Marc_B

I'll be the contrarian and say that if you're a low time pilot that AVEMCO may be your best bet. When I was purchasing my M20K, AVEMCO was half ($4700/yr...yes, the policies I was quoted from everyone else were 10-11AMU/yr). I would love to work with Parker due to the recommendations here, but I haven't quite hit the magic spot where rates "normalize." @Parker_Woodruff where is the break point (hrs/ratings/etc.) where AVEMCO isn't a significant amount cheaper? Of course I do understand the differences in policies and provisions. I was actually surprised the last time I reached out now that I have 300+ hrs, IR and close to 200 hrs in type...of course this could be just the current climate and market??

Price drop.

When I adjust Baro on the G500TXi it will sync to the G5. But when I adjust barometer setting on G5 it reverse highlights in yellow that it’s different but doesn’t send back to G500TXi. Is there just a lag or are you suggesting this should be instantaneous?

Work done: G500 legacy to TXi upgrade GTN 750/650 Xi upgrade; existing FS510 connection GFC500 with YD + G5 / removal of ESI500 & KFC150/S-TEC YD IAI annunciator 2 row to 1 row annunciator GDL 69A SXM + antenna install Complete panel cut, powder coat and etching Garmin Aera 760 upgrade with bare wire Whelen 9080525D LED Beacon install Started having a few kinks with my KFC150 so decided to upgrade to GFC500. Figured that if I was going to upgrade this, then I might as well upgrade some of the other equipment while the price and availability of equipment contributed to an easy pathway for upgrade with trade in of legacy equipment. Worked with AATG up in Greeley. Fortunately they're on my home field, and Steve & George have been a great help in the past. Took a little longer than expected, but on budget and they did an awesome job! Gray panel color was a little darker than I expected but actually makes the placards easier to see and turned out even better than previous I think. All work was done in house with AATG including panel. A couple wrinkles lead to project going over estimated time, but I think we came up with good solutions. Mooney Encores don't have standard rudder trim that "plays nice" with the GFC500, so the S-tec had to either replace the Garmin YD or be removed; we removed in order to take advantage of fully integrated YD. The upper avionics panel in the Encore has a larger tube that cuts down the total radio stack height enough that a 2 row annunciator was too big (for GMC507, GTN750, GTN 650), but IAI made a single row to fit; still working out the kinks on this one. Initial thoughts of the GFC500 and updates is that the update is much more intuitive and faster to use. Having Baro sync and GFC automatically adjusting altitude is awesome. I’ve found that tapping baro on G500TXi and then using knob is the fastest way for me to update barometer enroute. G500TXi knobs in a much better place to access outside the horns. Previously had to reach through the horns to access the PFD buttons/knob on the legacy G500. Between touchscreen and the width of the unit it is better accessible around the yoke. GFC500 at the top of the stack was suggested by AATG and seems faster to access. I’ve also really enjoyed the remote radio feature with the G500TXi/GTNXi. It’s nice to be able to send freqs to both radios from same waypoint page. Interesting quirk is that freq being sent to active first takes the standby position then moves to active; so you have to choose active then standby; otherwise your standby is overwritten. AP: KFC150 would typically overshoot altitude target and I would have to use the up/down rocker to correct…now no need as the target IS the altitude. I haven’t had a chance to really experiment with the VNAV but imagine this will make STARs a breeze. I also find that when I’m in heading mode (90% of the time flying around DEN bravo they just give vectors with seemingly constant changes) it is WAY easier to adjust the heading from the GMC507 than it was using the legacy G500 knob that was right in the way of the yoke horns…so much more straight forward now. I'm still squaring away GPS to ILS auto-switching, but approaches come down on rails. I honestly wonder if you could have the GFC land for you by just controlling throttle it's just right on course! Smart glide is an interesting feature that I hope to never need, but is pretty cool to use. I initially thought that the green “v” vector path to the nearest airport on the flight path would be unnecessary, but I find that it really helps contribute to situational awareness and especially helps with pointing at airports behind you. Adds to the game "if I had to land now, where would I aim?". Overall a great integrated flight deck that works every bit as well as advertised. Previous steam to glass was done by the prior owner so it made this transition sting much less. If you are serious about some avionics work and want an estimate I'd recommend you reach out to AATG. PS. I'm cloning Don Kaye and have leaned on him for help! So I both blame him for this and thank him for this!! ha ha. Looking forward to flying with @donkaye again to get some more tricks of the trade for all the new goodies!

@OSUAV8TER I’m sure has the confirmed answer. But I think these can be used for 14v as well as 28v and will just have a different current draw between the two. Is that correct James? I’ve got a pair on order from him and have a 28v system so I hope so!

price dropped on the ESI.

