Hector

Dan, thanks for posting this mod. I actually purchased the kit from shortwingpiper a few days ago thinking it would be a simple solution but it was not. The overhead panel in my 67C may be a little different but even after enlarging the opening with a Dremel tool as suggested I still could not get the lights positioned correctly. I started thinking about how to modify the existing torpedo lights to LED, but thanks to your post I will not have to reinvent the wheel.

Left hand on the yoke, right hand for everything else.

The GPS information being sent to Foreflight will now come from the transponder's certified WAAS GPS, not the uncertified WAAS GPS built into the Stratus. The only thing coming from the stratus unit will be the AHRS information and of course the WIFI signal to relay GPS, traffic, and weather info coming from the transponder.

The Bermuda Triangle has shifted, probably due to global warming [emoji1][emoji1][emoji1]

Don, the attitude indicator with SV has ribbons on the side displaying altitude, ground speed, and rate of climb. Bear in mind these are all GPS based but pretty good nevertheless

The original stratus does not have AHRS so you will get synthetic vision but it will not show your attitude. It will show you straight and level at all times. The stratus 2 has AHRS so it will display synthetic vision in a real attitude indicator.

Just downloaded synthetic vision (SV) on the iPad. Will try it out tomorrow. However, I can't seem to figure out how to get SV on the iPhone 6. I was hoping I could use SV in full screen mode on the iPhone with my stratus 2. Maybe the SV product is only for the iPad?

As a structural engineer I would not purchase an aircraft with significant damage/deformation to primary structure. If the primary structure (spar) showed evidence of bending/deformation and was not replaced it is likely to now have residual stresses that could lead to problems down the road. The combination of normal operating stresses plus the residual stresses MAY still be low enough not to cause fatigue issues for many thousands of hours, but the problem is that you just don't know and that would bother me to no end.

If my FBO had them I would never use self-serve!

Good info. At a minimum it tells me that if I ever detect high CO levels in the cockpit I should lean as much as possible until I can safely get on the ground. My carbureted C will not run completely LOP, but I can get 3 of the 4 cylinders LOP before it starts running rough. That would hopefully buy me enough time.

My uncle owned a movie theater in Cuba. After the revolution, the party used the movie theater on the weekends for committee meetings and such. My uncle was still expected to pay all maintenance cost, utilities, and taxes on the building. Unable to show any movies on the weekends, the theater became a financial drain and with no way to unload it he had no choice but to turn it over to the state. That is how it's done!

They absolutely do and no problem at all seeing the instruments including digital read outs (they are not polarized). Make sure they are the transition lenses that do not depend on UV to darken. These are relatively new is my understanding. No problem at all with the iPad. Just make sure they are not polarized.

For me it's not a choice. I wear glasses. I like transitions. The new transitions have come a long ways. They darken significantly more and become clear quite fast. They also darken inside your car even if your glass has a UV coating.

Welcome aboard. By now you have probably figured out that buying an airplane on a budget is all about compromises. For your mission the ideal Mooney (within reach of your budget) is probably an F model but finding one in the 40's will be tough unless you are willing to put a lot of work into it and accept a lot of shortcomings. In your search no doubt you will see some F's that are perfect for you. If you can stretch your budget without breaking the bank then go for it, but if you have to overreach then be careful. You don't want to end up as BigTex described. a C/E are not ideal for routinely carrying 4 people. It's certainly capable, I had 4 people and a small dog in my 67 C last weekend, but unless the folks in the back are small they will not be comfortable on a long trip. In the other hand, your family appears to be on the small side, AND you should be able to pick up a nice C/E that is IFR certified, with a basic IFR GPS, and a basic working A/P in the 40's. See if you can get a ride in a C/E from someone, and better yet, have your wife or kids come along and sit in the back. It may be that you have to break up that long trip into two days, but if you can make it work, you can end up with reasonably priced, reasonably equipped Mooney that is easy to maintain.

Merry Christmas!! Be safe out there.

Concur. There are some good ones out there who genuinely care about aviation or at a minimum understand what customer service is about. If their price is reasonable (within $0.50 of self-serve price) I will use them for convenience and feel good at the same time that I'm rewarding/promoting their business. Unfortunately there are many more that don't. The FBO at my home field is a perfect example. Expensive, and they don't care. I rent a Hangar from them but they still don't give me a break. I have even witness them tell a pilot they will offer them the self-serve price and then charge them more. so.....I never use them. The airport 15 miles south from my home field has a municipal self-serve selling gas for $3.39. That is $1.60 a gallon less than my home field. Guess where I fuel up.

I looked at it but it's an older Brittain system than what I have installed. I'm looking for the Accu-Flite for heading bug to work alongside the Accutrack I already have. For those who have nothing this might be an alternative.

I have the Accutrack and it works well. I would like to add the heading bug, however. I need to find the parts for the Accu-flite. Do you mind sharing how you found the parts? I keep looking but have not had any luck. I called Brittain some time ago and the did not have the parts. I should probably give them another call.

$3.39 in St Augustine KSGJ

VERY nice!!

Yes it is $3.37 in St. Augustine. I'm only around 15 miles north of St. Augustine and I typically refuel there. I have not seen $3.37 in a very long time. I jokingly told a friend of mine this morning "they are practically giving it away" well not quite, but it's very easy to get overly exited about fuel for $3.37 a gallon

Well you probably don't want to take investment advise from me anyway[emoji1] I "invested" $1800 in Jaguar season tickets and many would argue that was probably NOT a wise investment. So what's another $25 down the drain. It's all a matter of perspective isn't it.

If Cuba does open up navigating the Caribbean now becomes a lot easier. If you can fly down the length of the island and stop anywhere you like to refuel it opens up a lot of possibilities. Cancun is now a very manageable 120 mile leg over water, Jamaica less than 100 miles. Cayman islands are doable and Dominican Republic an PR are easy. You can fly down the Bahamas chain to get to DR and PR, but flying the length of Cuba would now be a very appealing alternative with only about a 50 mile over water leg. Key West to Havana is a short hop and all these other destination become relatively short over water legs.

It's $25 a year for Synthetic vision!!! Let me put it another way.....I was at the Jaguars/Titan football game last night. I paid $24.50 for two beers and a hotdog and that investment will literally turn into shit in another day or so (maybe sooner). I will gladly pay $25 a year for much improved obstacle awareness specially if that small investment has the potential of some day helping me avoid having to utter the words 'oh shit'

Good point. My Hartzell prop manual says Aeroshell 6.