1960 M35 BEECH BONANZA N122X

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  • Dual King Digital KX-155 Nav/Comm
  • King KMA-20 Audio Panel
  • King KR-86 ADF
  • King KT-76C Transponder with Encoder (new 1998)
  • Century 2000 Autopilot with Altitude Hold
  • Insight Strikefinder (new 1998)
  • Beryl D'Shannon Tip Tanks (new 1997)
  • Beryl D'Shannon Speedslope Windshield, (new 1998)
  • Tanis engine heater (new 1998)
  • National alternator conversion (new 1998)
  • Electric backup attitude indicator
  • New Stebbins magnesium ruddervators
  • New instrument panel by Penn Avionics in Collegeville, PA (2001)
  • Interior fair (interior actually not bad except for one bad rip in the front passenger seatback). 
  • Paint new in 1999 by Keyson Aircraft Refinishing in Nashua, NH (KASH).

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Above is a photo of N122X shortly after we purchased it, prior to adding the tip tanks, Speedslope windshield, and new paint job.

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In 2001, I decided that the old-style (non-centerstack) Bonanza panel was too restrictive and had too little room.  So, I hired Penn Avionics in Collegeville, PA to rip out the old panel and install a new, custom designed one.  I worked with them on the design, using the following objectives and guidelines:

  • Move the Strikefinder from the lower right side of the panel to the lower left where I could have a chance to make out the too-dim display.
  • Leave the lefthand radio stack where it is (I had gotten used to having it there).
  • Make a compartment at the top center sized to fit the Garmin 295 handheld GPS, and install power and antenna connections for the GPS.
  • Make a right-center stack for addition of future avionics.  Move the King KR-86 ADF to the top of that stack.  Above the ADF is an uncommitted space that can be used either for two 3-1/8" instruments or for more avionics.  Under the ADF is a map compartment that is deep enough so that sectional and low altitude enroute charts can lie flat.  This map compartment can be removed at some future date if the space is needed for more avionics.
  • Make space for an electric directional gyro, which was purchased at the same time the electric attitude indicator was purchased and has been sitting on the shelf collecting dust ever since because there was no place to put it.
  • Add a 4-place intercom (mounted to the right of the lefthand radio stack).
  • Above the intercom, add a two-light annunciator for low voltage and low vacuum.
  • Below the intercom, add a 1-inch vacuum gauge to replace a 2-1/4 inch gauge.
  • Add a fuel flow / fuel-used gauge (lower right).
  • Clean up a real rats nest of old wiring and hacked-in circuit breakers so that now all circuit breakers except the main alternator breaker are behind the flipdown door to the lower right of the panel.
  • Replace the old landing gear indicator lights and flap position lights with brighter lights that are push-to-test and can be replaced from the front.

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When we purchased N122X, its engine was a T. W. Smith overhaul Teledyne Continental IO-470NcC (shown above), which was installed in 1984.  We had little or no trouble with it until 2002, when we started having a lot of trouble with oil-fouled spark plugs, the fuel system, and some other issues.  It got to the point where we couldn't really trust the airplane to be dependable anymore, so I voluntarily grounded it during the summer of 2002 (during a time when all of my work was in New Hampshire and eastern Massachusetts and I didn't need the plane for business travel) and late in the summer I placed an order with Superior Air Parts for a rebuilt Millennium IO-470C engine with GAMIjectors.

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As long as the engine was coming out anyway, I hired Keyson Aircraft Refinishers to paint the interior of the engine compartment.  I also had the prop and prop governor sent out for overhaul as they were about due.  We also found that the vacuum pump was hanging on by a thread, so that was sent out for overhaul.

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Here is the Superior Millennium engine ready to go in.  I have added an oil filter adapter (not shown in this photo), and plan to add an Oilamatic engine pre-oiler at some later date, probably at the next annual inspection.

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Here is the Superior Millennium engine installed in the airplane.  As of this date (1/4/2003), there is still a fair amount of work to do to finish the installation, and the IA tells me that we should expect first flight towards the end of this week (assuming the weather co-operates ... two snowstorms of more than one foot each in the last 10 days have things pretty well buried around here).  I will add some more photos and description to this page when the job is finished.