Marauder

The first time I experienced this was in a 10 degree day in Buffalo. The donuts get just too cold to expand and hit the squat switch. I installed the gear override switch Cris mentioned. On really cold days OR if I haven't flow in a while, the donuts will compress and not rebound to hit the switch. I assuming that your Screaming Mooney is the same as my old plane...

You and me both! Just don't tell my wife!

would be like landing on sandpaper, only large scale.

You could also have a dead CDI for GS.

Does anyone run the Aeroshel 15W50 anymore? Always have good success with it in very cold climates and still viscous enough for the warmer temps.

I own an F model and getting the oil temp off the peg can be a real challenge (especially being based up north). I do wait until the needle is near the green arc but it does mean a considerable wait sometimes. Even if I pre-heat everything...

I agree. When you enlarge the video you don't see a tow rope connecting the plane to the banner, although you do see the ropes tied to the banner itself. Not to mention 1964-M20E's comment about how close it is... you would never be able to pick that banner up

You think Eddie would like my KX170B for parts? Trying to find a good home for it. The mechnicals are the problem. radio worked fine when removed. Free...

Thanks for posting this link. I'm one that falls into this category. I have the mildest of corrections but when lower light conditions exist (like when you are wearing sunglasses) I have a harder time reading without some sort of correction. I looked into the OPTX stick-on for my Serengetis but they are sold out everywhere and have been for months. I've had issues with polarized lenses and seeing the electronics in the airplane without distortion and switched over to the Serengetis. Love the contrast they provide on clouds.

I believe the 30 has an altitude hold only feature. Moving up to the higher versions I think gets you the GS coupling interface.

I would lean towards the E as well (provided the airframes are similar in condition). Autopilots are expensive to retrofit.

Thanks for the information. I've been happy with the original GEM, but I sure do like the numerical display of the temps. Not to mention the color display. Thanks again.

I'm only familiar with the MFD 1000, so you will need to check what the 500 can do if you go that route. The 1000 is essentially a PFD Pro. It has all of the same sensors built into it and is interfaced to take over all of the PFD functions. It is a full backup for the PFD and has logic built into it to determine if the PFD has failed. What I don't like is that in order to get full redundancy, you would need to have a completely separate pitot/static system (one fed to the PFD & one to the MFD) to have true redundancy. The shared pitot/static system is a single point of failure. But since I have been flying IFR for 20 years, it always has been a single point of failure in my plane. One area I asked specifically about was whether the MFD 1000 could display the output of the number 2 Nav while the PFD handled the output of Nav 1. The answer was yes and because of that, I am having the mechanical CDI removed for Nav 2. My logic was if I had a power failure the Nav 2 CDI would be dead anyways. And since the PFD/MFD are separate, if one failed, I still would have the other and it's battery backup. I know the PFD can handle one Nav source for the HSI and two other bearing inputs. Where things are a bit confusing is what happens if you have the PFD connected to Nav1 and then you select it on the MFD as the primary Nav signal, who's in charge? So, in theory at least, you should be able to have your Nav 2 setup in the MFD and monitor it while flying Nav 1. Since my avionics are still being installed, I won't have all the answers until I see it first hand in action. I am counting on the avionics shop providing me correct answers on how the final configuration will work. There is a lot in the manuals, and I am still going through them. I will keep you posted as I learn more. As for failures, the PFD and MFD have their own separate power supply. If the electrical system were to fail, the built in GPS in the Aspen provides basic mapping. It also says in the manual that the flight plan loaded in from the Nav unit will be retained. So, it sounds like the Aspen at least for the life of the backup battery can continue to navigate, at least in a basic function. What I don't know is if you experience an electrical failure, can you just shut down the MFD and "save" it's battery backup if you need to extend longer than the PFD backup can last. More questions to answer... Another thing to consider is the nav signals themselves. My primary Nav will be a GTN 650. This is a digital interface with the Aspens. My Narco 12D+ is analog through an ACU (so is my STEC 60-2) interface. So, if you lose the ACU, you lose the output for the Narco on the Aspen and GPSS steering on the AP (and probably the coupling for VLOC). Again, what I don't know is if the AP will function as it did in the past. Probably not because the Nav output goes only to the Aspen. It should still function for heading, vertical speed and altitude hold -- just not for the nav features. Again more questions... All I know is that it will take me some time to digest all of the permutations of what the new avionics will bring me -- as well as what limitations (new or old) that I still will need to understand fully.

The eye passed over my area about an hour ago. I just hope everyone outside tied down good. There were some pretty high gusts in my area.

