Bike_rider

My wife and I spent a lot of time thinking about this and had occasions where things got desperate after even 45 mins! Our solution is a stainless steel bed pan. You can place a plastic bag liner with an absorbent gel pad to take care of the liquid and odor. It works in the front or back seat. We use a towel for privacy and works even if there are unspeakable circumstances. . The gel can be placed in a zip lock bag and even tied off in the original plastic bag and dropped in the trash at your destination. This works for multiple passengers as well. The males can always use a Gatorade or LittleJohn but the ladies need to be in a "normal" position and the bed pan makes that less of a gymnastic endeavor. They are inexpensive and light.

I have that control lock and it came with a velco "Remove before Flight" flag that you should attach to the nosewheel to prevent towing. It locks the nose wheel steering by restricting the rudder pedal/brake movements and also attaches to the yoke. The only gotcha is to make sure, when you are at an FBO or in a parking area where someone may need to tow you, that you place that flag on the nose wheel and ensure no one tows your plane without removing the lock. If you lock your plane, you may wish to leave your keys with the FBO and give them explicit instructions not to tow with the gust lock on.

That is not bragging, that's being a proud parent! You made me go back and look at some flying pics of my son on his first flight and when he was a toddler, that was over 30 years ago. They are printed pictures, ha! Merry Christmas and thanks for sharing.

This has been a very important topic since we bought our plane in '98. Our best solution is a stainless steel bed pan. Bring a blanket or large towel for modesty reasons and the lady(ies) can cover themselves and sit on top of the bed pan. We also line the pan with a plastic sealable bag with an absorbing and scented bag. Once they are finished, seal the bag and place it in storage for disposal. We've tried a lot of other alternatives and this has worked the best for us and, heavens forbid, if you have to do the unspeakable, you are prepared for that as well. Murphy's law will hit you with "digestive challenges" when they are the most inconvenient.

What a beautiful plane and I love the panel! It's super clean and has everything you could ask for. Enjoy your new ride!

My Aspen was the legacy that was upgraded to the Max model before Covid hit. I didn't fly it much to discover the issue until a few months ago. Each time I flew, it would fail. I did get in contact with Andy and he told me to contact my dealer which I did. They are working on getting me another unit. I've given up on this one since it is showing signs of a hard failure. The failure on a practice approach made me a little concerned because I would not want that to occur in IMC. I do have the legacy ILS equipment but I do like everything to be working. I'm sure they will get me a functioning unit as soon as they can, given the current environment.

I have the SV in the Aspen and use it on each flight. I agree that it is a luxury and not a necessity. I do like it when doing approaches for another cross check. My Aspen has been failing on me and that has me extremely concerned. I was doing a practice approach in VMC and it went totally blank and never came back. I am still waiting for a replacement so I am VFR only until they can get me another unit. In the mean time, I purchased a D3 as a backup for now and in the future. The SV on the D3 is practically useless. It does show terrain but the screen is so small to be useful. The only advantage is that it looks nicer than a simple AI. I've been experimenting with how and where to mount it so that I could use it when needed. I would really like it if I could replace my magnetic compass on the center windshield post with the D3 but it would need an external sensor and is not TSO'd for that. I think someone should design a new magnetic compass with the magnetic flux sensor built in, if that's possible? So, to answer your question, the SV in the Aspen is a nice to have feature and an excellent cross check, the SV on the D3 is not a reason to buy the D3, and it's never a bad idea to take the extra money and invest it! . The D3 does have a 3.5" mount that you could put in the panel, if you have the space, as a relatively inexpensive backup in case your Aspen or other primary display has an issue.

I saw the pics of them on your plane and called them. Damien had a pair ready to ship, so I jumped on it. They look fantastic but unfortunately they won't work. My wife and I were wondering how they would fit once we looked at them and we were right, they didn't. I guess we got the wider hanger for nothing! Ha!

Just a quick heads up on these wingtips. I was able to purchase a set but once I got them, I realized that they will not work for an M20J without an existing composite wingtip. I have the 1978 model without wingtips. Unfortunately I had to send them back. I am so bummed because they look fantastic. Hopefully they will make that more clear in the future and perhaps have a design in the works to support aircraft without wingtips.

The weather here has been unusually rainy with T-storms and lightning last night. We don't normally see this kind of weather, that's more for the peeps in the middle of the country and summer afternoons in Colorado! If you are still planning to come down, you can text me at eight oh five, eight-seven-eight, 4425. If not tomorrow, then anytime. Your upgrades are fantastic. I really do like the speed brakes. I have to do a slip to achieve the same effect and only when it's not IMC. That would make my internal gyros go crazy and my wife doesn't like it either, even in VMC!

I'm in Santa Maria and since we are all helping you spend your money, I can show you what the LoPresti cowling looks like on a 1978 Mooney! Might as well add that with the new wingtips, which BTW, is making me think about spending too! Gotta love aviation, if we aren't flying, we are dreaming and scheming but I love them both!

Those wingtips are awesome! I am going to have to do some research!

That is a beautiful upgrade! Art-Craft did a fantastic job on the paint job. I love the avionics layout and the interior looks better than most sports cars. I hope you and your passengers enjoy this plane for many years to come.

I think the details to your questions are within this thread but I will try to summarize. First, if you are even thinking about it, please submit a non-binding PO to help the group get to the magic number of 15 so that they can start the process. In the process of submitting, your shop will give you an estimate based upon the options you want and the labor required. That can vary depending on how you want your panel laid out and all the variables that go into that. The advantage of submitting the early PO is that your servos would be under warranty, no matter how old. If they are not working, they would be replaced for no cost (Barry can confirm this). Now that I've pleaded for your help to submit the PO, the truth is that the cost is going to be about 10 amu higher than you were hoping. If you don't do the electric trim, that can knock 5 amu's off and if your panel has space with little to no effort, your labor costs may be less. I would budget 25 amu for the process. That being said, if you decide that is too much, once they get through the STC process and ask for a deposit, you can politely say no. I hope that hits the highlights.

My PO was submitted this morning, hopefully that makes it two or less!