gsxrpilot

The Sidewinder has been sold.

The flight home from MHK several weeks back was pretty sustained 40 knots on the nose. It was the entire 3 hour or so flight. Landing at ABI late one night I turned final to find 50 knots on the nose straight down the runway. I made the first turn off. Saturday afternoon while returning from DRO to Denver (BJC), I landed on 30R. While turning Final, Tower reported "Wind 270@34G41" I'm certainly learning a lot more about wind after moving to Denver.

What lube should be used on the yoke shaft?

I'm never been crazy about the requirement to have a G5 to go with the GFC500. I realize another option is the G3X, but I think it still has to have a backup AI of some sort. I like the revisionary option of the Aspens. I don't have to have any screen that is there solely as a backup. But rather I have screens that are all useful, but can become an emergency back up when needed.

Well said @PT20J Skip. I'm just a little envious of all of the GFC 500 installations out there. But I'm just a bit too far down the road with Aspen/Avidyne and it would be painful to back out and go Garmin.

That's what I'm thinking, exactly.

I hope to attend as well.

Thanks! It's funny you mention the switches. I've thought about going the other direction and removing the rockers and going to simple toggle switches. The rockers are so expensive, hard to find, and expensive to replace. I almost thing a uniform row of new toggle switches would look better than my mis-matched rocker switches.

That's like saying you went to HomeDepot and could't find any avocado colored linoleum for your kitchen. No one does that anymore. Don't put back the ugly old stuff when it's just as easy to update it to something more modern and much more functional.

EAA Membership ($40) Free SolidWorks software. Lay out the panel in SolidWorks Test fit with Plexiglas templates ($5 homedepot) Take the final file to a metal shop with water jet and get the panel cut. ($50) Take the fresh cut panel to a trophy shop for laser engraving ($40 and a ride in the Mooney) Paint with textured paint ($20) Install Panel Detach instruments from existing panel, but not from airplane, pitot static, electrical, etc. Remove old panel Install new panel Attach instruments to new panel Find friendly A&P to sign off on new panel Go fly. The end result.

Throw it out. Don't replace it! It was never a good look for an instrument panel. While you're at it, cut a new aluminum panel, rearrange the instruments to a standard six pack. Lasar etch the placards, shoot it with some textured paint. Now you've got a modern panel and your Mooney just got 30 years younger. And you're out $200. Ask me how.

The only thing definitive here is "no wrist watch". There are still a number of questions that are unanswered. So I'm not asking the question. My Mooney, with an IFD540, has a clock. As far as I'm concerned, case closed.

File this under "I'll believe it when I see it" but they are telling me that the EA100 will not be needed.

The pilot was an 8000+ hour CFII in helicopters. I'm guessing he probably could have made this maximum performance climbing turn in IMC 8 out of 10 times. But this was unfortunately one of those times he couldn't. The helicopter and the pilot would have been part 135.

What @Oldguy said. I also fly with a PMA450b. Pair that with a good headset like the QT Halos and you'll have the most comfortable, low stress cockpit ever. It really blew my mind how much of a difference a really good audio panel makes.

I should have clarified. There's nothing wrong with my KFC150 (knock on wood) right now. So to spend for the upgrade, I want the full functionality including IAS climbs, and the removal of my KAS-297. That all requires that the AeroCruz 230 has to talk directly to the Aspen without the EA100 in the middle. They tell me this is in the works and should be available in the "near future" or "any day now" depending on who you talk to. But given the promises made/promises kept ratio of all avionics companies, I've told them I'll hold off until such time as it's all done and working properly before I spend and go forward with the upgrade.

My M20K panel won't fit in your E, but good idea. :-)

FWIW... I've been talking with BK about the AeroCruz KFC230. They tell me it is available for installation in M20K's today. I didn't ask about other models on the list. One of the limitations at the moment is that it can't talk to or listen (for Attitude data) to an Aspen. If it learns to speak Aspen soon, I will likely upgrade my KFC150 to the AeroCruz. But not until it speaks fluent Aspen. And that would include Altitude data for VS climbs and pre-select.

I just took the CAD file on a USB key, along with $50 to a metal shop with a water jet table. @M20Doc makes some good suggestions. I also used a couple of sheets of Plexiglas to test fit everything. I think I spent $5 at HomeDepot for the Plexiglas.

I would expect your wife to know ahead of any of us. That airport sits under her airspace.

Thanks for the clear explanation.

Chocks hasn't been on here in quite a while. I don't think he has any or has made any in the last couple of years.

I just can't imagine doing all that work and still having a scatter shot panel. A few evenings at your own computer with an EAA version of Solid Works (free) and you can lay out a clean modern up to date panel. Put the file on a USB stick and take it to a metal shop. $50 later you'll have a new left side panel. Another $50 for a quick spray of primer and paint and you're done. Walk it into the shop doing all this work and ask them to install it. Figure another two hours of labor to do the job. This is an easy and cheap job that you can largely do yourself. It will make it feel like a new airplane.

The whisky compass is the lest used instrument in my panel, except for the clock

Hmmmm... my Aspen is installed with a magnetometer as well. Can I remove the whiskey compass as well? I'd love to get rid of it.