I've always loved the Malibu. Such a nice looking airplane. That panel is fantastic!

You just casually shoot out top quality videos like it wouldn't be such a big deal. They are always full of valuable information (narration/pictures) that is rarely to be found on the whole internet. Really nice and hope to see more from you in 2019!

Thank you for all the great video's. Really appreciate both you and your wife's honesty and integrity. The videos of your flights are really unmatched and great for any pilot or aspiring pilot to watch. Thank you!

Your videos are excellent, and very informative. I'm a rusty pilot who is getting back into aviation after more than a 20 year break. Buying an airplane is on the list, so watching content like yours is a great motivator. Thanks to your videos, the Malibu is on that list (after a lot of refresher).

You’ve made a great plane into really really great plane, that is one of the nicest panels I’ve ever seen.

Thank you so much for the vid and your transparency! I am assuming you spent about $120K but you got yourself a world class panel better than a brand new Malibu M350.. very helpful! Merry Xmas!

That is one handsome panel! And your discussion of the feature creep and overrun is most instructive. Hindsight is 20/20. Hopefully, you can now enjoy many hours of safer, more reliable flying.

Thanks for this one. We've been considering a rebuild of our S35 Panel. While not a turboprop, it's really helpful to know how this project went.

Your flying procedures and skills are fantastic. You only have high-quality, well-produced videos that tell a story. I had been watching our videos and started looking back to see the details of your plane.That lead me to this video on your panel upgrade. I certainly noticed how well done your panel was and was impressed with your knowledge of using the entire system. BTW what autopilot? You did a fantastic job outlining your upgrade and an admiral job of dancing around the issues without trashing those involved. I have been in similar situations with much more downtime than expected.

Just finished watching several of your videos for the first time. Great job! Thank you and a joyous Christmas to you and yours!

Thanks for putting this video together. Its nice to see folks in the aviation community who can be candid about their experiences and aren't consumed with showing off their toys or that just love the sound of their own voice.

Three tips were spot on...... My 4 week install turned into 10 weeks and a few ohhhh we need this also $$ .....

Panel looks beautiful. Just wanted to mention a couple of things I've learned as well as we wrap up our avionics upgrade in our Cessna 414A. We're doing a G600txi, dual GTN750's, GMA350 audio panel, GTX345 transponder, GWX75 radar, and a GFC600 autopilot. It seems like you weren't totally thrilled with how the avionics shop handled a few things. The first thing I picked up on is that you had your panel powder coated. So many shops just do this without explaining the pro's and con's of painting vs. powder coating. For just about everyone, painting is the way to go. Powder coating looks nice, but if you ever decide to add something to your panel, you'll have to cut the entire panel again. Powder coating tends to chip and flake when you cut it, and the rough edges from the new hole can't be touched up, because its powder coat, and not paint. Painted panels are super simple to cut, and if they require any touch up around the edge, its easy to spray a small section of it. The second was the placement of your GPS antenna up on top of the nose in front of the cockpit. Tons of shops do this as well, but interestingly enough, its actually not legal for WAAS installations. The FAA's installation guidelines specify that the WAAS antenna must have a 360 degree, uninterrupted view of the horizon. As a result, the only legal location for WAAS antennas is the roof of the airplane. How do you like your GCU485 PFD controller? We opted for it and I think we're going to be really happy with it.

I obviously cannot speak to your particular situation, and call me bias if you will, but I hope to offer some perspective @MalibuFlyer. I am an avionics technician/installer. I am currently installing a very similar setup and have done many avi installs in the past. The quality of the work as far as routing and cable management done on your aircraft, shown on this video, is truly impeccable. All the connectors looked top notch as well, which speaks to me and says the terminations were probably right on par, or under par, for a fantastic job. Please have some patience with the shop, I have no idea which shop you used, but with work like that, a month over estimated time is not bad at all. Now that shouldn't be the shops S.O.P. but obviously there were probably mitigating factors. Over payment could just be somebody talking in your ear, or you truly could've over paid, which is unfortunate. At the end of the day you got a beautiful install, those guys must be sharp. Take it easy on em eh! I understand your and their perspective and hope to shed light. Nice panel brotha.

