Van Lanier

It took almost a year to get the fuel cells. Installation about three weeks.

Funny enough, I just booked my next Annual with Byron at RPM Maintenance. I liked his full disclosure response to my inquiry and I respect the way he does business. I also found his pricing to be reasonable. Thank you all for the informative and helpful comments. P.S. I'm adding the 64-gallon bladder tank kit from Griggs to my '63 Model M20C so I can get to the grandkids in Florida without a fuel stop. No coffee before departure!

Goodness! Thanks, gents, for all the helpful comments and guidance. Clearly, I've been overpaying recently and these insights are most helpful. Thank you.

Like most folks with an eye on the money, I'm looking to find out the base price of an annual inspection for a M20C in the Mid-Atlantic area. I've owned airplanes for 50 years, so I understand fixing the discrepancies. What I'm looking for is the base price to unbutton the airplane, perform the inspection and provide a written report. Many thanks for your comments.

Try Tom Williams at Freeway Airport in MD. Mooney Service Center and knows Mooney's.

Over the last 53 years of flying, I've found that having options and backups are good things. My little 20C has a GNC 355 with separate indicator, a refurbished KX155 with GS and separate indicator, and a DME. This gives me GPS nav and approach; VOR nav and ILS approach; the occasional VOR approach for fun, and MON capability if needed. I back this up with an Aera 660 with its own battery. If I could find an STEC 30 that came from another Mooney, I could stop hand flying all the time and learn how to really program the GPS!

As I suggested last year, "Hope springs eternal." But, as it turns out talk is cheap. Honestly, who wants to trust their life to a thinly designed autopilot whose manufacturer can't seem to find the parts to assemble it, much less support it. Ridiculous fantasy, or incompetent management at BK who could care less about the Mooney market. Pick one. Apologies for the negative comment, but the facts and circumstances speak for themselves.

I just installed a GNC355 with GI-106B indicator in a 1963 M20C. The internal lighting is very faint and virtually dark at night, rendering the CDI useless. The annunciator lights (To-From, etc.) are fine, but the internal LED is not. The 14V lighting input is attached to Pin 23, as called for in the wiring diagram. If anyone has any suggestions on how to fix this, I sure would appreciate hearing them. The avionics shop is at a loss. Many thanks.

Well, hope springs eternal. Perhaps the BK Aerocruze will make it to the Mooney market some day, the existing Duncan STC notwithstanding. BK knew the bill of materials and their sources for this product when they bought it (the Company). Sole source engineering and component selection are proven causes of a failed product and unhappy potential customers, when theory confronts reality. It's basic manufacturing and business management. Cheap is not always better. The Mooney application is a small market segment for the Aerocruze, compared to Cessna and Piper. It's a return on investment issue for BK, exacerbated by no internal champion for the product with enough clout to bring it to the Mooney market. Fingers crossed that someday may be tomorrow, for the Mooney community.

Realistically, there is no Aero Cruze for Mooneys. It was a pipe dream assigned to low level staff at Bendix King, who do not have the skill, incentive, or resources to bring this product to market. Shame on BK for creating such poor customer relationships and destroying decades of excellent reputation.

Gents, Many thanks for the replies, insights, and recommendations regarding the GFC 500 and LPV approaches. There is a lot of know-how in this group, and I appreciate you sharing it. There is clearly a mind shift (and some serious training) required to safely and effectively using the GFC500, but that's the fun of mastering new technology. Pressing on.

If you have a Garmin GFC 500 in your M20C, I would appreciate knowing your tips, tricks, "gotchas," or other useful suggestions on safely operating this autopilot in a short-body Mooney. Of particular concern is the auto-trim and system management best practices. Most of my flights are about 500 NM in light to moderate IMC on the East Coast. I've been hand flying for 53 years, but it's past time for some backup. I would have preferred a simpler autopilot with altitude hold and GPSS. Alas, the S-Tec 30 is no more and it seems the GFC 500 is the new box in town. So, how best to manage this beast? Many thanks.

Many thanks for the feedback and confirmations. I appreciate the responses.

Does anyone have experience converting from a 2nd Class FAA medical to Basic Med when insured by AVEMCO? Mooney M20C. No medical exclusions, just preparing for the future. Age 73. Many thanks.

Many thanks, gents. That's a really sophomoric way for King to manage the rollout of a product with a documented demand curve. I'll just head over to Garmin and install the GFC500. It's ready to go without the fuss and confusion.