Hello,

I recently acquired a 1999 A36, E-3241, N3241N. She has most of the original panel plus a Garmin 430W with Avidyne MFD (about 10 years old now). Any tips or advice is much appreciated. I am based out of Manassas, VA (HEF).

Respectfully,

David McKee

Awesome, i bet thats a nice plane.... well welcome! you'll find tons of info here!

However we are going to need some pictures of the plane, and panel!

David,

Welcome to BeechTalk.

There are lots of nice folks here and lots of info if you learn how to use the search section. We're waiting for the pictures.

First, welcome!

I've got a 97 model so I know that's a nice bird. GREAT for traveling. It would be real hard to get mine away from me (I started to say it couldn't be done but I can be either bought or rented for the right price).

What kind of tips are you looking for? Operating tips? Upgrade tips?

If you want folks to help you spend more money on it, you've hit the jackpot here.

Dan

I have no doubts you can help me spend money on her! How do you put pictures on the thread? Are they showing up OK? There is lots of stuff on the panel, including an Argus and a total of 3 GPS. Thinking about pulling everything out and going with a G500 or G600 with a standby (L3?) I did all of my IFR training on a G1000 and have dome alot of x/c trips in a Turbo Skylane or Columbia (Cessna) 400 equipped with the G1000. I'm thinking it would save alot of weight as well? The empty weight now is 2650. She already has tip tanks. Any guidance or advice is much appreciated.

Welcome David! A beautiful bird...pull out the credit card and the guys around here (Arlen, Larry, Max, Jeff, etc) will help you max it out !!

The pictures came through great.

I'm not sure what they were thinking with the panel GPS arrangement. With the two Garmins I don't see where you'd need to keep the KLN90B (that looks like what you've got there, can't tell for certain).

Just a hunch, but could the Garmins have been added by someone who didn't know how to integrate them into the King instruments/autopilot?

I personally like the six pack in the "official" layout but I can see where the instrument in place of the TC may have needed the depth. Other than that, I think the panel is pretty nice. If you learned on the G1000 you may have a preference. My own preference is for discrete gauges (I'm NOT in the majority on that<g>).

If you do fly glass panel, make sure you have a positively evil instructor who can make sure you get safely on the ground in IMC if he turns off the Master (no standby electrics either!). Assume you have smoke coming from behind the panel and have to make it stop.

Another free tip (worth almost what you pay for it!). I'm guessing you pulled it out of the hangar for pictures (you would be harrassed until you complied with that... good choice <g>). If that's the reason the steering bar is still on the nosewheel, no big deal. For good "standard operation" never walk off and leave anything attached to the nose gear. If I leave the aircraft I also walk around the aircraft before I get in... even if I have already done preflight. That way I'll find if it's been hit by something, chocked while I was gone, or trip over the stearing bar/tug. Missing those things isn't so much dangerous as embarrasing and expen$ive!

Dan

Verrrry nice David !