Wow, fantastic and honest video. Helpful, informative and will have a positive impact. Just wondering what routine maintenance is like for a Malibu. It’s videos like this that help make qualified decisions regarding upgrades, but it’s still hard to find sources of what routine care might cost. Thanks again and looking forward to more content.

Great video we removed 45 pounds of wire out of my Saratoga most Avionics shops in my opinion don’t inform the customers of the pitfalls that may come up,so they don’t say nothing they don’t want to scare the customer away. So they take a deposit take the plane apart then call you to tell you they are going take longer and need more money. That’s BS in my book. The shop needs to be up front and honest. Your plane looks great. Merry Christmas.

amazing panel. have not seen better in GA Piston. congratulations.

Thanks for the great info!!! I am about to pull the trigger on the same upgrade for my commander 114, and the comments you made were all of great concern to me... especially the expected down time. Your looks amazing and I'm sure it was worth alot of the headach

I enjoy your videos. Beautiful panel. It looks like it was worth the wait in the end.

Love watching your Malibu videos! I have a Twin Comanche and I am going through much of the same process that you described. The plane went in July 1st and it's just getting finished up, I can definitely relate to the frustration! I ended up with a very similar setup, minus the second g500 display, with a G5 as a standby and Garmin EIS stand-alone screen in-between the avionics stack and G500! Hope to see you out there, N7820Y

Just stumbled on to your videos. Great to watch. This video is a must watch for anyone upgrading their panels. You provide great insight. Thanks

Great info. Wonderful looking panel! Even though you spent a lot, you have a cabin class plane so it was money well spent. With what these shops charge in labor, it sure seems wise to knock it all out at once instead of doing one thing here, one there... especially if you have to rebuild the panel. Gotta get it all right the first time!

Thank you so much. this was a very well put together video and very informative. The work it it looks first rate but sorry it took so long to get it done and cost so much for you. I bet that seven months of down time really drove you crazy at times.

Thank you very much for this video. I'm very interested in buying a Malibu as my first purchase, and want to install a similar panel in it.

Merry Christmas and thank you for sharing your story.

Our paths for upgrade, including timeline are scary similar. Only real difference between your project and mine was I had a legacy G500 on the shelf when they dropped the TXi. I was fortunate, or loud mouthed enough with DAILY calls to the Garmin rep, to get approval to get the legacy installed while waiting for certification of the TXi. We were down for about 6 months before we finally got ours installed and airworthy. Bravo for the honesty and background information. I applaud you not sullying the name of the shop, you will probably need them in the future for warranty. As always, I enjoy your videos, always learning. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year...

What an amazing job! Great video with plenty of valuable information and useful advice. Cheers

Thanks for such a great video for anyone who is considering an avionics upgrade

Very well done and clean presentation, bravo...

I own a Malibu and I love it!!! My Malibu is OK-PMG. A 2018 Piper Malibu Mirage M350!

Nice video. I was wondering about your panel, great story.

Amazing Well done and thanks for sharing the experience.

No intention to make any avionics upgrades in the near future; that said, appreciate you having expressed your experiences in that regard as those insights will most likely make any similar upgrades a bit easier to navigate. Recently ran across this channel BTW. Subscribe? Will do.

Thanks for that. Please reach out if ever in KFRG

It is amazing you saved 70 lbs in wiring. What was your *total* change in weight at the end of the project? Great video!

Thanks for the video. I really enjoyed the topic.

Keep the videos coming !! This one was especially informative. I've been out of flying for 25 years and just decided to get back into it. So now, I need to find a plane. The Malibu Mirage is high on my list, and I'd love to talk to you about them. Maybe you even know of a few for sale. Anyway, if you're ever near Jacksonville, FL or St. Augustine, let me know.

Sweet, Merry Christmas and have a blessed 2019!

Excellent overview.

Just started watching your videos. I love the upgrade! Are you based in the PHX area? If you are and ever want someone to fly with, I’m a CFI/CFII and would love to tag along!

Thank you for putting this video together...

At the beginning when you said your budget was about $10k, I must admit I chuckled a little...but over $100k...that's painful. Thanks for the informative video.

