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Caught a King Air

mark manda

mark manda

Well Known Member
This sounds silly; I told this story yesterday at EAA one's meeting where we had three Harmon Rockets on display.

I took off out of a small airport and headed south for a climb up to 9 or 11k and I asked for a IFR clearance to get on top.

The controller said "I'll have to turn you, you're catching a King Air." (climbing and heading the same way.) Come on, I was thinking. So I said, " Are you sure I'm going to catch him?" Yep.

They turned me for a 1/2 minute or so while I was in the clouds-- good practice.

That's one for the mental funny pages scrap book!

We gave three rides in the Rockets yesterday. And flew formation off of my just sold Cessna 140.

Great way to end the week. Kinda funny, huh?
 
Easy to believe, Mark

It's easy to believe.......King Airs don't like dense air and Rockets do. When he gets to 25,000 or so ,you'd be history I reckon, with those two PT-6's sucking around 50 GPH each!

Reminds me of leaving Sun 'n Fun two years ago, caught a Mooney climbing parallel to me, then a Comanche:D....I knew I'd built the right airplane..

Pierre
 
A friend of mine flew alongside a C90 King Air with his HR2. Much to the astonishment of the C90 pilot the HR2 stuck right with him...
 
Slow to Follow a Southwest 737

OK...not to one up you at all Mark, but I went over to KAUS on an early test flight to see if my ILS was working correctly, and pretty well booking downhill into the Austin area. The controller asked me what approach speed I would fly. I told him I could fly anywhere from 80-160..."what do you need?" His reply was, "well you are overtaking a Southwest 737 8 miles in front of you, and at this rate you are going to catch him before I turn him in, reduce airspeed to 180."

Oh the joys of ownng a rocket...

We had a blast at the Memphis 100 last weekend. We had 9 Rockets together! Fastest speed went to Wayne Hadath at 245 mph down low on a 100 mile sprint course...with a standard "sport" wing rocket. He was faster than two EVO rockets! (Of course the EVO is optimized for flying up higher...). We got a great shot of the Rockets together...If I can figure out how to do it here I will post it for all to see...
 
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training

Hey Pierre (or anyone else), I noticed you do transition training. I'm looking at buying a Harmon Rocket but I've only flown 172's and 182's. Have about 500 hours and IR. There is an aerobatic school near me that trains in an Extra 300. Do you think this would work well to get me up to speed on tail wheel and Harmon capable?

David
 
training

I fly a Super Decathlon while my Rocket is being (slowly) built. I have Extra 300 time; and I think a good data point would be that my acro instructor will not sign off a tailwheel endorsement in the Extra - it's too easy of a tailwheel aircraft to fly. I'd say a Decathlon / Citabria / Cub / or the like would be much better to prepare you for a tailwheel (Rocket). My wife has been working on her primary training exclusively in the Super Decathlon (soloed 1-1/2 months ago) and is doing fine. I'm no expert on this, but I would seriously consider lots of "real" taildragger time.
 
PLEASE

Stop talking about Rockets!

Its gonna get expensive if you guys keep this up...:)

Frank
 
RDOne said:
Hey Pierre (or anyone else), I noticed you do transition training. I'm looking at buying a Harmon Rocket but I've only flown 172's and 182's. Have about 500 hours and IR. There is an aerobatic school near me that trains in an Extra 300. Do you think this would work well to get me up to speed on tail wheel and Harmon capable?

David
Click to expand...

Just an update for anyone who might be in my old shoes.

Did my tailwheel in a Supercub. About 6 hours total. Bought the Rocket and spent four days with a very experienced Rocket pilot. I feel very comfortable landing the Rocket. I'd rather take the rocket into a big crosswind then the cub.

I've got about 50 hours on it and it's the most enjoyable flying I've ever done. Couldn't be happier and I feel bad for all the pilots who have never flown in a plane like this and don't know what their missing.
 
RE:Rookie Rocketeer

You might want to call me a rookie rocketeer. I got my first ride/stick time/acro in a rocket yesterday. I helped the owner rotate the tires/wheel maintenance ...... so when we were done what ya going to do....go flying.

What a blast.............




This is a picture of my good friend and rocket owner Wayne........:D




Is there a Rocket in your future....$$$$$$$$$$$$$$....Fun Fun Fun......:):cool:

Frank @ 1L8....RV7A.....Last 995 details.....
 
fstringham7a said:
You might want to call me a rookie rocketeer. I got my first ride/stick time/acro in a rocket yesterday. I helped the owner rotate the tires/wheel maintenance ...... so when we were done what ya going to do....go flying.

What a blast.............




This is a picture of my good friend and rocket owner Wayne........:D
Click to expand...

Yes, Wayne is a great guy! But he needs a new "in flight" pic with his new tapered wings! :D

L.Adamson -- RV6A
 
speedy rockets

I have a friend with a Rocket that used to fly a MU2 (noticeably faster than a King Air) and he flight plans the same speed that he did with the MU. Fast is good.
Daryl
 
Yep, it's fast...

Passing King Air's down low, been there done that. What brought a big smile to me was having a Baron, Cirrus and C-210P driver going the same direction ask JAX Center what just overtook and passed them...An RV4! Since there was no FAA designator for the Rocket (until recently HROC) and my Data plate says RV4, I'm an RV4! I also did several aileron rolls as I passed...:) Even more amazing is that I operate out of an 1800' grass strip...Very cool airplane!

Smokey
HR2
"Swamp Rocket"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSU6IU4qjkY
 
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My rv 7a

beat a kingair while I cruising at 24 sq running LOP!

Guess there just not that fast down low..:)
 
RE;Tapered Wing Pix

L.Adamson said:
Yes, Wayne is a great guy! But he needs a new "in flight" pic with his new tapered wings! :D

L.Adamson -- RV6A
Click to expand...

If and When I finish the last 995 details on my RV7A and if I can keep up with Wayne's rocket I will get that in flight pix of his tapered wings.

Frank @ 1L8 ....RV7A ...... Last 995 details ........
 
Hehe - I once caught a King Air at 32,000'. It was 2am; March; he was lost; the Northern Lights were absolutely insane; and we were within a few hundred nautical miles of the magnetic north pole.

Our biggest problem was SLOWING DOWN enough to fly formation with him. :D

Well, I haven't had that problem in my homebuilt...

:(
 
Got the T-shirt...

Passing King Airs in your homebuilt is one thing...However, just when you think you're flying the fastest, baddest jet in bad guy land, somebody shoots a missile at you that's faster...

but I digress...


It's all relative...:)

Smokey
 
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