MIm20c

I’m actually thinking about contacting Cody and have him look for a used hub over the next couple of years. My thought when looking for a used plane was I wanted a prop that had been opened up recently and had first run blades in it. Do I care about $2 an hour for an inspection, nope. I might be able to run this prop for a decade without opening it up. With the weight of my turbo and extra remote filter up front I do not have the ability to run the new top prop or three blade. The pitch is also set differently vs stock so I’d rather leave it alone until it tells me otherwise. My prop guy at PTK said he has seen very few hubs have a problem.

As a stratus 2 owner I agree that the connector used on the unit was a poor choice. However, the unit has performed amazingly well otherwise. I’d contend it has a superior ADAHRS to the $5k 345, integrates flawlessly with FF, and has the input capability for an external adsb antenna. Even without the reception is solid and provides a wealth of information. Mine started to have this problem right after I purchased it used. I ended up buying a new right angle usb cord and the problem went away. I’d suggest a similar cord for the OP. The unit is a bargain at the current used prices. I’ve been putting together computers since the time of customizing config.sys and dos but I appreciate products I can buy and use.

Bummer, mine is already heavily modified to accommodate the turbo intake and baffles to allow pressurization of the intake.

Will the C’s airbox need to be modified or will there be different lower adapters to fit the cowling?

What is the base annual fee? Just had a 10k annual at one of the large shops down south. Many items were a few hundred higher than estimated. Cost of doing business I guess.

I played with it a few times at osh and I think they quoted me $4200 iirc. Came away think I’d buy a used sl30 and have it installed for the same amount. As an added bonus it (sl30/255) will interface with the G5 sans gad29(b) cleaning the panel of another round gauge.

I think your total budget will cover the upgrade from the 530 to the 750. It will not include adsb or any type of active traffic. With your budget I’d try to spread the wealth a little bit to other areas of the panel. You can always add a 530w and sell it off later if the budget allows.

I talked to Richard, the previous owner back in early September about this plane. I’m curious what AOS paid for the plane.

Well I should get one on order ASAP and schedule my check rides next week! I can’t believe all the money I’m going to save on training.

Still surprised out of 440 student Don has not instructed in a IFD panel yet... I expected a number of units in the wild.

That display unit with no probes normally brings 300-350 ish. People do buy them for replacement or to build a system from scratch. But I agree with you the cost of building a system by sourcing the parts individually will be a lot more expensive in the end.

+1 yes for both the g5 and the aspen

Lots of experience, extensive trial flights, a well defined mission, and previous aircraft sales experience. Not much I can add to help you search for the perfect aircraft. 2000-2004 ovations and bravos have engine gauges that fail frequently and are not fixable/replaceable. This means a new panel is required when replacing them. They also have the BK 225 AP which is one of the best AP’s out there. The control it has over the aircraft is amazing. However, it doesn’t play well with the newer glass panels in two ways. First it cannot take advantage of the integrated attitude pre select via the gad43e. Second it has a unique requirement (along with the 140) that forces extra button pushes during certain approaches. The 2000-2004 ovations had a thin two blade prop that is very efficient but terrible getting off the ground and early climb. This can be rectified with the new thin blad top prop option. I can remember the year but at some point in the 90’s the bravo upgraded the interior which is really nice. The amazining thing about the long bodies is you can find O2 and FIKI ($75k option!) for pennies on the dollar (around 5-15k higher). I would avoid the FIKI / AC combo as it gives up too much speed and UL. Good luck searching!

For all those waiting for the max upgrade it looks like late first quarter now. Also sounds like Aspen is planning on mostly a fast turnaround upgrade (one week) to the units not a preshipped exchange. If they do implement the exchange there might be an additional charge on top of the upgrade price.

The fuel pressure actually follows the FF pretty close. Leaned out at 20 lop the 12 to 13 gph corresponds to 11 to 12 psi at the web. Not really that useful IMO. You could compare and might be able to spot a leak or clog but with the extra hose heat soaked above the engine it might just be another point of failure.

My theory is the parking brake cable is frozen up. When you released the parking brake before takeoff you pushed hard enough to just barely open the valve to release the pressure. The frozen (rusted) cable rebounded after you released the knob. It then held the valve closed so when you depressed the brakes hard enough (sometime during the flight) it set the brake again. Disconnect the cable and force some triflow in it as you move it in and out. You also might want the mechanics to change out the pin that holds the arm to the plunger. It should be a stainless steel rivet not a cotter key.

I’m curious how many would bondo and paint vs re skin the damaged sections? An eagle for sale recently had a damaged wing like this (not as bad). For some reason they didn’t fix it. I assume the buyer would not be able to claim this on their insurance and I would think the repairs would be very expensive.

You might want to add a Garmin 660 to the panel. It makes a great traffic screen and weather display. Nice job on the panel.

Many pilots do not recommend pulling the prop right after the plane is cleaned up. Thought is that most engine failures occur when making large power changes. Higher FF is needed if you want to climb at 300hp vs 200 on warmer days. I’d leave it alone if you’re just using it to get off the ground. OAT are cold right now which is why the engine temps are staying so low and different vs the 2 blade on warmer days.

Same situation, Garmin is working to remove the FIKI limitation around the same time the AP is certified. I’d buy a used 256 with a 30 day warranty, might buy you another 1k hrs for $500-1000.

I have one coming out of a 225 system but we’re postponing the install until the gfc500 is certified. I’d just look for a 0 degree tilt unit that someone recently removed. Most large shops have a few on the shelf. Spending 3k to overhaul a 256 these days might not be worth it.

Beautiful looking panel. I should be smacked in the head for this but with the g5 already installed (I’d try to get that flush mounted) I’m going to recommend waiting for the ki300 to replace the 256. That along with the 540 is all I would do.

Not that I’m ready to spend time behind the desk but is it mandatory to buy a certified unit or can one be built to the same specs?

Do you have a picture of your panel? I’m a visual person and I like the panel to have a good flow.

It’s kind of misleading on the aspen site but I think the upgrade prices are 3k, 2k, 1k depending on the number of screens. To get the 2k single unit price you have to buy a new pfd before the max is certified.