Half a million dollars later...Very nice airplane..have you thought about doing the PT-6 upgrade at overhaul? For what it is worth, I have never met anyone who did a complete avionics overhaul that their plane wasn't down double the time they were originally projected by the shop. Add on to it that Garmin released a brand new system right when you were doing yours and 7 months seems pretty typical. Just be glad you didn't do it 2 months earlier. You may have purchased a unit from the last batch of legacy G500. Instant buyer's regret. I fly out of KLVJ just 30 miles up the road from Galveston! I've never flown in a Malibu. I may have to buy the burgers one day at Brenham...

I too very much appreciate your transparency. While the costs exceeded your initial budget and time deadlines were not met, you now have an airplane with a panel that is second to none and avionics maintenance costs that should be almost zero going forward. All the best in 2019.

Hey, great video ! If you could can you give me a ballpark on the second TXI screen. My shop did not explain or did I see that they could share AHARs so I have a Ipad mounted that is nice but would options! Nice clean panel ,just like I put in my 89jetprop . Ive learned a lot watching you operate your equipment, Thanks!

Great video. Great info. I learned never give a builder all your money up front either. Our house was to be built in 3 months. Ended up taking 3yrs, a lawyer, and the elders of his church to get it done. I found out he had about 10 other families he was ripping off. I think God used us to expose him. God blessed us incredibly when it was all over. Love your new panel. Getting that 70lbs of wiring out is always nice too.

Absolutely incredible ----Id never have thought your Malibu was a 1989 model-- but it looks / appears to be a great investment --Now just put the new Lycoming engine in it if you don't have already and it's a new aircraft ----huh?

We should never deny our wives a better display :) Love your panel, videos and airplane. “Let each one of you love his wife as himself, and purchase cool avionics for their viewing pleasure” Eph 5:33 - At least that’s how read it lol

Thanks for the information. I have a 1986 T210R that I am upgrading with the G500txi. I have a question on your radar? I have a RDR160 - is that the same unit you have? Currently I am using the Avidyne Entegra to be able to get color radar on my MFD. Were you able to get your radar to display in color on your GTN750 and G500Txi? Thanks

Thank you for sharing your experience. I'm considering buying an older aircraft and doing a similar retrofit. Can you talk about what it took to upgrade the paint and interiors as well?

Who is the manufacturer of the auto pilot controller/selector you have mounted below the mid cont. Thanks Taylor

Very nice and thank you for sharing.

Hi I looks great. I am fitting a very similar set up in a Cherokee 6. How much was the secondary screen?

Nice panel and wiring. The quick disconnect is a good idea. Could you say the shop you used ?

What are the differences between the G500 TXI and the 3GX touch? I can’t find any info on the differences online...

About to start upgrading my Malibu panel and would love to be able to speak with you about a few things, such as why you wnet with the JPI instead of Garmin EIS, and if the pfd controller is worth the expense? Would also love to get a full photo of the panel. This is almost identical to what I would like to do.

I like the other lite blue color

Well done video and very insightful. You have an awesome panel. What was your net weight difference with the removed avionics / wiring and the new installation? Thank you for sharing how you got there! Happy Holidays and fly safe!

What was your entire cost of the upgrade please What is your autopilot?

Hey @MalibuFlyer....what software were you using for prototyping your new panel?

My first job out of high school was in an avionics shop. I remember that for all the major players, Beech, Cessna, Piper and Mooney, the factory installed wiring was the worse I ever saw. It all looked like the spaghetti monster behind the panels. What you had there looked very typical. Also don't beat yourself up over the huge cost overrun. There is no way you can judge what all that much of an avionics change will involve until panels are out and you know what needs to go back in. I can well imagine just how much work it was for that shop to trace out every wire to be sure they are not removing any wires they should not. Plus making sure that the right wire goes to its correct new connection. It seems the biggest weak link here was with Garmin shutting down sales of G500 panels before they had G500 TXi ready. I suspect that getting the TXi's finished and certified took a few months longer than they expected and there was a gap in manufacturing. You and your family have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Years too

What’s the cost to do this??

Great video, great panel! Were you able to fly at all while the bird was down 7 months?

