blaine beaven

I suppose an alternative to attaching it to the existing bolts that attach the tie downs would be to make the base of it large enough that the cargo and seat would hold it in place.

@Pinecone I’m asking the question because the OP said: And I’m curious if that is actually a problem with these avionics - do they get damaged from sitting in the cold. The OP seems to suggest that he is keeping his heated all the time to prevent damage, and I am wondering if that is necessary.

Does that have an impact on the service life of those avionics? I can understand not starting them cold, but what is the damage if they sit in -30c for a week, then you warm them up to +15C before you go flying?

I’ve thought about this in the past… what I’ve considered doing is building a metal frame that bolts to the cargo area floor using the existing cargo strap attach points. The frame would extend forward and outwards to the corners of the cargo area behind the rear seat, then turn upward to follow the back of the seat. At the top of the bench seat it would angle straight up to the roof, following the contour of the cabin and joining at the headliner. On the interior of this frame would be attach points and a mesh net, basically creating a barrier between the occupant space and the cargo space. Anyone want to build and market this with me? We can spend millions to make thousands…

A lot of pilots who have most of their time on light Cessnas (172/150 etc) get away with not being proactive on trim. A Mooney has to be trimmed. All the time. This is the same as any other heavier single or light twin. Get used to it, and get proficient at it. You’ll love how solid the plane feels in cruise compared to lighter aircraft. Have fun!

In most pictures of the G3X in split screen mode I see the EIS strip, artificial horizon, and DG on the left side with the charts etc on the right side. Example photo for reference: Is it possible to reverse that? To have the EIS strip on the far right side, beside the AI/DG/SVT with the charts? I’m not convinced that is what I would want, but I just want to know if that capability is there, or if I would be stuck looking at it as Garmin dictates. Thanks!

@PT20J did you ever rectify this? I’m looking at a similar install. Thanks!

To resurrect this thread, I have a friend with a G3X, GTN 650xi, and GNC 355. He does not have a FS510 card. He uses his iPad to send his flight plan to the 355 via Bluetooth, which then sends it to the 650. As far as I understand it, he does not send his flight plans to the G3X, just to the 355. So there seems to be multiple ways to do this. He does his database updates with SD cards; so far he isn’t regretting not having the FS510 card.

@Steve Parker was it the speed brakes, or a battery issue?

Now we are all waiting waiting waiting to see if this fixed it

Good to know. I’ll take a read my J model POH again to see if there is any restriction on this. I learn something every day on this forum!

I have changed starters on a couple of models of piston planes. When the starter on my M20J needed work, I looked at it, saw I would be removing the airbox, and took it a mechanic to deal with. I park outside and would be working on it outside - I don’t like opening the induction system if I’m not in a hangar.

That makes sense! I guess I am lucky that mine will drain with probing

That seems like a lot of work when you can just sump fuel from the port on the belly, go into the cabin and switch tanks, then sump it again - all without ever pulling the ring on the floor.

I will be doing the senders with the 900. Basically I’m doing same as you but G5s

The GMA345 has a built in USB as well.

On this photo I found, there is an eyeball vent in the upper left of the panel. Does anyone know what kind they are, or where I could find them? I am getting a custom panel cut and want to install one on each side for the front seats. The photo is from a for sale listing. I emailed the seller but got no response… Thanks!

Also, I have the original centre cap pieces but they’re pretty rough - a prior owner screwed something into one of them. Has anyone 3D printed a centre cap? I’m thinking that could be more versatile if I want to attach a phone mount down the road.

My yokes have the original plastic on them and it is flaking badly. When I am getting the avionics upgrade I intend on reworking them. I don’t know of anyone local that does leather wrapping, and given the hot and cold temp extremes here I’m not sure how that would last. A friend had a local gunsmith cerakote his piper yokes. I have also heard of people powder coating. Any one have experience/suggestions? Thanks! Blaine

This is a favorite for me this time of year as well. I will check out the Disney+ offering too. Thanks!

I was surprised no one has offered to hire him, fee for service, to do this job, but then remembered we are on the Mooney (CB) site

That traffic circle is genius

I have used one of these for the past 4 years and it works great. I usually plug my plane in the night before a trip as soon as the temps get below freezing. It sits on the floor behind the pilot seat pointing to the midline which seems to be a nice central location to distribute the heat. I also have a vinyl curtain that hangs just in front of the rear seats. This has been great for pre heating and flying in the winter. It cuts the cabin space I am actively heating by at least half.

As far as I’m aware, our Mooney aircraft do not have a max zero fuel weight because there aren’t the same structural concerns that exist in larger aircraft. Max Zero Fuel weight is the limit of how much weight of equipment, people, baggage etc you can have in the plane that isn’t fuel. This has more to do with the strength of various parts of the structure, and the ability to overstress the structure if you say, put 95% of the weight in the fuselage instead of 80% and the other 20% in fuel in the wing tanks.

Poor wording - 25% over what I budgeted. I will see if the shop an wire and set things up for a future upgrade path, and what that might cost. Thank you for the idea. I have considered this a "forever" plane; I mean it has been 10 years and I am very happy with it. But with a family of four, it might become a bit small in the future. And yes, everyone loves to spend everyone else's money myself included. With two kids under two, a spouse that is likely not going to work much for the next 5 years, and a desire to retire in the next 20, there's a lot to weigh, and I have to draw a line somewhere... That said, the advice on this thread has been great! You have all pushed me into changing some of my original plans (I am presently at double cost what my original, no autopilot plan was), and I think that I will end up with a very capable IFR plane, with avionics that should last me for quite some time.