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Showing results for tags 'panel-upgrade'.
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This past November & December I did an extensive upgrade to my M20C and thought I'd share my experience here for those that might be curious or thinking about upgrading their aircraft. The Before Before the upgrade I had a very traditional 6-pack configuration, no HSI, and my DG didn't have a heading bug. Made for some fun IFR work getting my training done. I did have a Gamin CDI and my backup. I had a 430W, and a panel mounted Garmin 496. I also have the factory Wing Leveler, there ot help a bit. My goals were simple, I loved the mooney, but I wanted a setup that had an easier workflow for the IFR scan, Auto-Pilot for those long trips, and to comply with ADS-B so I was future proofed. The Upgrades After a lot of research, and getting quotes from 4 different avionics shops, I finally settled on the upgrades that were to be done. New Pilot Side Panel Aspen Evolution 1000 Pro Plus (With Synthetic Vision & AOA) Garmin GTX330ES Transponder Garmin GDL-88 S-Tec System 30 Auto Pilot Removal of: Wing Leveler, Narco Transponder, old DG, Old VSI, Old Turn & Bank, & GI-106A One of the biggest things that I found different when getting the quotes was how the different shops were going to tie everything together. Some had different ideas all along...and the final decision to go with the company I did was their desire to make EVERYTHING work as it should. Some of the key differences & setups that this vendor did for me. The Aspen has full support for Nav1, Nav2, and GPS. Where many shops were only going to have Nav1 & GPS. Weather & Traffic data from the GDL-88 is displayed on the 430W (Will go to the Aspen, as soon as aspen gives details on how they are to do it. at no extra cost to me, wires already ran.) Auto-pilot disconnect is in place of the old disable button for the Wing Leveler. While they were in there they fixed a bunch of oddities, and even wired up the dimmers for some of my stuff that wasn't working/lighted before. Flying Now I've only got about 6-8 hours in on the new setup due to the lovey Iowa winter....and travel schedules. But it has been amazing so far. Auto-pilot and the Traffic displays are by far the best additions. With the GDL-88 & Transponder I see all kinds of traffic, including those without ADS-B, it really helps with situational awareness at times. The Aspen is great as well, still getting used to the amazing display. Just thought I'd share. Here are a few pictures, during & after the upgrades. Anyone thinking about this, or that might have questions feel free to ask away.