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As an Air Traffic Controller (I work at an approach control) I would tell you that the approach controller should have obtained a class d "clearance" from the tower for you. They can get out of this by terminating radar service prior to you hitting the delta. How far out side the delta and if you have time to call the tower is another matter. If in doubt about any clearance IFR or VFR ask. "Approach am I cleared into/through the delta airspace?" that will clear it up. The guys at IWA are contractors that work for SERCO not FAA. I had a friend who worked there and said those guys were hard on pilots. When I go to the PHX area I land falcon (FFZ) never have had a bad attitude there. When in a conflict with controllers keep it professional, if you did wrong own up to it and 9 times out of 10 it will be dropped. Hope this helps, James

I would live to have the SWTA cowl mod. With the engine prop overhaul it just is not in the cards.

Thanks for all of the info and pix! It looks like the ARI is the way to go.

Was the lasar mod fiberglass as well? How bad is the cracking, I sure hope it did not ruin your paint in that area. Absolutely beautiful paint job you did, where did you have it done?

Thanks for the info. I figure speed increase will be a wash but the cooling is a plus. It looks good too.

It is new engine time and while I am in there I want to do a cowl closure mod. I have considered the LASAR and ARI cowl closures. Does anyone have experience with either of these mods. Ease of installation? Ongoing maintenance/Problems? Are there other closure mods out there that merit consideration? The airplane is a 1965 M20E. Any suggestions or comments are greatly appreciated. James 65 Super 21

Sorry for the late reply, The cost was in the 10,000 neighborhood.

The new panel is in and has been flown for a few months now. I love it! A few findings: 1. The visual aesthetics of the thing are beautiful to me. I just makes the flight deck feel more modern. 2. Acclimation to glass panel flying took about 5 hours. The airspeed tape was the hardest thing to get used to. 3. IFR flight. The scan is so much easier now (keep in mind I came from the "shotgun panel" from 1965) The level of precision available seems so much greater to me. I can easily fly 3 degrees nose up and tell if my pitch varies by +-.5, with the old vac gyro it would have been much more difficult to see that kind of deviation. I don’t have a Garmin 430 yet, but its coming soon. Has anyone installed the EFD-1000 pro, a GNS430 and a Brittain autopilot? if so, how does the included GNSS perform? Jeff at High Desert Avionics (KWJF Lancaster CA) provided the expertise. If you are in the area and need anything concerning avionics done he is the man to see! For pictures of the whole process see my gallery. James

1. 1965 M20E 2. 1918 hrs Original jugs, compression all in the mid 70s with +/- 3 spread. I fully intend to go past 2000 hrs.