Hello please I need to ask you for a second display sharing the same AHRS is that possible? And if yes how much it cost for additional screen !!? My avioncis guy he said never heard about something like that and he want to sale me a complete second G600TXI with separate AHRS 😏 can’t wait to hear back from you thank you 🙏

Thinking of moving to a malibu. Would you ever consider a call? Would love to get your thoughts and ideas.

I would think for the money you spent I would of went with the 1000 set up

Beautiful panel! I'm in the process of overhauling my panel now with alot of the same equipment, however I'm curious to know what that auto pilot control panel is next to your king a/p? I'm also keeping my king a/p but love the idea of a separate controller for it instead of going through the txi. Thanks

I have enjoyed your videos with the TXi/GTN 750. I am flying a Seneca V with similar equipment including the KFC150. First question is the GPSS Roll Steering equipment the GDC31 by DAC International. Second question did the TXi Firmware come with Version 6.50 or later, or was it 6.41? Regards and keep up the informative videos.

Haven’t seen a new video in a while. Please keep em coming. Why did you choose the EDM 930 over the EDM 900? Planning to upgrade the engine monitor in my Malibu. The 900 seems like the natural choice.

Hello great work! please tell me who much you pay for installation and panel workshop? Thanks !

Thanks for this video! Love the Panel. I have a couple of questions - Would you do it again? and if so what would you change if anything? I am thinking about buying a Meggitt Meridian and doing the same upgrade or trying to stretch and buy a G1000 meridian? Would love to hear your thoughts.

Hello, I really liked your project. I am also building a Malibu, how could I contact you to talk about the dashboard?

piper malibu is a nice small airplane, what year is your malibu?

Would you recommend the G500 txi EIS package over the EDM-930?

Great video, thanks!! Do you know if there is a chance for a online free panel builder set up to start planning for a panel upgrade and get some ideas. Or is it better or only possible to do such research with a avionics shop? Happy holidays! ;)

Thanks for the great videos, I’m in the same process with a P210 build right now. What do yo suggest when you get hit with the pay before we will order the equipment?

Do you have the gdl 69 and does it display blocky or pixelated

Appreciate the video. good info. Can I ask, what autopilot you've installed?

Wow a 10k budget revised to 100k. I would be divorced,lol. I would have considered Avidyne and/or Aspen avionics!!!

If you had wanted the copilot's G500 to be able to serve as a backup, could you have had a second AHRS installed? Or do they only support the single-AHRS configuration? I assume that even in that situation you'd still have needed the Mid-Continent because you'd need backup power.

What system are you using for your CO2 & Pressure monitors in the panel?

What is the reason you did not add the EIS system with the TXI?

Do you have integrated EIS data in the TXi? If so, do you find having the JPI redundant? I’m doing my Baron soon and trying to decide if a stand alone EIS display is necessary considering the capabilities of the 10” TXi.

You're in a Ministry? How does your ministry afford such an expensive aircraft? Or any aircraft for that matter? What do you do for your ministry that affords you to fly all over the place?

Had a $10,000 budg... Aaaand its gone!

Thanks for your video on this, I am considering a Malibu and have been looking for someone who has undertaken exactly what you have and would like the opportunity to learn a little more if there is a way to contact you via email

Hi can I ask what the second display cost and was it worth it. Thanks Art

Sorry, not only do they put you on back burner working an A/c but Cars, home repair If they do that you can bet they will charge you their Tuna for Lunch too

See the Movie: Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House (1948)

What does one G500 cost? I’m looking to retrofit my cherokee 180

which paint shop did you use for your plane? I am looking a good paint shop for my plane

If possible, can you itemize of what u installed and price you paid for it. Im looking at a 1986 Malibu and its all steam gauges and i would want to upgrade just like u did. Just wondering what am i getting myself into if i buy the Malibu. Thanks

By not naming the shop, are you not allowing some other fellow pilot fall victim to their practice? Also, based on what you have stated you were not dragging them through the mud. You mentioned the quality was good, so it seems you were being honest and not punitive.

Obviously you have never done a full avionics swap before. You have just reduced the bell top of your learning curve.