Avionics News July 2013 - 22

PANEL POWER FOR BUDGET FLYING
Continued from page 21

… some pilots prefer the simplicity of flying
only by selling off the most-attractive
pieces of the new panel, filling the spaces
with old equipment. According to calculations from a number of brokers, installing $20,000 worth of new avionics in a
30-year-old airplane won’t add $20,000
to the sale price of a $25,000 airplane –
maybe $10,000 more – but only if the
buyer wants the exact stack of gear.
Engine replacements do far better,
explained one broker experienced in
aircraft ranging from piston singles
to single-aisle airliners. “Interior and
paint may get you 50 percent of the
investment in an airplane that’s more
than 20 years old – maybe not if it’s
older than 30.”
And newer but a generation-past-prime
panel gear can work the same wonders for
those older airframes as the newest.
THE SECOND-GENERATION
ADVANTAGES

Few people involved in technology
or transportation ever recommend being a customer for version A of anything; call it a learned aversion.
But older-generation equipment that
still fulfills its role is proven gear.
This gear can improve the flying
environment for the pilot of older aircraft, enhance the aircraft’s capabilities
and keep the budget requirements in
line with the aircraft’s market value.
The budget-panel upgrade can help
the shop move still-viable gear to a
prospect who’s unlikely to buy stateof-the-art gear, to the benefit of both.
When an owner who covets but
can’t cover the costs of always flying
with the latest-and-greatest becomes
the beneficiary of some newer, albeit
not “bleeding-edge” gear, flying can
get easier and more affordable.
For the shop who helps an owner
put together a budget-suitable panelupgrade package that modernizes

avionics news

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july

2013

unadorned with glass screens and other trappings
of new-production aircraft. Absolutely, many pilots
appreciate the worth of modern systems but simply
lack the resources to makeover their panels.
the panel from its current state, the
prospects are good the shop will gain
a long-term customer – and a prospect
for more work should the owner later
move up to another aircraft.
FIRST JOB: ANSWERING
UPGRADE QUESTIONS

So what does the owner do when
equipment age and aviation ambitions
conspire to push the need for upgrading
avionics?
The first tip most ownership-advisers
offer: Determine the owner’s flying ambitions, or the plans for using the aircraft
long-term.
Few upgrades make financial sense
unless the owner expects to keep and
fly the upgraded plane for five or more
years. Does the owner expect to upgrade aircraft within five years? If not, if
ownership of the aircraft in question is
a long-term commitment, the upgrades
may make more sense.
If the aircraft flies for the owner’s
business needs, a chat with the business’
accountant is in order to define what, if
any, tax benefits may be available.
From here, the questions all focus on
the owner’s flying ambitions.
Light to moderate instrument may
make the owner more interested in
equipment that advances those missions. Maybe the pilot wants the airplane instrument-capable, on a minimal
level, to serve in the event of an unintended excursion into IMC conditions
on a VFR flight.

Conversely, the day-VFR-only aviator can get by with less – as long as the
panel meets minimum requirements
for Part 23 (or Part 25) aircraft; suitability for mild instrument flying can
still be maintained – but with limited
capabilities.
Flying defining complete? Look
for the panel options that support the
owner’s planned flying.
NAVIGATION AND COMMUNICATION:
STILL FRUGAL AFTER
ALL THESE YEARS

The desire for a modern VHF nav/
comm and IFR GPS navigator remain
unfulfilled fantasies for many aircraft
owners. Affordable IFR GPS prospects
start today at about $10,000 and up. As
capabilities and features have grown, so
has cost. New iterations haven’t exactly
been coming in with lower prices.
But the news of new all-in-one models from Avidyne, Bendix/King and
Garmin should be treated as budgetminding good news for owners of older
aircraft looking to upgrade.
For GPS on a budget, consider the
viability of units like Bendix/King’s
KLN 89B, 90 and 94; Garmin’s GNC
300XL or its successors, the GNS 430
and GNS 530 – the pioneering all-inone GPS/comm/nav units. While all
are certified for en route, terminal and
approach flying, the GPS-guided approaches gained are all nonprecision.
The GNC 300XL is not only an IFR
approach-certified GPS, it’s also a full-

Avionics News July 2013

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