Dennis Pendergast

Nice attention to detail.

Nice looking panel work! Who did you have do it? I may want to work with them too. Here are a few tips we have learned in our work on Mooneys in our avionics shop, perhaps you will find them useful: To my knowledge, there are no "standard" brackets available for the new panel. Most Mooneys we work on have the panel spaced out from the sub-structure using aluminum spacers to accommodate a #10 machine screw. The spacers are about 1/2" to 3/4" tall and guide the screw into a rivnut installed into the lower steel tube as well as the upper structure. These rivnuts are often stripped out and need replacement. Using a normal nut will make installation nearly impossible. We usually try to use the original provisions and mount the panel with hardware similar to what it originally had. Not all screws are equal. Remember that stainless hardware does not have the strength of most cad plated steel hardware. Use structural screws. Some inspectors will demand this and it is easily verified. Opinions vary widely on this, but instrument panel are sometimes considered to be "structural members." Make sure you maintain the original angle (fore and aft) of the panel. The spacer size will effect this. On the left and right side of the center stack, I notice that the vertical supports have been removed. I normally consider these to be structural members. Now, the panel which you are installing, if it is about .090" 2024T3 aluminum, will bring plenty of strength with it, but you might want to verify this. Much will depend upon the opinion of your local FSDO. Most reputable panel shops can also be very helpful with this and may have the paperwork to back it up. Some manufacturers actually require that the vibration isolators be removed since any movement of the panel can effect the accuracy of your digital instruments. Verify with the mfg's authorized documentation. I'm sure you've already done this, but remember to consider the structural steel tubes behind the center stack. I recently had to completely re-think a panel layout because of a mere 1/2" of interference the tubes brought to one of my deeper radios in the stack. Mooneys are famous for this as they have much less space behind the panel to fit everything where you want it. Hope this helps

Thanks for the info.

As correctly mentioned above, ammeters in small GA aircraft can come wired from the factory as showing the amount of current flow going into or out of the ship's battery or the current flow coming out of the alternator. If an analog ammeter is wired to the battery this is sometimes indicated by an ammeter with a zero in the middle and a plus sign to the right/ minus sign to the left. When we install Electronics International ammeter shunts in our shop, we ask the customer which way they would like the ammeter to be wired, as the STC permits you to choose. I am not familiar with the G3X system, but perhaps it is similar. On a well equipped J model, with everything turned on (all lights, radios, transponder, pitot heat... ) you should be showing quite a bit more current flow than 7 amps, regardless of the state of charge of the ship's battery. Provided the battery is well charged, a simple test would be to leave the engine off and turn on all electrical equipment that can be safely operated on the ground and read the current flow indicated on the ammeter.

Hi All I am new to the forum. My name is Dennis Pendergast and I own and fly a 1966 Cessna 150F. I will soon be looking to buy an M20C project in need of much attention. I noticed you all do meet ups in Florida. I am based at Sanford (KSFB), where I run my avionics shop. Would a future Mooney guy be able to join up with the rest of you on your next $100 hamburger run?

Hi All I am Dennis Pendergast and the owner of Sky Avionics in Sanford, FL. Our strengths are with Aspen, Avidyne, PS Engineering, Electronics International and Genesys (S-Tec). I'm sure that we will learn as much as we might contribute here!