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long body panel height - has anyone lowered it?


rpcc

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The younger long bodies have lower panels,  has anyone tried to lower the height of the older panels when they recut them for whatever reason?  I like the lower height of the newer planes.  I'm guessing there could be approval problems as well as costs that could make it impractical.

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The adjustable seat height makes it all OK...

with tall sitting people, your head will be close to the ceiling, the same as short sitting people.

The seat belt across your lap keeps you from bumping into the ceiling the same way, tall or short...

The cool part of all the adjustability... there is a lot to be adjusted...

An example...

If you are 6’ tall, and your Levis indicate you have 32” legs... you may desire to jack the seat up and go with a set of rudder pedal extensions....

While looking over the instrument panel, you will notice the coweling is pretty much even with the top of the panel...

Lowering the IP is a great idea, but it will require lowering the cowl and engine as well.

While raising the seat with its adjustment, you suddenly realize that wicked long nose out front is the reason you have raised the seat.

The benefit of the wicked tall panel....

More surface area for all the big screens coming our way... :)

PP ideas only, I know a guy with those short legs and long torso...

Best regards,

-a-

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5 hours ago, johncuyle said:

I'm curious about this as well.  The high panel is one of the things that gives me pause about the older Bravos.  I have enough trouble seeing out of my 231, and I'm 6'2" and long torso.

The taller panel makes upgrading much easier.  The displays are easier to look straight at.   In level flight I don't even notice it.  In IMC I feel like I'm in a nice cocoon.  I personally like it much better than the lower panels.  Speaking from 25 years of experience with the  tall panel.

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12 hours ago, johncuyle said:

I'm curious about this as well.  The high panel is one of the things that gives me pause about the older Bravos.  I have enough trouble seeing out of my 231, and I'm 6'2" and long torso.

@Amelia recently purchased a very nice Eagle from one of the Mooneyspacers, and she goes about 5' when she is wearing stilettos. The Eagle has the same tall panel all the pre-g1000 longbodys have. Seat position with the fully articulating seats make it acceptable, but not as nice the newer planes

With the new avionics available, the self demise nature of the moritz gauges, it would be nice to lower the panel to the same height as the new longbodys, perhaps with a new glareshield also. The vis is that much better, the panel space is no longer needed using what will be coming available and is available for glass.

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9 hours ago, mike_elliott said:

@Amelia the panel space is no longer needed using what will be coming available and is available for glass.

I'm going to have to disagree.  I'm currently upgrading my G500 panel to the G500TXi and I needed to make a new panel to have everything fit like I had before.  As you all have probably seen before here is my current panel.  Simple, but effective beyond the obvious.  Also, in level flight, the nose is down far enough not to impact the view ahead.  I'll post the new layout when it is done sometime in June, since my delivery time on the GDU 1060 is the end of May.

N9148W Panel.JPG

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The high panel was a concern of mine as well. When I was plane shopping last year I sat in several long bodies with the high panel. The main thing I noticed was the lower panel allows you to see more of the engine cowl out front. It does not impact the view of the outside world. Your downward view is blocked by the panel or the cowl, take your pick. That said, I still like the fact that the plane I bought has the low panel.

Larry

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Aw, Mike, I'm actually 5'4", or was once,, barefoot, like any good Southern girl,  (now in both directions, alas) and with the seat cranked all the way up, I can see over well enough.. MIght try to get my old rudder pedal extensions back, though. 

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Tom,

you beat me to the response...

i was working on this...

 

 

Hmmm...

Since the new O (compared to the old O) didn’t change any of the tube structure that is related to the panel height...

The parts for the new lowered panel and all other related gear should be available through the factory...

 

Sounds doable, could be unusually expensive... or a long wait for used parts to be available...

PP thoughts that come to mind,

-a-

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10 minutes ago, Cruiser said:

what are we talking about with the "high" panels vs "low" panels ?

The steel roll cage is the same on all of them correct? The top of my panel is bolted into the steel bar .

Isn't this is the same place on all Mooneys?

