Thinking about buying a Skymaster

[Ernie Martin]

Let me first note two facts: the Rocket web pages date to 2007 and the photo "gallery" has pictures of a single aircraft.

I've owned 2 Skymasters over the past 10 years, participated in many of the Skymaster Fly-Ins, and know the aircraft well. And I have never heard of the Rocket.

I like the specs (although some seem dated in an era where glass avionics are the rage, in large part because of the enhanced situational awareness) but have several comments. First, look very closely at the details, craftsmanship and quality of the work and that unmentioned items (like exhaust, landing gear systems, etc.) have been given comparable attention. Second, dig deeply into the company, its recent business and performance -- specifically, ask how many Rockets have been sold this year and last year, and ask to speak to the buyers. Finally, the price seems high to me; I could be wrong but I would make inquiries with knowledgeable people, starting with Don Nieser at Commodore Aerospace 405-503-4686 or 405-722-4079.

One final point deals with the principals listed on the web page. The Kozub father/son team seem to be in the general aircraft refurbishing business (see April 2010 article at www.the-daily-record.com/news/article/4811004), with no mention of the Rocket. Bill Crews is the boss at Skymaster Center, probably the largest dealer of used Skymasters. If I were to speculate, I would guess the Rocket was conceived around 2007 by these three individuals, marketed with limited success (one or two sales, perhaps) and put on the back-burner.

Ernie