MHemperly Posted February 5, 2014 Report Posted February 5, 2014 So 3.5 years in the making... A good friend of mine and his dad restored this 1959 Piper Apache with a full Geronimo conversion. My buddies dad is one of the best IA's that I know. He did the maintenance on my grandfathers turbo Saratoga and Comanche 250 and he will be doing the maintenance on my M20E. This guy spares no expense to detail on his customers airplanes as well as his own. I know this because I worked for him for a year and helped them with some of the restoration... It's cool to be apart of something like this. So after two fresh engine's and props. A complete overhaul of the interior, which mind you is done after Bentley interior and I'm so upset that I don't have pictures of it because it's awesome, but I did get the panel! And a very pricey paint job, they have a beautiful airplane. If Any of you guys are local to SoCal I highly recommend them for ANYTHING. Annual... Pre-buy.... Major overhaul... Whatever your little heart desires they can do it and do it very well. They are based at KWJF and thier shop is MH aviation. Enjoy 3 Quote
carusoam Posted February 5, 2014 Report Posted February 5, 2014 Pretty impressive panel re-do for the ol gal... Best regards, -a- 1 Quote
BigTex Posted February 5, 2014 Report Posted February 5, 2014 Still can't get used to how empty the instrument panel looks after replacing all of the steam gauges. Quote
1964-M20E Posted February 5, 2014 Report Posted February 5, 2014 Still can't get used to how empty the instrument panel looks after replacing all of the steam gauges. Make you think anyone coudl fly it. It is so simple looking. sweet plane glad to see somone took the time to resotre it. Quote
bonal Posted February 5, 2014 Report Posted February 5, 2014 NICE! i like the mix of an older airframe with the modern paint. sometimes that never works but it does on this one. only thing I would have added with all that space in the panel is a big jocky box. Quote
MHemperly Posted February 5, 2014 Author Report Posted February 5, 2014 I agree about the paint scheme. It hard to make something that modern look right on an old airframe but they pulled it off. The had scheme designer do the design. I can't recall the name of the company but they are web based. Clearly they know their stuff. It's crazy to see what this panel went from to what it is. It had gauges everywhere. No it is so simple but yet state or the art. Fully coupled autopilot, ads-b, the whole 9 yards. Quote
FlyDave Posted February 5, 2014 Report Posted February 5, 2014 Very nicely done! The panel is definitely impressive but I noticed they still have the old Century autopilot. I guess there isn't anything newer (STEC, Avidyne) STC'ed for an Apache. Too bad - that would have completely knocked this out of the park. Quote
Guest Posted February 5, 2014 Report Posted February 5, 2014 Amazing what can be done with an older classic airframe. Clarence Quote
fantom Posted February 21, 2014 Report Posted February 21, 2014 My kind of 'eye candy' First Officer....."put on that seat belt!". Quote
Hector Posted February 22, 2014 Report Posted February 22, 2014 My kind of 'eye candy' First Officer....."put on that seat belt!". Wow, that's a panel there!! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD 1 Quote
Marauder Posted February 22, 2014 Report Posted February 22, 2014 Yep, that's our dream, here's our reality: 2 Quote
rbridges Posted February 22, 2014 Report Posted February 22, 2014 Yep, that's our dream, here's our reality: haha, better have that weight and balance chart handy. Quote
Awful_Charlie Posted February 22, 2014 Report Posted February 22, 2014 Damn those anti-reflective coatings on the instruments! I wonder what the hourly cost is? 1 Quote
Hank Posted February 22, 2014 Report Posted February 22, 2014 You know what they say, if you have to ask . . . . . 1 Quote
fantom Posted February 22, 2014 Report Posted February 22, 2014 Yep, that's our dream, here's our reality: What do you mean 'our' ? Quote
MHemperly Posted February 23, 2014 Author Report Posted February 23, 2014 Holy s$&t I'd be over gross for sure! Quote
Guest Posted February 23, 2014 Report Posted February 23, 2014 Yep, that's our dream, here's our reality: I guess you'd have to file as a Mooney "HEAVY" Clarence Quote
DaV8or Posted February 23, 2014 Report Posted February 23, 2014 What's the difference between the Geronimo conversion and an Aztec? It looks like an Aztec too me. Quote
Shadrach Posted February 23, 2014 Report Posted February 23, 2014 Yep, that's our dream, here's our reality: Yuck...Speak for yourself! My reality is much closer to post #11... Quote
MHemperly Posted February 24, 2014 Author Report Posted February 24, 2014 What's the difference between the Geronimo conversion and an Aztec? It looks like an Aztec too me. the geronimo is an apache with 180 horse conversion, the longer nose,swept windshield, chopped tail and the different cowlings and a couple other things. but yea pretty much a skinny aztec. i personally dont care for any of those pipers but they did a good job on this one. Quote
MHemperly Posted February 24, 2014 Author Report Posted February 24, 2014 Yuck...Speak for yourself! My reality is much closer to post #11. haha! i second that! Quote
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