gsxrpilot

Ditto

Fair enough :-)

Yeah I think he left out a couple of pieces. G3x/430w.330es/50r/GFC500/G5 Without the autopilot, you're not getting the full package, and to go IFR you'll have to have the G5 as well.

I don't know if $10K will get you the full treatment, but you're close There are lots of other/cheaper/nice options. But if you want the best there is, Hector is your guy. If you want a DIY stop gap, see these below... https://www.airtexinteriors.com https://planeplastics.com/shop/carpet-template/ https://scs-interiors.com/pages/custom-aircraft-carpet

Yes and no. The playa dust is corrosive to steel but not aluminum. The steel bits are somewhat easy to clean. Of course the steel cage, not so much. I've always gone back to my mechanic for a full fluids and filter change after returning, and get the plane professionally cleaned as well. While parked on the playa I cover all the openings around the engine, prop, etc with 2" wide painters tape.. I don't worry so much about wings, flaps, ailerons, empennage, etc. If you want to fly in, I know a great camp looking for a pilot with a plane. I can get you a special deal, if you'd be willing to ferry some kids at the beginning and mid week so they don't have to miss a full week of school. I've flown in twice and did quite a bit of flying while I was there. I don't think my plane has suffered any effect from it.

You'll think you've slid into a brand new Mercedes when Hector gets done with the inside of your Mooney. From carpet, to headliner and everything in between including the glare shield, yokes, seats, side panels, everything.

Was your stall warning sounding when you landed with the Caravan last year at Oshkosh? I can land my 252 with the stall horn blaring or roll it on at 90 knots. It's all just a matter of how much runway you have available and are willing to use. Other than that, the landings are just as good.

There are lots of options here. But AeroComfort in San Antonio is the nicest option. At some point down the road, my 252 will get a new interior. And when that time comes, Hector will be the only option I consider.

I'm never on the STAR by the time I get to the Bravo. By then you're on vectors. The STAR gets you to the Bravo and by then you'll be getting vectors.

Sorry, what I was trying to say is that the Primer switch still works after the diverter is removed. The prime has not been disabled or removed, just the diverter solenoid. The prime still works fine. Therefore my starting procedure hasn't changed for either hot or cold starts. I still use the prime switch. Sorry if I wasn't clear.

Just like any other piston single... pull the power to idle and hold it off the runway. It will land when its ready. If you go past half way and still floating, power up and go around. You'll figure it out. I'm not the best pilot by any stretch, but I can land my Mooney every time with barely a perceptible touch down every time. Just pull the power to idle and hold it off. I have no idea of the speed and don't even look at the ASI. She'll land when she's ready to land.

Backup instruments are required regardless of one or two screens installed. This backup can be the G5, but regardless, a backup is required. No legacy autopilot support for anything other than heading bug. Fully coupled approaches will require the GFC500. No Navigator support other than Garmin. No Audio panel support other than Garmin. No Transponder support other than Garmin. Certain nice Garmin features like Database Concierge, and a few other features, not supported on the G3X. The hardware/video is legacy quality. "If you want the new modern video resolution, buy the TXi" Just like the GFC500 is a great new autopilot, but it's not quite the GFC600 level. The G3X is nice, but it's not TXi level and not meant to compete. I believe the Aspen competes very well with the top of the line TXi in everything except the large screen. And as @Cruiser said, to my eye, a lot of that screen is wasted real estate. If I was going G3X, I'd prefer two 7" screens anyway. To my eye, they're a better use of space. With two Aspen screens I have full revision and redundancy. With two G3X screens you have two screens. But you still require a third screen that is only used if something fails. With the Aspen, the MFD is my backup. If the PFD fails, the MFD becomes the PFD. And in an emergency situation, I don't need an MFD, I can certainly use an iPad for that, or my panel mounted GPS is also effectively an MFD. I've never like the idea of instruments in my panel that are ONLY there incase of a failure. I'd like them all do have a useful function. Anyway, just my $0.02. I've had a full helping of crow as well, and was about to call the avionics shop and cancel my Aspen MFD order. But after sitting through the webinar, and reading everything Trek posted on BeechTalk, I'm very comfortable with my decision to move forward with the Aspens.

I asked this question specifically and was told "No" for IFR flight the G5 or some other backup other than the 2nd 7" G3X is required.

Me on the other hand, I like living in the city. The new place in Denver is walking distance from the city center. But then we like being around people, and interesting people are even better. We like being walking distance from any number of coffee shops, pubs, restaurants, etc. Once we're home, we can park the car and still go out and enjoy the great company of friends without ever getting in the car. We were all of 3 miles from downtown Austin, and so in Denver we're a bit closer.

