PierreZee

I fully agree, but my copilot has a wide ass. (Luckily for me, although I didn't know it at the time I bought the airplane a few months ago, the airplane was modified somewhere in its past, to an electric gear. Actuating the manual gear would have been a problem with the current state of my copilot hips)

Is there an STC out there to add an electric trim on an F model? Thanks for your comments Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

How about acquiring a retractable step for a F, leaving it down all the time and making a teardrop fairing over the square tube? Would that be considered a minor modification that a mechanic could sign for?

Is the portion of the tube that goes inside the fuselage the same square dimension as the retractable square tube? In other words is it just a matter of installing it in the square bearing blocks? (which are still there on the aft bulkhead of my F, by the way)

Can one install a fixed step of later models on a F? My airplane had its vacuum system removed and the step removed as well. I would like to get a step reinstalled (short legged girlfriend). Another option is an electric auto-step from Flight Enhancement. Does anybody use this system and are they happy about it? Thanks in advance for your insights. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thank you all for your inputs, it is really appreciated. I would really like to retain the Aspen so I've narrowed it down to 2 candidates: the Aerocruze 100 and the S-Tec 55X. The S-Tec is compatible with the Aspen and on their website they have an STC listed for the M20F. Their form factor is really not compatible with my panel unless I do major rearrangements. The Aerocruze, along with a rectangular format, also has round form factors (2 1/4", 3 1/8") which would fit nicely in my panel. When I look up their approved aircraft list, they list many Mooney models in alphabetical order up to the M20E and then they jump to the M20G. Strange since the E and the F are very similar with the F being the long body. How strict are these approval lists, can you install one an "E" kit on an "F"? Did I miss any options? Any comments or feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

Hello, new Mooney owner here. I have a M20F with an Aspen E5 and a Garmin GNS430. The vacuum system was removed some time ago (and so was the PC system). The pitch trim system is still manual. I'd really like to install an autopilot. I don't necessarily need something to shoot IFR approaches (I'm an VFR pilot). Even a simple wing leveller would be great on long cross-country flight. Does anyone have any suggestions/advice on what I should look for or install? Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.