HRM

One other thing...nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.

Having made a living and a career out of 'engineering engineers,' don't believe everything they tell you because often they have an attorney standing behind them with a stick in hand. Trust but verify is something of an engineering mantra... Engineering is a team activity, this is why our accrediting agency (ABET) puts so much emphasis on it in engineering education. You don't need to be an engineer to have a valid engineering opinion. At the end of the day, physics and math will have the final say on the matter and they are Mom Nature's kids and obey her.

Yes, I resemble that remark, sorta (...a continent of guys out there that think a vintage plane should stay original). I went the 'resto-mod' route and did it the way I would have wanted Mooney to do it back in the day. I thought you had to stay to the original part and it's components; i.e., the light projectors, rheostats, weird air vents, etc. Frankly, I just liked "updating" mine with paint and crack repair. If you plan to go whole hog, then go for the eyeball vents and LED lamps. Also, lose the speaker. Frankly, if you do all that you may get into 'issues' later. When I saw this post I just assumed (yeah, I know) you were just wanting to carbon fiber the existing panel. As for the Cougar--you dog! I had one back in HS...those were the days.

I was thinking of something along these lines...

Why not contact Plane Plastics? They have what I believe is the original mold for the roof panel(s). Might be able to make a deal. Worst case scenario is that they say no.

I have long thought of putting some 'nose art' on my E. Although I won't be going this far... ...I was sort of thinking some script to put her name on there. Anyway, any comments? Have any of you guys done this? Are there regs? I thought about just getting a sign painter or auto custom guy to come out to the hangar. I think vinyl letters would just peel off in the prop wash.

I have a lot of leather left over from my seats, but making a purse for the nemesis of The Mistress would still not be enough to get her into the plane.

The STC covers the Spatial Interior panel retrofit--this is hands down the best thing you can do with your vintage Mooney. Bruce buys the plastic from a company that supplies the companies who do the interiors of the airliners. The roof panels are just sheets of plastic that are spray painted and cut to fit. This any owner can do. Bruce has done the checking already for burn rate, etc.

Contact Bruce Jaeger, he came up with plastic panels and paint for his Spatial Interior system and I believe he sells individual parts.

Yes, but the yoke appears to be sintered metal so proceed cautiously. Like I said, mine already had a hole. I was/am of the same mind. When I got my E the yoke clock didn't work. One day I discovered that the hangar elves had soaked it in clock oil (fine mineral) overnight. It has worked beautifully ever since. Few know that Wakmann used a Breitling mechanism for this clock! If truth be told, I just use it for quick reference and to time my fuel switchover with the handy red timing hands.

That system illustrates the whole compliance issue universe. The list price is $1,525, but the thing is sort of Rube Goldberg (like the Stratux) and is only for Experimental. A Navworx or Freeflight unit is not much more money for "built-in" and TSO, but the building in part will set you back a few AMUs.

There was a hole drilled behind the clock in my yoke--don't ask me how it got there. No, it was not my hangar elves. My elves did fashion a neat S-shaped aluminum tube that they pushed into a piece of threaded lamp pipe that they affixed to the hole with nuts and washers. They covered the metal tube with heat-shrink tubing and then press-fit a PTT button from a J into the end. Works great and I kept my PC button! IA just shook his head and made a few 'tsk' sounds.

One of the techs at FreeFlight Systems sent me an Installation Manual for the RANGR 978 systems. Not quite rocket science, but a very impressive system. Frankly, I like the idea of having a hardware display with the unit (behind the panel). All of these systems are riddled with options: panel control yes/no, WAAS GPS yes/no, antennas, Wi-Fi, etc., etc., etc. It is somewhat dizzying, I just want bottom-dollar compliance.

Mike, don't even get me started on Garmin. Be advised, I was recently elected treasurer of the CBC†. †Cheap Basterds Club

I just called Pacific Coast Avionics and they told me that I could buy the $1,995 RANGR Lite ADS-B out package mail order and my A&P could install it. Has anyone here done that?

Well put. I was a bit outraged when L3 finally came out with their much ballyhooed Lynx system. affordable my a**.

It all goes to mission, like anything else. Missions are planned and they have budgets (yes, they do). My mission is just be-bopping around the country and having the ability to enter any airspace that compliance will let me into. I need minimal compliance; i.e., cheap. I am looking at the Stratus ESG from Appareo with a Stratus receiver, ForeFlight and an iPad.

Jeez...spoken like it was common and not Super.

Oh, and the music was super as well!

Good grief! Did you fake that landing? That was the most super video I have seen in some time. Thank goodness for ClipGrab, that's a keeper. Thank you.

Does not look like an E to me.

This is why Superman could only wear clothes made from Kryptonian fabric, Bob.

I have an MVP-50 and have found the fuel indicators to be "acceptable" and the fuel totalizing to be "exceptional". What really works for me, however, and is far safer and more accurate than any gauges or senders that I could put in my E, is my BEA. The BEA never, ever causes an issue with insufficient fuel for any flight that I might take. Just a godsend in so many ways that I would not be without it.

Good grief, it looks almost pornographic. Just beautiful.

This is what I have always heard in this regard.