Panel rearranging questions

[AndreiC]

Hello all,

I started to think about what I would like my avionics shop to do for me for my next visit (I already have some other issues I need to take the plane to them for). The plane is relatively new to me, 1970 M20E; I've had her for 3 months now.

I attach a picture of the left panel below. I don't have a photo of the right panel, but currently on the right are the power instruments (RPM -- an EI electronic tach, and the original Manifold Pressure and Fuel Pressure); as well as a King DME KN64, and the transponder KT76A. 

Some things in the panel currently are useless: the ADF has not worked for ages, and while the marker beacons probably work, I have not looked at a MB in a long long time. So my plan was for these things to go. I was also hoping to clean up completely the right side of the panel (leave nothing other than the circuit breakers that are now there) so I could install an iPad mini to display traffic and weather from ADS-B. (I will keep an iPhone mounted on the yoke, but I like to have the traffic and weather information clear from the clutter of the maps information.) 

So there are some questions on how to proceed. One obvious choice is to get rid of the ADF unit, and move in its place the DME and transponder that are currently on the right side. Also it seems like it would not be such a big deal to move the vacuum gauge to where the marker beacons are. So these will probably happen anyway.

The other thing that is less obvious how to proceed has to do with the power instruments. It bugs me that when making a power adjustment I need to take my eyes from the main 6. I would much rather have this information in the left panel. I was thinking of moving the RPM indicator to where the vacuum gauge currently is (it is a 2 1/2" hole), after moving the vacuum gauge where the marker beacon lights. This leaves the question of where to put the MP/FP gauge, and how to do it. The how, in my mind has to with the fact that I assume there is a metal fuel line going to the current gauge for fuel pressure, and that may be hard to replace. One idea I had was to maybe leave the current gauge in place, and get a second MP gauge "spliced" from the MP vacuum line that goes to the current indicator. 

Now about the location of the MP. One possible choice would be to put it where the Strikefinder is, and remove the SF altogether. My previous plane did not have a SF, so I have never used one.  My question is: how useful is a Strikefinder in this day and age? I already get radar weather through ADS-B, displayed on my phone, and in the future also on an iPad mini in the right panel. Does the SF give any extra information that would be useful in dodging thunderstorms?

Another option would be to get rid of the second VOR head; I can't think of many instances where I would need to use two VORs (the GNS 430W gives me plenty of information about where intersections are). But my flight instructor who is old school in a very good way, insists that backup is also really nice to have.

Thoughts? Opinions? How expensive do you think such a project would be, at $120/hour? I probably don't want to spend much more than 1.5AMU on this panel rearrangement, it is perfectly useable as it is.

Thanks,
Andrei.

[Utah20Gflyer]

It would be best to ask the shop what kind of projects they could realistically complete in roughly 12 hours.   It’s likely not a lot.  Personally I would ditch the ADF because I don’t like keeping things around that aren’t useful.  The storm scope could be very useful if you are planning on flying a lot of IFR, I would keep it.  I wouldn’t start moving around engine instruments, they may end up all being replaced by a new primary Instrument in the future anyway.  I didn’t end up taking my own advice and incrementally spent about what I could have paid for a primary engine monitor.  I like my set up but if I had to do it over again I would have bought a GI 275 engine monitor.  

All these suggestions are based on my preferences of course.  The beauty of owning your own plane is you can do whatever you want to do with it.  

[M20F]

First you should decide is this the plane you are keeping for 20yrs or is a sale in the future. 
 
If you are keeping it then build a plan as to what your final set up should be.  Then you can have the shop do all at once or scale into it.  
 
If you are going to sell it then put in some useful stuff but keep the install cost as low as possible. A G5 in a scatter shot panel has some value.  Putting it in a perfect panel you aren’t going to get ROI.  In general if you are only keeping a couple of years any upgrade is $$ down the toilet. 

[Ron McBride]

I have about 500 hrs. In a 69 F with the same basic panel.  Leave the 3 light markers, you won’t gain mulch.  Vacuum gauge is usable where it is.  Engine gauges, leave them alone, you don’t look at then that often, set the power and leave alone, full throttle above 5,000 and rpm where you want it.  Set mixture one moniter on the the engine moniter on the left.  
 

keep the $1,500 for future maintenance, 

 

[AndreiC]

The question about whether this is a forever plane is complicated by many issues. My history is that I have owned a total of four different planes (all Pipers, 3 Cherokees and one Comanche) over the past twenty years, and each one was a forever plane for me, until the mission profile changed or I discovered that I could not afford that particular beast. Last plane I had was a Cherokee 180 that I had for 10 years, and had gotten it to where I wanted it to be (but still very much with a steam gauges panel). I switched to the Mooney because I am taking longer trips now, less putzing around in the pattern. 

So far my thinking about the Mooney is that I like it, but there are things I still don't know about it that may affect the future of owning it. 

1) how expensive maintenance will be in the end (after things stabilize after the first/second annual);

2) in the same line, if parts availability will eventually become a real problem;

3) how well it will do in some real-life missions:

- in the Cherokee I occasionally had 2 passengers, in the Mooney I have not yet tried putting someone on the rear bench;

- I haven't yet tried at all to put a pair of skis in, or a road bike with the wheels off (both of these were doable in the Cherokee);

- and finally I haven't tried landing/taking off the grass strip at 2P2 (2250ft), which is a place I loved to go to in the past. 

Depending on all these factors the E may become more of a forever plane or not. I am not seeing myself spending the money on a glass panel any time soon -- in my mind that money is best spent on fuel and regular maintenance. The description of the panel moves I was writing about was all about getting the panel to where I actually want it to be -- after all these moves I was going to let it be for a few years.