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the solid airplane that we believed, we could refurbish it over time. We struck a deal to buy it and join the Malibu community.
Dianne: Okay, so you bought a “project” plane – but that’s the perfect opportunity to make it just the way you want it! How did you lay out your priorities for the make-over?
Dean & Tammie Jo: Before we decided to invest in refurbishing the old Malibu, we wanted to be sure we had chosen the right plane. Would it perform as expected and suit our needs, and was it a mechanically sound airplane worth modernizing?
To answer the first question, we wanted to fly it in a variety of condi- tions under various loads at all alti- tudes up to its service ceiling of FL250 and take it into some high altitude airports to see how it performed. In short, we planned to put it to the test.
That actually gave us a good excuse to get the plane up to Kevin Mead’s shop and have him render an opin- ion on the second question, “is it a mechanically sound airplane that is worth modernizing?” We had tried to get on Kevin’s schedule to do a prebuy inspection but couldn’t, so we were anxious to hear what he had to say about our old ‘87. After replacing a vacuum pump, fixing a cabin light- ing issue and giving the plane a once over, he said, “It looks like you’ve got a good airplane,” which was music to
our ears. We were getting comfort- able with the idea of investing in a Malibu makeover.
We envisioned a three-step process that we would spread out over a couple of years. With the idea of safety first, our top priority was updating the panel. Knowing that would be pretty capital intensive, we would take some time getting used to flying with the new panel while saving up for phase two, replacing the interior. Finally, after some more time to replenish the Malibu makeover fund, we would complete the project with a fresh new paint job. That was the plan, but that is not at all how it happened.
Dianne: Let’s start with the panel. Can you list out all the equipment what
you installed?
Dean & Tammie Jo: We opted for a full Garmin panel with the goal being to get as close to an original installa- tion integrated flight deck as possible. Here is the equipment list we chose:
• GTX345RremotemountedADS-B in/out transponder
• GMA35cremotecommpanel w/ Telligence
• GFC600digitalautopilot
• GI-275backupAIandMFD
• TwoGSB15dualUSB charging ports
Dianne: What avionics shop did you choose and how did the upgrade would go?
Dean & Tammie Jo: After talking to a couple of other avionics shops, we decide to go with Temple Electron-
ics in Arcola, TX, and we couldn’t
be happier with that decision. We approached them with a basic idea of what we were looking for, but the final product was very much a collabora- tive effort. We worked with “Ace” (I still don’t know his real name), who
is a Garmin guru, and he walked us through all of the various Garmin equipment we could use to build
a fully integrated flight deck. An integral part of that conversation was designing the panel layout. Since we were starting from scratch, we had the freedom, within some structural and FAA limits, to mount the equipment where we wanted it. Ace transformed our sketches into computerized designs for not only the new Garmin gear but all of the other equipment that would have to stay in the panel, i.e. switches, the annunciator panel, the pressurization controller and gauge, the deice panel, etc. We chose
a dark grey powder coat with etched white labeling. Because we opted to
go with a single piece panel, doing the etching became an issue because of the size of the panel. After sending it out for etching and it not turning out to Ace’s satisfaction, Temple purchased a larger etching machine to get the job done. It turned out beautifully.
Dianne: How long did the whole upgrade take?
Dean & Tammie Jo: I mentioned earlier that our idea was to stretch the Malibu Makeover out over a couple of
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Dual 10-inch G500 TXi for pilot and copilot PFD/MFDs (promotes marital harmony since we both can’t sit left seat);
GCU 485 dedicated PFD controller
7” portrait G500 TXi dedicated EIS (engine monitor)
GTN 750Xi GPS/NAV/COMM/MFD 1
GTN 650Xi GPS/NAV/COMM/MFD 2
16 MMOPA MAGAZINE MAY / JUNE
2021