 

The 2003.5 and newer ovation dx and gx panels were stepped down. This requires different underlying structure because as you said the panel attaches to the tube steel around the perimeter. F67084F8-BF37-4A21-BF32-3026D43D7070.thumb.png.2f478513bc3adb3c5f59a32bb9d088c7.png

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The reason I ask is that from my perspective, the higher panel makes the plane feel smaller and maybe more closed in than the newer planes.  I can see over panel just fine - just seems like more view of the sky would be better than what's there now.   I'm assuming that perception is  part of the reason the factory chose to lower it in the later models.   Just wondering since there seem to be quite a few panel upgrades and that would seem like something to do at the time.

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For visual reference I’m pretty sure the compass stayed in the same position (guessing the panel dropped 3-3.25 inches). I have a feeling it would be tight to fit the new Garmin 10 inch panel, an engine monitor, tks controls, and the other necessary items.  But I’m picky so the Garmin would need to be centered with the yoke which is another reason I’d never use pfd screen space for engine monitor display.

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I am guessing also but I don't think it did. As far as I can tell from my panel the bolt on the left side near the windshield is in the same spot and the next one to the right above the Master Warning light is also in the same spot so the glare shield is at the same height (to the side panel and windshield). There is about 2 inches removed from the panel between yoke shaft an the glare shield.

Inked2013-05.jpg

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  • 2 years later...

Do any of you old timers know if and when (for sure) the Instrument Panel was raised or made higher (taller)  I have a 1999 Ovation and the history books say this is the first year for the Moritz gauges, some say year 2000 was the first, but they are for sure in the this 1999.

I read someplace the panel was raised 1.7 inches and most folks seem to think it was to accommodate the Moritz panel. I'm not sure about that, just read it someplace.

I think someone with a 1998 Ovation would be in the best position to actually check it out, or maybe just post a good straight on photo of the panel showing the yoke and the top of the panel.  We could then check other fixed instruments so compare.  Thanks.

Ray

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4 hours ago, Flyboy10 said:

Do any of you old timers know if and when (for sure) the Instrument Panel was raised or made higher (taller)  I have a 1999 Ovation and the history books say this is the first year for the Moritz gauges, some say year 2000 was the first, but they are for sure in the this 1999.

I read someplace the panel was raised 1.7 inches and most folks seem to think it was to accommodate the Moritz panel. I'm not sure about that, just read it someplace.

I think someone with a 1998 Ovation would be in the best position to actually check it out, or maybe just post a good straight on photo of the panel showing the yoke and the top of the panel.  We could then check other fixed instruments so compare.  Thanks.

Ray

It wasn't at one time raised, it was at one time (after 2000) lowered.  The Ovation panel started out at its highest when it was introduced in 1994 and continued until they lowered it. If you look at original M20R and M20M panels you can easily fit three round instruments vertically on the panel, with room to spare. Example:

image.png.ce0c711e3afcccca010f8cbd1e341442.png

They did not lower the panel immediately when they introduced the Moritz gauges in 1999, but after 2000 sometime. Here's an example of a lowered panel:

image.png.590d87fd0c56d8dc366313dd1c514902.png

Personally I like the higher panels since you are not limited in what you can put in the panels. The seats are articulating and you can easily adjust them to see over the glare shield. 

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Some one correct me if this is wrong...................

There are NO high vs low panels. The panels are all the same size and they are mounted the same in the plane. It is the location of the instruments in the panel that has changed.

In the two examples ^^ above the first has three standard instrument holes in the stack, notice the spaces between the AI/HSI and CDI. The location of the AI is higher in the panel. 

In the second "lower" panel, the Moritz gauges occupy the top and the AI is moved down, there is no space between the AI/HSI 

It would appear that the AI is about 1 ¾ " lower in the panel but the panel is in the same place. 

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There definitely is a difference in panel height.  The newer  panels were lowered 2 inches if I remember correctly.   I have the older panel and, although on the ground it is more difficult to see over the panel, in the air I don't notice a difference.  The older panel fits the newer stuff like the G500TXi and all the switches more easily I think.

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The estimated 2 inches is close, the actual difference in the two panel heights is 1.7 inches.  Seems like the consensus on the date of the lowered panel is sometime between 2003 and 2005.  Someone  probably knows the last serial number for the original “full height” panel.

So based on the recent posts here, the 29-0001 M20R had the “full height” panel and all the newer units until some date between 2003 and 2005 when the panel was lowered 1.7 inches.

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