Hey Jim,
Since I fly a round panel I'll give you my 2 cents. I do like the forward vision on my '64D model. I find the seats sit high (or seem to). Going to M model panels is probably like going from a 150 to a 172 for others…a lot more of your vision is retained within the cockpit itself. For flying VFR I think the round panel is a healthy configuration.
But since the panel was designed without much "human factor" consideration, the placement of the instruments is seemingly random! It's tough to organize the "6 pack"…and the yoke will inevitably break it up. IFR configuration would be challenging (though I've seen enough of them to know they exist). The scan I was taught in flight training is completely lost.
I'm still running a generator and using old fuses. I'm surprised though how reliable some of these old systems are…still I'd love to convert.
