thanks for your help!

[carusoam]

In that case, find a thread on measuring the resistance of the plugs along with the gap. Check the age of the wires as well. These are not rocket specific, but typical of Mooney experience.

Welcome aboard,

-a-

[aviatoreb]

Thanks for the info. I have the same mags. I think it may be a spark plug gap problem. I am located in Nashville tn. Only owned it 3 weeks. It is my first aircraft and I am learning alot.

Thanks for your help!

 

Welcome John. Please tell us more about your new airplane.

[fantom]

I just bought a rocket and I am trying to find out if other owners have pressurized mags. I do not and I am having some misfire problems!

 Welcome to MooneySpace, John. Very nice plane!

 

While I don't have the anser to your question, I do have two suggestions:

 

1. It isn't necessary to post the same question on multiple threads on this forum. You will get an answer from a single post.

 

2. You'll get quicker, better and more informed responses if you include your model, home base and and location either under your aviatar, or in your profile.