Avionics News July 2013 - 21

ABOVE: Bendix/King’s KLX 135A

ABOVE: Garmin’s GNC 300XL
LEFT: Aspen’s Evolution 1000 Pilot PFD

and nav radios. Throw in the requisite basic flight instruments and air-data gauges
and you’re looking at what remains a
standard many pilots are in no rush to replace. And for what they do upgrade, they
need to be able to accomplish their goals
at costs that don’t represent a majority
percentage of their aircraft’s value.
Sure, some would covet some electronic instruments, but they aren’t a priority – more of a want then a need.
Some of these pilots fly light instrument flight rules, many fly only visual
flight rules; some engage in a small percentage of night flying, most fly only during the hours between dawn and dusk.
Consider what many old aircraft still
use compared to the crop of one-generation-old VHF navs, comms and nav/
comms, and simple GPS navigators. Then
think of how operators of aged aircraft
may find improvement over their current
panels without betting the plane in the
process.
FINANCIAL CHALLENGES OF A
GERIATRIC FLEET

Of the approximately 150,000 active

single-engine airplanes flying in 2000,
the average age of the fleet was more
than 30 years old; that’s now around 40
– and headed to 50 in 2020, according
to the Federal Aviation Administration’s
Best Practices Guide for Maintaining
General Aviation Airplanes, available
online at www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/
design_approvals/small_airplanes/cos/
aging_aircraft/media/aging_aircraft_
best_practices.pdf.
Among the many reasons for this is
their generally high-quality manufacture,
the quality of maintenance techniques and
materials, and the relatively easy ability
to replace out-of-date and worn-out components ... think engines, props, wheels,
brakes, bearings, cables, pulleys, hoses
and avionics.
One other aspect of these airplanes
contributes significantly to their continued
appeal: the costs of new planes versus
the costs of keeping old ones flying, even
when upgrading them with things like
engines, props, wheels, brakes, bearings,
cables, pulleys, hoses and, of course, avionics.
Additionally, most old planes simply

perform as well as new, but for less – and
they all can be retrofitted to match anything coming off the assembly line.
PAYBACK LIMITATIONS

A five-figure makeover can be tough
to justify for the owner of a $25,000,
$30,000 or even a $50,000 airplane,
particularly when the upgrade costs approaches parity with the old bird’s market
value.
There are thousands of piston singles
flying along that won’t value at even
$50,000; a search of one week’s classified listings turned up nearly 700 piston
singles actively offered for sale at prices
between $18,000 and $50,000.
It’s difficult to rationalize, let alone
finance, $25,000 or $30,000 in panel
upgrades for aircraft with loan values of
equal or less value. Of course, this doesn’t
stop some owners from tapping savings or
their cash flow to give them exactly what
they want in the cockpit – knowing that if
a sale is needed, their best bet for recovering a majority of their investment is likely
Continued on following page

avionics news

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july

2013

21

http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/designs_approvals/small_airplanes/cos/aging_aircraft/media/aging_aircraft_best_practices.pdf http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/designs_approvals/small_airplanes/cos/aging_aircraft/media/aging_aircraft_best_practices.pdf http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/designs_approvals/small_airplanes/cos/aging_aircraft/media/aging_aircraft_best_practices.pdf

Avionics News July 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News July 2013