Before-During-After Panel Upgrade Thread

[gsxrpilot]

3 hours ago, donkaye said:

Thanks.  When I thought about doing everything imaginable in the way of avionics with the Bravo and loving the Mooney in general and its speeds versus buying a turboprop or jet without all the new innovations (although the Epic has been tempting), the decision was not difficult given the type of flying I do.

Upgrade #7 - Get Hector to cover those yokes!

Don's got the largest delta between panel and yokes in any Mooney flying 

[donkaye]

1 hour ago, gsxrpilot said:

Upgrade #7 - Get Hector to cover those yokes!

Don's got the largest delta between panel and yokes in any Mooney flying 

I wish he weren't in Texas so it maybe could be done without removing the yokes.  That's a big job that doesn't buy me any new capability.  Convince me otherwise.

[Danb]

16 hours ago, donkaye said:

Thanks.  When I thought about doing everything imaginable in the way of avionics with the Bravo and loving the Mooney in general and its speeds versus buying a turboprop or jet without all the new innovations (although the Epic has been tempting), the decision was not difficult given the type of flying I do.

I couldn’t agree more although I’m hamstrung regarding the upgrades available to the GX.  Basically I’ve done. I considered moving up a few years ago when younger, was considering a Lancaster jetprop decided the reward didn’t equal the Cost. A few considered a partnership on a Hondajet for your discussion above I didn’t go through with it. As you and I mentioned many times the cost benefit of the Bravo especially for smaller guys is much greater than most competitors, if I were to have a business need I’d provide a different answer 

Regardless you’ve done an awesome job with your upgrades, my regret is when I scheduled the upgrade to the GFC700 I canceled since Mooney went into another downturn in 2009 or somewhere around then, if Oshkosh ever gets going again I need a seat to check yours out. 

[aviatoreb]

13 hours ago, donkaye said:

I wish he weren't in Texas so it maybe could be done without removing the yokes.  That's a big job that doesn't buy me any new capability.  Convince me otherwise.

Well, you are right, that leather wrapped yokes do nothing for the performance of the aircraft.  But they sure are luxurious and feel just great to grip.  They are the perfect accent, and bring a smile to my face.

I had mine done by Hector some time ago and the workmanship is fantastic and turn around was quite quick when prescheduled.  I had the yokes pulled and quick mailed during an annual and it was really quite painless and seamless.

[gsxrpilot]

14 hours ago, donkaye said:

I wish he weren't in Texas so it maybe could be done without removing the yokes.  That's a big job that doesn't buy me any new capability.  Convince me otherwise.

I don't think I could convince you based on your criteria. 

I'll say that when I got mine done, twice, one on each Mooney I've owned, the labor to remove and reinstall was less than 2 hours total. It was negligible and was done while the plane was in the shop for other stuff. So the only disagreement I'd have is that it's a "big job". 

Other than that, it just adds to the comfort and aesthetics of the cockpit. We use Sight, Sound, and Touch in the cockpit. Therefore having a well laid out panel with glass screens displaying exactly the data needed, a good audio panel paired with some nice headsets, and comfortable yokes with buttons all in the right place, make for a nicer experience when spending hours in the cockpit.

That's all I've got... I sure do like mine.

[tmo]

4 hours ago, gsxrpilot said:

the labor to remove and reinstall was less than 2 hours total.

Do you have some kind of quick disconnect for all the wiring going to the yoke? If not, how do you free the yoke?

[squeaky.stow]

6 hours ago, aviatoreb said:

really quite painless and seamless.

Seamless? I though those baseball seams were part of the appeal!

[gsxrpilot]

1 hour ago, tmo said:

Do you have some kind of quick disconnect for all the wiring going to the yoke? If not, how do you free the yoke?

cut the wires and re-solder them back together for reinstall.

[LANCECASPER]

I've done business with Hector over 15 years and gave him his first ride in a Mooney. The last set of yokes I bought from him were newer style (2006 and later) already covered and then I gave him mine after the avionics shop took them off. You might check to see if he has an extra set of yokes and an option to order a set and pay a "core" charge until he gets yours back. That way the airplane has about two hours of down time. 

[LANCECASPER]

On 12/17/2020 at 6:01 PM, LANCECASPER said:

Before November 2015

 

Then after mid 2018

 

Now I’m having a new panel cut and a JPI-930 put in.

More pics to come . . 

 

I got it back over the weekend. Just flew it the 12 miles home . . .  looking forward to getting used to the new layout.

[carusoam]

So that’s what a new Bravo looks like on the inside!

Fantastic Lance!

Thanks for sharing the pics...

Best regards,

-a-

[AerostarDriver]

Just got through with phase one of my DIY panel upgrade. Next annual I will be cutting new panels for both the left and right side as well as installing a second GI-275 for an EIS. I am quite happy with how it has turned out and I find myself quite surprised how often I use the GI-275 MFD.

I highly recommend Rudy Aircraft Instruments as they overhauled and painted my VSI and ASI. 

Edited May 16, 2021 by AerostarDriver

[PeytonM]

I noticed that hardly changed the E-T-A switches to toggle switches. I believe they are offered as combo circuit breakers, just like the E-T-A switch. I did see one that moved to the new Mooney switch.

Given the scarcity of cover replacement for the E-T-A, I just wonder if the thought had crossed your mind. Or do you have a source or solution fir broken covers? What did you Klixon switch folks do? 

I’m thinking of a panel-ectomy, so I’d appreciate your recommendations. (Personally, I like the look of the E-T-A switch!)

[Jay Bird]

Mine is being finished up next week. With a new panel being cut I took the opportunity to ditch the Kilxon switches in favor of toggle style circuit breaker switches. Picture quality is not great but I will have more next week. 

[jetdriven]

Our shop recently did a PA30 twin Comanche.  Before. After.  The GTN750 and the GNC255 were done before I got ahold of it, but everything else is ours  

Edited May 29, 2021 by jetdriven

[Jay Bird]

More phots, I pick it up at the end of the week! 

 

[0TreeLemur]

Need more entries.  Let's see before/during/after photos of panel work folks are having done!

[0TreeLemur]

For new Mooney owners looking for ideas on what to do with their panel...

Latest configuration as of Apr. '22.  Look at that awesome Brittain technology!   And, unlike Tru-Trak, it can be found!  3-axis AP for under 4 AMUs, installed!  Thanks to advice and help from awesome friends here on MS!

[Scottknoll]

Here’s the before and during. Hoping early December finish date. Full Garmin & LHS-200C

[Stetson20]

[0TreeLemur]

Ok, here are photos showing a just completed improvement of the panel in our new-to-us M20J.   She came with fogged-up ASI and altimeter, TC with noisy bearings and a non-primary engine monitor, which left legacy gauges galore.  We wanted to move the KX-155 below the Avidyne GPS, but the entire panel seems to have been riveted together on a bench, then put into the airplane.  Impossible to move racks around without taking the whole thing out.  

The final photo shows overhauled ASI, Altimeter, non-TSO vacuum AI replaced, primary (JPI EDM-900) engine monitor installed, legacy engine gauges and ADF removed, USB power port and uAvionix AV-20-S timer/backup AI added.