If $15K on top of the check you write to Garmin is "little more"... With autopilots, it's the labor/install that gets you. Even @donkaye is having second thoughts about the GFC500 because of the installation cost. And he spoils his panel worse than Lori Loughlin spoils her daughter.

They've probably done enough to put a serious dent in new Aspen purchases. But for those of us running Aspens, it's not enough to get us to switch. If you've never flown behind an Aspen, you kinda don't know the questions to ask, and that 10" screen is hard to see past. But none of the questions I asked about the G3X, had good answers. So for me, I'm still happy with my Aspen, (soon to be Aspens).

The EDM-900 and CiES fuel senders were the first upgrades I made to my 252 when I bought it. And I wouldn't change a thing. They are the most important, most used equipment in my panel.

I'm with @EricJ, this won't hurt the value of the airplane at all. If anything it enhances it. It's a flying airplane, that is well maintained. That's value right there.

Well the big question in advance of this announcement was why would Garmin release the G3X and step all over their TXi business. And now we know... the G3X, while a nice unit, is certainly the base model without all the niceties of the TXi.

As I'm sitting in on the Garmin webinar now... a few notes that are positives for Aspen/Avidyne. The G3X is not certified for IFR flight without backup instruments. Of course, this can be the G5, but even with two screens, a backup is still required. A pair of Aspen MAX screens are fully certified without the need for backup gauges. The G3X will work nice with the GFC500... but without support for the GAD43e... it will not fully support any other autopilots. The Aspens support all legacy autopilots including both BK, Stec, Brittain, etc... The G3X will only support Garmin navigators such as GTN 750/650, Garmin radios, Garmin Transponders, and even Garmin audio panels. Aspen will support all of the same Garmin stuff as well as PSEngineering, Avidyne, etc. A 100% Garmin panel will be a thing of beauty. But you'll be locked into the ecosystem. It's a great ecosystem, but you're locked in. For now, I'm not ripping out the Aspen/Avidyne/PSE.

I'm right behind you... second Aspen will be installed later this year. The G3X certainly makes me pause and think. But here are a few of my thoughts on it. I don't like the 10" screen. There's just too much wasted real estate outside the AI on the screen. I also like the reversion capability of the MFD converting to a PFD if required. So I'd probably be installing dual 7" screens instead of a single 10". I don't like the requirement for the G5 backup. I'm trying to get clarification if the G5 is required when two 7" screens are installed. I like that the Aspen MAX PFD/MFD combo removes the requirement for the backup AI. To get the full feature set of the G3X, I think one would have to also install the GFC500 autopilot. Which might not be a bad thing, but the install alone for that autopilot is running $14K in cases that we've heard about. Otherwise, I like everything about the G3X... Down the road if I have to replace my KFC150... and the KFC230 is still vaporware, the GFC500 and G3X's become a real option. Just my $0.02

Of the things you mention both good and bad, the purchase price and damage history are probably the things I care least about when purchasing a Mooney. When comparing Mooneys, I'd rather pay more and get more as that's always cheaper in the long run. And this applies to deferred maintenance and/or upgrades. (comparing two of the same model) And regarding damage history, if it's repaired right, it's no issue and probably better than new, and if not repaired correctly, it's a deal breaker. I'm glad you're getting yours done right before closing. But it sounds like you've got a great airplane, and it's hard to find anyone who doesn't like their Rocket. Congrats!

My brother is a SWA Captain based in Denver. He lives on 37 acres about 50 minutes from the airport. And after 15 years at Southwest, he sure makes a good living, and works when he likes.

Max charging for an iPad is always 2.4 amps. This one has 2.4 amps on each port. Beyond that, it depends on the brightness of the screen. If I'm running the screen full bright, I don't think anything will keep up with the power drain. I find 2.4 amps will almost keep an iPad charged at full bright, but it will still be going down. If I reduce the brightness by about 25%, 2.4 amps will charge it just fine. Some chargers are only 1.2 amps which won't charge an iPad at all. Some chargers advertise 3 amps, but the iPad will only use 2.4 amps anyway.

I have the CiES digital senders in my 252 and hooked up to EDM900 gauges. When the gauges go to zero, they X out. I know that at that point I still have about 1.5 gal of useable fuel in that tank. I know this, not by measuring on the ground, but by running it dry in level flight and then refilling after landing.