Avionics News August 2013 - 22

EQUIPPED LIKE NEW

Continued from page 21

value potential of most upgrades
doesn’t generally support profitably
buying and “flipping” upgraded
aircraft.
These owners first seek the
realization of a dream: airplane
ownership. Then they turn to
fulfilling their ambitions for
the plane – paint and interior,
powerplant and prop, upholstery and
accessories. All are upgradeable or
replaceable on most general aviation
aircraft.
It’s in the panel where the
upgrades can have the biggest
impact on flying and flight safety.
For the purpose of this article, we
divided the panel into three areas
of focus: left, center and right. The
sequence may matter in maximizing
the owner’s budget and minimize
any repeat work.
Otherwise, first tackle what’s most
needed and move through the project
methodically as budget allows.
Moving the old bird ever closer to
panel parity with the new birds will
serve to improve the utility, safety
and enjoyment of flying.
Left to right, consider a few
options for each segment and how
they can fit together.

LEFT SIDE: PFD ME
Options for replacing the dozen
dials of the analog archipelago
continue to grow by the year. From
a basic swap to a full-featured
upgrade, the options and potential
are as deep on the left as anywhere
else.
Aspen and Avidyne, Garmin and
Honeywell, to name just a few of
the heavyweights in digital-panel
equipment, cover the spectrum for

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avionics news

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august

2013

While the enhancements may not necessarily
match the highest-dollar panels in every
function, a budget-driven process can
still deliver most of the improvements and
functions of a modern digital panel.

general aviation aircraft.
Aspen Avionics’ lowest-cost
primary flight display, the Evolution
1000 Pilot PFD, is a stand-alone
enhancement that can plug into the
space of the center-two gyros of
the standard six-pack, which makes
the installation process mostly an
electrical and electronics job. No
panel surgery – remove two, install
one.
An owner can add Aspen’s
lowest-cost multifunction display,
the Evolution 500 MFD, and
the package can be upgraded to
use the Evolution Pro PFD with
significantly more features and
functions – among them a fully
functional horizontal situation
indicator, or HSI.
Avidyne’s options used to include
an Integra EX500. But today, the
low-end Avidyne box is the EX600,
a full-function standard-width MFD,
which works with more than 20
different models of airborne weather
radar.
For an aircraft owner flying
an old cabin-class, irreplaceable
twin, Avidyne certified its 10-inch
diagonal Envision retrofit PFD/MFD
combination in several different
aircraft models.
Does the owner want to upgrade
an autopilot system and embrace
the capabilities of a true flight-

management system? The entry
fee here is lower than ever thanks
to Avidyne teaming with Aspen to
provide the PFD/attitude source for
a supplemental type certificate of
Avidyne’s advanced-capabilities
DFC90 digital, attitude-based
autopilot. It’s approved for retrofit in
Cessna 182s, Bonanzas and Barons,
and soon for six-pack Cirrus models
– the early incarnations with an
MFD but all analog on the left side.
This upgrade delivers the benefits
of Aspen’s advanced, high-capability
Evolution 1000 Pro PFD.
Garmin also offers solutions, as
does Honeywell. The expensive part
of this trick is, like with the Avidyne
offerings, installing square boxes
where once round holes prevailed.
Garmin’s G500/G600 systems
packages into one box the PFD,
the MFD and all the hardware that
drives them.
And the form factor of Aspen
units contributes a significant
amount to the simplification of
installing any of them.

THE MIDDLE: RADIOS AND MORE
Comm and nav radios, MFDs,
traffic, terrain, transponders and
autopilot boxes – the center stack
is the traditional home of these
necessary accessories to flying the
aircraft.
Avionics News August 2013

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