Mooney autopilot

[kellym]

I'm not sure how much you know about the Mooney people, but even through it's old, and the values aren't as high as some of the other options, the short body Mooneys are among the most desirable of the fleet. They are relatively cheap to purchase, and relatively cheap to own and operate. Many people purchasing these older airplanes prefer the manual johnson bar gear vs the electric. Plus they have an excellent history. To me, a manual gear Mooney and a modern glass panel is a top combination, and at that point it isn't as much the cost or the monetary value it brings as much as it is the informational value it brings, along with being able to finally add an autopilot.

I don't disagree with you as far as desire, etc. I owned a '65 E model for 18 years, just sold 5 yrs ago. Just depends on how rational owners are about spending around 40% of the total value of the aircraft on new avionics, which may at best add 50% of the cost to the sales price of the aircraft when there is a need/desire to sell. I upgraded to an RV-10 with all new avionics, including full Dynon classic screen system with 3 axis autopilot.
What Dynon has to figure out is how many sales they will need to break even on the costs of certification, and the likelyhood of achieving that many sales.