Godfather

This is the main problem, especially in a Mooney with tight panel space. The iPad Pro 13 in is huge...not many panels have room for something like that.

I'm always amazed how long it takes to wash and wax the bird. I definitely understand why the good shops charge what they do.

Having never bid a paint job out I'd guess 12-25k would get an ok -> really nice paint job on a Mooney. The before and after pictures look great!

Wow, that guy is crazy... Lucky the prop did not slice him on one of the training runs.

M20doc - the paint shop put your tail on backwards! You should really stop flying until you get that "problem" rectified.

I think the AP and GPS are the two most valuable luxuries I fly with. Please keep us updated with the upgrade process and provide pictures if you can.

People that I have talked with are enjoying the new radios from Avidyne. However, a lot of the enjoyment at first was the cheap install price and the $8.5k cost of the unit. Because of the high resale of the 430w they were able to upgrade from a 15 year old box for a couple amu per unit. People (myself included) are quick to give Garmin grief but the Avidyne company has tried to introduce some policies (in the past) that don't play well with pilots as well.

Sounds like a good deal to me. Have any J's sold recently to get a feel of the market? Personally I've noticed some cheaper planes moving pretty fast...especially the ones that have had recent maintenance bills come close to the asking price.

Garmin's sale price?

Just curious if you ended up overhauling the engine or continued to push on?

I agree about the backwards in time but I personally believe the KFC 225 is the best AP available in a Mooney (or any other single piston plane) minus the Garmin 700 AP connected to a waas G1000.

The Garmin rep was quoted saying the G5 will never make it into the certified market (I think it was on the vans forum)...even if they did they would never spend the money to certify the AI output for certified AP usage.

I'm curious about the difference between the new advanced $9k system and the current pro system. Is it possible to just install the new "backup" system as primary without the need for a backup AI ( or any backup instruments ) ?

I had these same questions a few months ago. For me it was dealing with already having a backup AI (electric) without a battery backup. I've decided to pass on the current offerings and put in the ki300 whenever certification is complete. However, my AP requires the attitude input which cost around 3.5 amu to have this output from Garmin / Aspen. For the 5.5 amu that the ki300 cost I'll just move it over to backup (still driving the AP) when I upgrade to the g3x certified or whatever.

Probably your best option is to keep the vac system working and use the current AI as the backup. Otherwise you need to find a battery backup AI to use for standby which will probably cost another 3k.

I forgot to mention before that I appreciate the fact that you started this thread. Got me thinking about my own checklist and how temperature or weather conditions might change my thought process. Sounds like you are keeping your backup systems in tip top shape. ...60's on 6 Keep in mind the windshield bar runs the second pump - I have not needed this feature yet. Also the pitot heat will draw twice the amps on startup (I would not have a problem using RMS loads because of the battery reserves)

I would press the buttons 100x each to loosen them up a little...you don't want them to slow inputting data in flight. the antenna for the King unit might be in a different location that might not be as efficient. What altitude were you flying at the time?

Personally I would keep one of the batteries connected/active to keep the voltage stable when starting motors like the tks pump. Pre-DX (2004) ovations do not have a true dual bus setup so the emergency bus is really just a way to quickly reduce the load without going unit by unit. Probably the old emergency bus had the backup vacuum pump so you probably have amps to spare. More important questions for an all electric panel IMO: Do you check the batteries every year for reserve capacity? Have you tested the backup alternator for proper operation under load and has it been rebuilt / inspected lately? Its spinning every time the motor is on... To me the backup systems on the ovation buys me time. Personally the only time I would hit the emergency switch is if I was really in the thick of it. Otherwise I would shed the load until the backup alternator was able power what was remaining (very easy to observe on the amp meter). This means the AP, GPS, etc.

I would plan for every annual to cost that much. It looks like you are concerned about the extra 12-13 hr extra billed out this year... IMO if you plan for that extra 1 amu per year you will be a happier aircraft owner. Who knows your Mooney might actually give you a "gift" of a cheap annual every few years

450 hrs in 35 years... Please go fly the wings off that thing!

I'm sure the dealers have a 20%+ markup in the equipment they sell. It is part of the profit when they bid a job.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I thought the esi500 was certified as a primary device under the new faa ruling. Can't imagine it would not work as a backup for the AI portion...not sure about the airspeed and altitude because I've never researched that aspect.

A lot of pilots, especially if they fly alone, mount the iPad on the right yoke. Do you have a picture of your panel so we can get an idea of open space?

I think a single GoPro or similar (~$150) pointed forward showing the the controls, panel, and view ahead would be a good investment. Not necessarily for posting online but to review when you get home.

I'm curious if the panel 24v -> 12v converter with a 12v -> 5v USB adapter (stacking converters) causes problems for a stable current? That is the setup I've been using for a few years and both iPads have worked flawlessly but I know for AC currents most electronics prefer a single power converter / supply.