Mooney panel upgrades

Ed Haywood said:
If your immediate problem is a dying HSI, then dual GI 275's are a no brainer for your first step. Solves your HSI problem, significantly increases reliability by getting rid of your vaccum system, gives you redundant AI, and maximizes compatibility with current and future Garmin devices.

https://sarasotaavionics.com/avionics/gi-275-package
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This! We have a very similar setup to Bill (Mooney, King autopilot/AI/HSI, etc) and this is exactly why we went with the GI 275. It can drive our existing King autopilot today, and it can also drive the GFC 500 should the King autopilot quit tomorrow. It allows for a staged upgrade approach very nicely.

Getonit said:
Does the G3x not drive the king AP? I was under some impression that it did?
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Nope. The G3X really only drives the GFC 500. Other autopilots need to keep another instrument (TC for S-TEC, AI for most other autopilots) to drive the autopilot.

The GI 275 can eliminate those extraneous instruments. Maybe at some point Garmin will update their hardware/software to allow the G3X Touch to communicate with the GI 275 and drive a legacy autopilot indirectly, similar to how the G500TXi can communicate with the G5 and drive the GFC 500 despite lacking the software to do it directly.

Ryanb said:
I really like those GI275’s and it might make sense in some cases, but for the cost of an AI and HSI and/or EIS, you could have a full blown G3X touch (or close to). Without a doubt, it makes sense to ditch the vacuum system, especially for more frequent IFR flying.
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That's part of why we only did the single GI 275. We'd like to go full glass in the next few years and at that point we could use the GI 275 as a backup. If we were to get dual GI 275s now, one of them would likely be "wasted" later and we'd just end up selling it at a significant loss on the used market.

I gotta admit, I do kinda wish we'd done two of them... But if we had I'd probably be wishing I had more money. :rofl:
 
The decision has been made! As the 430W very solid, we imagine it will serve us well for at least a few more years. OTOH, the KNS80 and HSI are dead men walking, they could go TU tomorrow.

We're going with two GI 275 units to replace the vac AI and dying King KCS 55A. This will include the removal of the vac system and the entire 55A system. At the same time we're pulling the King 197, KNS80 and associated racks, boxes, and wiring, and replacing with a GNC 255.

This will address the immediate need, and we are pushing out the GTN 650 to a later date. Scheduled to go into the shop in January.
 
Bill Jennings said:
The decision has been made! As the 430W very solid, we imagine it will serve us well for at least a few more years. OTOH, the KNS80 and HSI are dead men walking, they could go TU tomorrow.

We're going with two GI 275 units to replace the vac AI and dying King KCS 55A. This will include the removal of the vac system and the entire 55A system. At the same time we're pulling the King 197, KNS80 and associated racks, boxes, and wiring, and replacing with a GNC 255.

This will address the immediate need, and we are pushing out the GTN 650 to a later date. Scheduled to go into the shop in January.
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Awesome! Ditching the vacuum will be so worthwhile for IFR flying... Can’t wait to see!
 
Smart move. Fixes your immediate problem, improves reliability, and provides many future upgrade paths. GI 275 is a new product so you can count on Garmin support and interoperability with new products from them for many years.
 
Just saw a set of dual GI 275's installed in a Grumman Tiger at the avionics shop today. Spectacular display. The shop had 2 more planes in the the hangar, each getting the same thing. Post pictures when you get the work done.
 
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