ZamF16

Yes, that is the next step when my budget allows. The autopilot upgrade was pretty pricey given the amount of labor involved.

I had a similar issue on my GNS-530. Sent it to Garmin and paid the flat fix fee of $900. It came back and started acting up again a couple months later. Took it to an avionics shop who found a loose connection on the back of the avionics tray. They charged me $50 to troubleshoot and fix the problem. It has worked great since. Frustrated that I assumed there was a problem in the GNS. Not saying that is your problem, but might be worth investigating.

Flew my Bravo into Fort Worth Alliance airport today. Winds were 160 at 24 gust to 34 knots. Luckily, that is straight down the runway. On final the airspeed kept oscillating +/-5 knots of my target airspeed. I decided to let the Garmin GFC500 autopilot fly the approach. I wanted to see how it would handle the winds. What an amazing piece of technology. It never deviated even the tiniest bit from course or glidepath. In fact, I started to get concerned the G3X wasn’t working right because I never saw any movement of the course or glidepath. It took me all the way to a 200’ decision height without the slightest deviation. I am such a huge advocate for the Garmin G3X and GFC500 suite of avionics. Amazing awareness and precision.

Thanks, Lancecasper. I finally got through the pages of discussion. Unfortunately, I didn’t see many answers, just lots of mostly unresolved issues, However, I did discover a lot of people with similar symptoms. I will continue to work with Garmin on a solution.

rbp, this is exactly the issue I am having with my M20M (G3X and GFC500). My oscillations increase over time to sometimes as much as +/-300 fpm. Did you ever get it resolved, or does the saga continue? Zam

Update: I have been flying the new setup for a few months now. I love the G3X and the GFC500 overall. However, I am having an issue when using the GFC500 coupled to the G3X and the associated AHRS. I am get pitch oscillations in altitude hold and on Vertical Speed and IAS hold. It is about 1 degree up and down which in level flight creates up to a +/- 300 fpm oscillation, like being in a boat on the ocean. It goes away in attitude hold. It also goes away, if I couple the GFC500 to the G5 and it’s associated AHRS. Garmin has analyzed the flight data several times and has proposed we swap the G3X AHRS (already tried this once). I am waiting for them to send the new unit, then we will see if there is any difference. I did notice several posts about pitch oscillations in short body Mooneys with the GFC500, so it seems to be more common that I thought. Does anyone have insight into others that have had the GFC500 pitch oscillations and how they resolved it?

I didn't have much previous time with these new panels. However, I flew to Denver and back to San Antonio last week for Thanksgiving, so I got almost 8 hours with the new system (yes, head winds both ways). It is amazing how much information is packed into the G3X with its integration with the navigators, GFC500, and GTX345. I found I never referenced the GNS530W anymore accept to make updates to the flight plan and procedures. All my info was on the G3X in much higher resolution. I was told this would likely be the case, which is why I had the GFC500 control head mounted above the GNS 530/430 for easier access. I spent 90 % of my time on the G3X and the GFC500 control head. Loving every aspect of the new system. I wish I hadn't waited so long to upgrade.

Yes, smart glide and VNAV would be nice to have. It would also integrate my comm 1/2 into the G3X which I currently cannot do with my GNS. I was looking at the GTN750Xi when my budget allows. The debate is do I continue to go with two navigators (I love redundancy) or go with 1 and just a panel radio for comm 2. The latter seems to be a common configuration I am seeing. At least my current config allows flight plan info to back feed from my iPad (Garmin Pilot) to the G3X and then into the GNS. So while not my dream setup, it still has most of the functions I need/desire.

This is a gently used Clarity SV ADS-B Receiver with solar shield. It has an internal WAAS GPS Receiver and 978 and 1090 MHz Receivers so you receive FIS Weather and TIS Traffic. The Clarity SV is the only receiver with a internal phased array antenna so it will receive signals from more ADS-B Towers than all of the competitors. It also has Gyros so you can display Synthetic Vision AHRS on iPad apps like WingX and Seattle Avionics FlyQ. It will also display position, traffic and weather. However, it is not compatible with Foreflight or Garmin Pilot apps. It has a built-in rechargeable battery (chargeable with standard USB cable) and WiFi. Includes a non-slip pad to hold the receiver securely in place on the glareshield, a USB cable, and the solar shield, $400 and it's yours. More details here: https://www.seattleavionics.com/CLARITYSV-ADSB.aspx

Yes, the 430 screen crazed over the summer. However, it is surprising still fairly easy to read. Since it is a non-WAAS unit, Garmin won't even service it anymore. The next upgrade will be to a GTN, but that was more than my budget would allow right now.

Yes, I still have the vacuum driven speed brakes. So I still have my vacuum system just to drive those. We were concerned that without the demand of the instruments, the vacuum pressure might be too high, but there are no issues so far. At some point I would love to move to the electric speed brakes, but unfortunately you cannot drop them into the same hole as the vacuum speed brakes.

I just recently switched EFBs on my iPad from FlyQ to Garmin Pilot. When you set up Garmin Pilot with your aircraft specifics it auto loads the associated checklists that you can check off as you execute them. They are also editable if there is something you want to add/change. I have just started using it this week, but it seems pretty useful. I still have my laminated version on my kneeboard, for now...

Oh, and my Bravo is now 50 pounds lighter with a slightly more forward CG. It was amazing how much weight was tied up in the wiring for the analog instruments and autopilot.

I finally took the plunge and upgraded my panel. It all started with a failing KFC-150 and the desire to upgrade to a GFC 500. This of course drove replacing the attitude indicator and HSI. And for a "little more," I could go to a G3X 10" panel. So...I went with a nearly naked panel with the G3X touch, a G5 backup, GFC 500, but kept my GNS 530W and 430 navigators. Attached are my before and after pixs. I am now flying as much as I can to build new IFR habits around the new avionics.

Update: N330AJ is still not back in the air. We got all the left gear parts and the bungee assembly installed and spent a good part of two days getting the landing gear rigging correct. We discovered that the original gear rigging while sufficient was not in line with the service manual. In addition, we now have one side that is all new parts and the other that has 33 years of wear on it. We had to strike a balance to get both the old side and new to retract the same distance while at the same time have the right down lock tension when gear down. So, while time consuming, we are probably in better shape now than the original rigging. However, then it came time to install the new inner gear door. When installed the gear door would not close completely. It would bind against the airframe with about 3 inches to go. We discovered that Mooney installed the hinge backwards putting the gear door too close to the airframe. The hinge rolled towards the door, not away like the old door. We sent it back to Mooney to have them reinstall the hinge the correct way. After 3 months, we got it back. When we installed the door, it was better, but we were still getting binding when closing with about an inch to go. We discovered that Mooney had installed the hinge in the middle of the end of the gear door. The original door had the rivets off center on the hinge about 1/8", which moved the gear door away from the airframe. So...last week I sent the gear door back one more time to have the hinge mounted correctly. Per Mooney's request, I have also included the old gear door as a reference. I am hopeful it won't take 3 months for this correction, and we will be airborne by Thanksgiving. I suspect that the way they manufactured the door is how they do it on current models. It however doesn't work on my 1989 TLS-B. I have attached some pictures to help illustrate the issue. Hopefully, no one else has to deal with this type of failure, but it may provide some insight on considerations when dealing with the factory. Zam Gear Door Hinge Issue Updated.pdf