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installed a GDL51 receiver in the right panel stack under the glareshield, felt too bulky to install on top of glareshield, use to feed XM weather to my handheld 796 via bluetooth, wondering whether anybody has done this install and whether XM signal is strong enough to go through composite glareshield or whether additional XM antenna should be plugged into GDL51 and put on top of glareshield, black glareshield gets hot in flight, plug in antenna is also black, soo wondering what is better, GDL51 under glareshield or antenna that gets hot on top of glareshield, opinions?

yes...on the ground it should only be on when aircraft is moving and not in another pilots face......but in the air it should basically stay on 100% of the time below 18,000..

That’s a riot!! Except they forgot to add gear up or flap retract topic

Also, on the ground landing light on implies aircraft movement.

I've never had an issue with a GA plane taxiing toward me with their landing light on. If it was a 737, that might be different. Oh, and the Cirrus guys with their strobes going all the time, that is a bit distracting.

It's bad airmanship to taxi around with it on if you're pointed in someone else's direction.

Bryan-with-a-Y is pretty good. His videos continue to improve. No Cirrus pilots seems like a valid rule!

This is one of the benefits of LED lights. I installed mine over 10 years ago, and can only recall the switch being turned off twice--once during annual, and once halfway through a pitot-static check.

I've replaced my landing and taxi lights with the Whelen G3's that I bought from Jim Gallagher who is a sponsor here and can be contacted through MS. Great improvement, much less current draw (3.8 amps @ 14v) as well as having a very long service life. Not to mention they're less money than the Moon Beam balast alone. https://flywat.com/products/parmetheus™-g3 Contact information. https://mooneyspace.com/profile/13533-osuav8ter/ gallagheraviationllc@gmail.com

Do you want to be talked in to, our out off getting a second comm? 2nd comm is really nice for a lot of things - backup, frequency management, being able to monitor ATIS/AWOS, easy flipping between the two, etc... But you don't *need* it for what you're doing, and it's your money you're spending so you have to value it or feel like you're missing something now. FWIW I put a GNC215 in my plane as a secondary NAV/COMM. I like having dual radios and my cockpit workflow takes advantage of it. I also like having the secondary NAV and keep a VOR dialed in as I fly.

I’m a fan of two comms. Like a number of pilots, I organize them based on whom I’m communicating with. And I like the convenience of being able to listen to AWOS/ATIS without going off comm frequency. But I really like the ability to monitor the CTAF at my nontowered destination while still talking to ATC (both IFR and when getting flight following). I like the extra situational awareness that gives me.

This has nothing to do with your issue but why would you turn off the landing light? see and be seen.....should stay on 100% of the time you are below 18,000 feet...

If only I could require my…weight and balance limits

having flown skydiver and trained in both fixed wing and rotor without doors, it mostly in one’s head

My original panel had a 155 and a 165, and when I upgraded to the GTN, they pulled the 165 and left the 155 as the secondary. I’ve had zero problems with the 155, though I probably would have kept the 165 in the panel if I’d thought to ask.

Lots of IFR or mostly vfr?

I like the 165 a lot. Super reliable radio. The “pull to get radial” is a nice feature of the NAV, but it was way more meaningful before moving maps. With two 165s you can get instant triangulation of position without touching the OBS.

I have a 165 in a box, just in case

I am surprised how many folks are minimizing the value of a second radio. I fly a number of aircraft these days. The Decathlon has a single KY96 for a comm and I miss not having a second comm. I like to preset all my frequencies at busy airports comm 1 - tower and STBY departure , comm 2 - clearance and STBY ground. I like being able to get ATIS information when inbound without going off ATC freq. Then there’s the redundancy aspect. If I wear the OP, I would definitely add a second radio.

Yes well that’s because there is little utility to be found in an “upgrade” over a 155.

Tail

This. Checking the floor indicator on short final is part of my landing procedure, VFR and IFR. It saved me once when I was vectored 20 nm out at 7500', then turned inbound and cleared to land #8.

Left wing

Right wing

Cowl and Spinner