Hi Russ, I think the 796 has almost all of the MFD features. The biggest difference is the integration with the rest of the stack. The MFD can take over all of the navigation and autopilot tasks from the PFD including both navs at the same time. It can also share the navigation responsibilities with the PFD. The rest of the features (synthetic vision, weather, charts) appear to be the same as in the 796. I too am a big fan of the Garmin portables. I started with the 55, then the moving map 95XL (what a step up from LORAN!), a 90, a 295 and finally a 496. The biggest issue I had with the Garmin portables is that they all fell into a "discontinued" status which forced me to buy the next version when I couldn't get a database update. I figured I have laid out close to 3/4 the cost of the MFD with the portables (the challenge of being addicted to new technology). I'm expecting the the panel mounted stuff will be supported for a much longer period of time and based on the fact the Aspen are capable of taking software updates, kept current with new features. I do wish though they were touch screens. I have been checking out the Connected Panel as well. It looks like it only will support the 430/530 at this point, but it should eventually support the GTN series (if Garmin will open up their hierarchy, there is a current issue with the cross fill on the 430/530 that they are trying to resolve). Being able to download your flight plan to the airplane is a big savings in time.

Thanks for the time detailing your upgrade. I will need to take a closer look at the G3. I currently have an EI fuel totalizer but nothing to back up by MP, RPM and voltage measures. I like the idea of being able to move it up to the left pilot hole. The GEM is on a sub panel and it would be great if I could move it up. Thanks again.

I almost did the same thing. Fortunately, I asked about the MFD and learned about it to make the decision to include it during the install. I almost went with the 500, but once realizing that the 1000 bought you full redundancy for the PFD, it was an easier decision (although not a cheaper one!). I was really surprised to learn what the MFD offered.

The challenge with providing an answer to the original question (The201Pilot) is that it depends on a bunch of factors. I think that is why a lot of these shops are stating "installations starting from". In my case, I needed to have the Aspen ACU installed and interfaced to my STEC 60-2 (required modifying a control box) and Narco Mark12D+. If you have a DME you want linked, it is another chunk of time. If you need an antennae moved to avoid interference with the RSM, more time. Also, as was mentioned above, doing the install right by building new harnesses when needed and removing the old ones will drive up the cost. I had 5 quotes for the exact same work provided to me from 5 different shops. There was a range of $8k between the highest and lowest quotes. Even the grouping in the middle had a spread of $3k. The shop I went with was able to send me to former customers so I could check out the quality of their work. I also asked a bunch of questions about how they handled the "variables" (you know the stuff they always come back to you with after they open it up). I offered my plane for a pre-inspection so they knew what they were going to quote.

Did you do the upgrade as well or did you buy outright? The original GEM I have has been rock solid and although I'm a techno weenie always looking for the latest tech, it's a lot of money to replace something working well. Besides, if my wife knew I was looking for something else to throw in this avionics upgrade, I would be hanging by toes. If the cost to upgrade is within reason, I would love to do it.

You can have everything I took out of mine. PM with your contact information and I will send you a list of what I have.

Cool beans! I really like the new color display and the numeric output. I see on their website they are recommending the G3 over the G1, do you know why?

I received this as well (even though my Aspen is still being installed!). It doesn't sound like Garmin is willing to play nice. Aspen probably has done a good job of taking a bite out of Garmin's 500/600 PFD/MFD product sales. I hope this is not a sign of the future. Having an open architecture gives us more flexibility as consumers in what we can install and certainly helps us keep the prices competitive. I would have loved to stay an all Garmin stack and installed a 600, but considering the price difference and what you get for your money, the Aspen was a no brainer for me. I just hope they continue to make the right decisions and grow! I don't need another Narco in my panel. The good news is it sounds like they are starting to working with others that are playing nice in the sandbox.

Thanks for the information. Do you know if they offer just a slide in replacement? I know the probes are pretty expensive as replacements. It would be nice if I could just buy the box and keep my existing probes. I didn't know about the shorter box on the G1. If I remembered correctly, I could not get the GEM in the panel on the left side because it was too long. Wonder if this will allow me to move it up there now.

Thanks for posting the pictures Omega! I have just started an upgrade on my F model. I'm sure you went through the same angst I am going through. My Mooney is my keeper and I have invested in it over the years to improve safety and reliability (as well as a certain amount of redundancy thrown in for good measure). I'm excited to hear how you like the GTN 650. I looked at both the 750 and 650 and just couldn't justify the extra expense considering I am also putting in an Aspen. I wish Garmin would rethink their 750 and offer one without the built in audio panel. I would certainly have opted for a cheaper version that would allow me to use my audio panel. Here is where I am at currently:

Howdy, I am a new member here and an owner of a 1975 M20F since 1991 (has it really been 21 years?!). I am in the middle of a major avionics upgrade and I am evaluating everything in the panel to decide whether to keep, update or remove. I noticed Insight is offering an upgrade path for existing owners ($1k core applied to a new unit). The replacement cost is still steep (I think street prices would still be over $2k). \ Anyways, I was wondering if anyone has done this upgrade and if so, do you feel the investment was worth it? Could you also tell me what you upgraded to? I have (I think) the original 601 (no digital numbers, just bars). BTW -- here is what my poor baby looks like as of late last week...