Bob_Belville

Having made a few hairy cross wind landings over the years I would testify that our Mooney gear is very robust. If you keep the nose up. But please don't blame me if you bend something.

Section 6.7 of my Garmin 725/750 Pilot's Guide deals with flying an Approach with a Hold. It in fact references that: "The Flight Plan Page displays a timer or distance, as appropriate, during the holding pattern. Use this timer or distance to fly the outbound portion of the holding pattern. (The holding pattern is displayed on the Map Page and indicated as the active leg on the Active Flight Plan pages."

I think that's what ashtrays are for.

There are CFIIs here much more qualified to comment but the GTN/GPSS/Autopilot will fly the published procedure, including the hold. I have not had occasion to have ATC spec a hold that is not in the data base. But I have a suspicion that if ATC does give you a "hold @ a fix with a heading and leg instructions that the GTN has a way to enter it. When flying GPSS the A/P is in HDG mode and the heading command comes from the GPS through the GPSS capable device, in our case the Aspen.

Our lowly Appalachians can have more effect than that. I've been in a downdraft wave with the mountains barely in sight.

And there are several options with most of this equipment, be sure you know which version you're getting and what a little more might get you. (Since he knows you're getting other quotes he does not dare quote anything except the lowest priced version of each element.)

Many years ago on a winter trip from PA to BNA on the lee side of the Blue Ridge @ 8500' I could see Johnson City TN for 50 minutes. I didn't have the sense to turn 90 deg, cross the ridge, get in the updraft and gain about 75k.

Abe, if you're considering a KY shop you might want to call the shop I work with in Mocksville NC: They might not be the cheapest but I can vouch for their knowledge and meticulousness. http://www.greeraerospace.com/

I doubt it.

It is pure joy to watch George fly a hold on the GTN750 which superimposes the approach plate over the topography.

I added O2 a year or 2 ago. I use it a lot even though I seldom have good reason to go over 10,000. I'm sure it reduces fatigue. My A&P fills my tank gratis. I keep him in tomatoes.

I have over 2500 hours flying Mooneys with Johnson Bars and pump flaps. Raising the gear is automatic but I have to double check that I've raised the flaps and turned off the fuel pump. On an IFR departure it can get pretty busy for a few minutes in our "complex" little birds. I called Boston Approach yesterday to pick up my clearance right after take off from 6B6 which has no reception on the ground. I had filed dir to KLNS. What I got was "943RW, squawk 1234 fly heading 180, climb & maintain to 6000, when able go dir GLYDE V292 SASHA T295 LAAYK V93 LRP dir." I was climbing thru 1000 and about to go IMC. I was alone except for "STEC-George" and the Aspen/GTN GPSS fairies. Busy.

B26, the full panel feature of the 750 doesn't come into play often. If ATC gives me a clearance with a 5 letter waypoint it will be the exit of an airway. So after I select the airway I am asked to pick the exit point by scrolling thru the waypoints along the airway and clicking on the right one. Even If my scribble is misspelled I can recognize the right fix. And I don't type in an airway, in the flight plan page I select the entry fix and select the airway from the list of all airways that go thru that fix. Did I mention I really love the 750 as I discover more cool, intuitive features?

You see all that? Or you can imagine it!

Abe, before you make a puchase you should try to get a flight with a plane with Aspen and 650/750 GTN. I was given this clearance today while just off the ground from 6B6 and about to go IMC: GLYDE V292 SASHA T295 LAAYK V93 LRP dir destination (KLNS). With the GTN750 it was a piece of cake. (Those 3 airway segments probably had at least 15 waypoints.) Once I was at cruise and in the soup ATC kept making changes allowing me to cut corners. The changes were in the form of direct to a waypoint further along the flight plan. Again, no big deal, hit the dir button, select fltplan, find the fix and hit it and confirm. You're done, nothing to delete or enter. And GPSS is flying the plane along the flight plan course while you're editing. I do not own an IPad or othe tablet. I don't carry charts anymore. I have a scrap of paper to copy clearances. The rest is in the certified boxes and a GPS 696 which mostly play XM Radio Jazz these days. The 750 is big enough to do a good job displaying traffic and weather as well. I can click on an airport on the map and get info including latest ATIS.

The Aspen will be all the NAV Head you will need for the 650. I has 3 needles, one works like a HSI, the other 2 like an ADF dial, always pointing to the station. When you shoot a loc(ils) approach you can switch from GPS to VOR/LOC as needed.

Rats.

I have "eyebrow" lights instead of the original old post lights. Of course many of the newer instruments are internally lit.

Thanks for the lead. I just order a case of Phillips 20W50 XC from oil-store. It was a good price. (Petro.Ser.Co thru Amazon also has good prices.)

Mark, another factor besides aileron and rudder trim, gear retraction asymmetry, and flap retraction asymmetry: be sure the servo that retracts the step is okay. I flew my '66 for several months looking for trim problems only to discover by accident that the step was not retracting. Not only did the plane straighten up and fly right it gained about 7 knots when I replaced the torn servo! Stop this video @ :34 seconds! www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuG8dtRBPgQ When the engine is running the step should be up!

$0.20/ft. @ "Burke Outdoor". www.burkeoutdoor.com/

Took it up for a short flight yesterday. The FP was still very steady. Hopeful... If it is fixed, the most likely solution among all the things I did was simply cleaning the electrical plug connections. I need to take Nancy back to 6B6 tomorrow so I'll get to watch it for 10 hours over the next few days. (While the EDM was out I replaced the wire that controls the overhead vent. Spent $1.32 for .058" inner wire. The EDM stuff cost me the one way UPS/insurance to ship it to JPI )CA). Total out of pocket <$50. I guess I qualify as a member cheap ba*rd club.)

Lee, do you ever drop by A. Spruce @ KFFC when you're in the area? Good way to get case lots of oil I would think.

I've had STEC A/Ps for a long time but I remember the Mooney full time wing leveler fondly. If you don't have a A/P I think you'll miss that pneumatic disengage button.

A previous owner added a STEC electric trim to my '66E back in 1997. I suppose the PTT was added at the same time. Not particularly attractive but very functional. Note there's also an A/P disengage above the clock. I added a PTT to the co-pilot yoke when I redid my panel a couple of years ago. Again just functional, not elegant.