Cessna 205 Re-Make

This 1963 Cessna 205, is commonly mistaken for the Cessna 210 or 206. The Cessna 210-5 or 205, is known as the “SUV of the air”. This Skywagon is a 6 seater, with fixed landing gear and a very distinctive cowling. Cessna only ever made 576 of these unique aircraft in starting in 1963. ATC still to this day often calls it the 210 while in the air.

Owner

After flying a Cessna 172 for a few years, Kim discovered that a 205 would be a perfect fit for his family of three and to be able to achieve all the things he would like to do. Kim is a local cinematographer and, purchased this aircraft in 2013 for pleasure. During his hiatus in the film and TV show industry, Kim enjoys taking some solidarity flying time during the week and on the summer weekends taking the family camping.

It became apparent that one day the plane would receive an upgrade when Kim’s wife, Joanna, started working at Maxcraft Avionics as a Customer Service Rep. 6 years ago. Watching the amount of aircraft get upgrades it was easy to follow suit, with the convenience of seeing the latest and greatest technology first hand.
Panel View 2

The Need:

Kim decided to upgrade the plane to suit his needs for now and for his future. He is now currently obtaining his IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) and is preparing the plane for future changes.

Lower Instrument Panel overlay ready to be installed

The solution:

  • Custom upper and lower MaxPanel instrument panels (Maxcraft)
  • EFD 1000 Pro Primary Flight Display (Aspen)
  • GTN 750 GPS/Nav/Com (Garmin)
  • FlightStream 510 Wifi/Bluetooth Connext (Garmin)
  • Aero 553 co detector (Guardian)
  • Backlit Instrument lighting (UMA)
  • Panel Wash lighting strips (UMA)
  • USB charging ports (Mid Continent)
  • EDM 830 Engine Monitor (JPI)
  • Flush Mount iPhone holder (Guardian)

The story:

Panel View 3

 

This is an extensive project and not for the “faint of heart” when you see how much of the aircraft comes apart. The avionics installation is straight forward but a new panel opens up many questions. After some extensive research and many dialogues with the customer, the scope of work and panel layout was finalized. Aside from the avionics listed above, new engine controls were added, master and fuel pump switches were replaced, all new circuit breakers were installed, and the small bit of remaining wiring was tidied up. Finally all the placards were reviewed, determined which were still applicable, and a new laser engraved panel was created. During the installation our team also had provisions installed for a future GTN650 and 55X Auto Pilot. When it comes to avionics, Kim and Joanna, have a very capable, reliable, 1963 Cessna 205 that rivals any new aircraft coming off the line.