Those recommendations are Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA). So the answer is if you need to comply with ICA instructions in your country. In the US for part 91 flight the answer would be not mandatory but recommended. But for commercial flight it would be mandatory.

@DXB when i read this my first thought was "Jose's pee tube" pumpkin puree...if you have enough puree you could start your run early and streak it right across the target! ha ha.

@N81FM I'd recommend you contact Precise Flight directly. They were super responsive and helpful when I had questions and needed AFMS material for my Mooney. https://preciseflight.com/contact/ They also have documents available for download when you go to Support > documents.

@MikeOH there is a button on the bottom of the can that punctures a membrane inside the can when you push it in. Then you can shake to mix the components.

I think my beacon is brighter than my strobe! You can easily see the red beacon on the wing. Pretty flight down to Texas this evening doing some high speed cloud surfing.

@DCarlton That's a 2 part paint that I think works well with proper prep. Only downside is that it's pricey for a can and it's only good for 24 hours once activated. For small areas spray into a bag and use a paint brush to fill the areas. Marc.

Painted and looks much better.

So a coat of matte clear paint with UV protection and a fresh set of screws. Instead of the painted steel screws I used black brass (MS35214-12). Even though the IPC showed two different screws, all 22 screws were the same (4-40 x 1/4").

How many of us have this lens? is it only an Encore thing, or do other models have a lens like this? Most bravos I've seen have a different rudder trim indication and most earlier Mooney's don't have rudder trim I've found. I've reached out to the shops above and to my local plastic store and will post what I find. If you'd be interested in a lens send me a msg and I'll see about adding a few.

Ha ha...so they all looked the same, but I suspect there may be some difference. Interesting part is that the IPC lists 2 different screws but wrong #'s listed for the quantity. So the -213 is 4-40 x 1/4" length; the -226 is 6-32 x 1/4" length. Both are carbon steel. But looking for similar screws that are black brass I think...funny thing is the the existing screws are definitely magnetic as I had to use a magnet rod to find one that I dropped.

Probably would be the easiest option.

Finally took @LANCECASPER advice: So it’s a thin piece of plastic that has a non-glare covering on it that’s peeling up likely due to the heat coming from the cabin heat vent just below it over the past few decades. The outer layer just peeled up easily and looks better gone. I need to find a suitable protection film that’s matte/non-glare to better protect it. But it has to be thin as the plastic is warped and not exactly flat. So something that would contour to the plastic and not leave bubbles…not sure what the best option is for that. Mooney doesn’t have a vendor for this at present. Aircraft Engravers said they couldn’t do it. And I’ve not been able to find a replacement at any other MSC. But for now it looks WAY better sans bubbles. after before

That was my thought as well. and I think they're plastic or some type of composite at that.

Looks like the pic above mounted the beacon further forward than mine was; it is closer to the vent and was in a location that it doesn't look like he couldn't use the mounting plate. Still, looking at the old beacon it only had 2 screws to secure from the inside into the housing outside that came with a gasket to seal around the base. In hindsight I should have taken a better look at the old beacon compared to the new one and been more explicit with the shop of how I wanted them to mount. Holes already drilled now, so might as well use the mounting bracket. I took my access panel down to the paint shop Friday and they mixed me up two part paint in a spray can that I can activate and spray. Just need to take off the beacon to paint as it will be MUCH easier to paint off the aircraft. Although we still need to touch up the rivets from the autopilot install/previous removal that are visible in the pic. So I'd have to touch up paint one way or another.

I always thought it kept the wheels cleaner with less dirt and debris to get kicked up into the hub. After checking the tire pressure routinely to establish trend, I typically go 4-6 weeks between checks, so the screws don't bother me too much. I would have gone with the Hubba Hubba caps to make it easier if they weren't so much more expensive compared to basic hub caps available (or at least also came with cap for nose wheel included for the same price).

ESI 500 still available. Other items sold.

I don't think the Whelen installation sheet was very informative of ways to install the beacon and my shop installed with the mounting brackets. 1) I'd recommend the mounting bracket be painted while off the aircraft. 2) From the picture above it looks like you could potentially flush mount without the bracket. The old beacon had a gasket and only 2 mounting screws. So I need to clean this up, but the LED is WAY brighter than the previous bulb. (my belly is way dirtier than I thought judging from the pic!) Marc.

@MarcJohnson sounds like something you might be game for?! @PilotX we still need a CFII back here...hope you aren't getting too cozy with the nice Florida sun and surf!