Avionics News June 2014 - 50

feature
BELOW: The original panel for N524AM came from the factory with
BendixKing Gold Crown series avionics and were controlled by Gables Heads.

OngOing EVOLUTION
HOW THE COCKPIT UPGRADE
BUSINESS HAS CHANGED

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S

T

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R

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B

Y

D

A

hile the avionics business has seen
more than its share of economic
turbulence during the past decade or
so, one thing that has remained constant is the
continued upswing in available hardware and
software technologies.
And that has brought about some significant
changes in the way the majority of us do business.
Heck, it wasn't long ago that we were in the
box-swapping business. A customer would need,
or want, to upgrade this radio for that, or one
instrument for another.
Many times, it was purely due to the need to
simply replace a broken unit. New technologies
were not the driving force for most panel retrofits.
That all changed in 1998, when a (then) littleknown company named Garmin introduced its
GNS 430 unit. The avionics upgrade business
hasn't been the same since.

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2014

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Out with the old - in with the new
Seemingly overnight, everyone wanted these cool,
highly-capable units in their panels. Pilots by the
bushel were tossing or trading perfectly functional
radios to make room for a GNS 430 or 530.
While they certainly did bring a new level of
capabilities and functionality to all shapes and
sizes of panels, their major impact was that, for the
first time, owners and pilots were willing to spend
money not because they must, but because they
want to.
Then, it all came to the proverbial screeching
halt in 2008, when the bottom fell out of
everything in the business.
"The 2008 economic downturn has hurt the
avionics upgrade/installation business, especially
in the light business aircraft market," stated Craig
Stephan, vice president/quality manager for Friend
Aircare. "Since operations are down, owners will



Avionics News June 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News June 2014

Point of Communication
AEA Now
The View from Washington
International News and Regulatory Updates
Standby Glass
Member Profile
Moving Forward
Ongoing Evolution
ADS-B Installations are Beginning to Take Off
Member Profile
What's Working?
Business Basics
Seven Signs it's Time to Use a Collection Agency
What's New
Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News June 2014 - Intro
Avionics News June 2014 - Cover1
Avionics News June 2014 - Cover2
Avionics News June 2014 - 1
Avionics News June 2014 - 2
Avionics News June 2014 - 3
Avionics News June 2014 - Point of Communication
Avionics News June 2014 - 5
Avionics News June 2014 - AEA Now
Avionics News June 2014 - 7
Avionics News June 2014 - 8
Avionics News June 2014 - 9
Avionics News June 2014 - 10
Avionics News June 2014 - 11
Avionics News June 2014 - 12
Avionics News June 2014 - 13
Avionics News June 2014 - The View from Washington
Avionics News June 2014 - 15
Avionics News June 2014 - International News and Regulatory Updates
Avionics News June 2014 - 17
Avionics News June 2014 - 18
Avionics News June 2014 - 19
Avionics News June 2014 - Standby Glass
Avionics News June 2014 - 21
Avionics News June 2014 - 22
Avionics News June 2014 - 23
Avionics News June 2014 - Member Profile
Avionics News June 2014 - 25
Avionics News June 2014 - 26
Avionics News June 2014 - 27
Avionics News June 2014 - Moving Forward
Avionics News June 2014 - 29
Avionics News June 2014 - 30
Avionics News June 2014 - 31
Avionics News June 2014 - 32
Avionics News June 2014 - 33
Avionics News June 2014 - 34
Avionics News June 2014 - 35
Avionics News June 2014 - 36
Avionics News June 2014 - 37
Avionics News June 2014 - 38
Avionics News June 2014 - 39
Avionics News June 2014 - 40
Avionics News June 2014 - 41
Avionics News June 2014 - 42
Avionics News June 2014 - 43
Avionics News June 2014 - 44
Avionics News June 2014 - 45
Avionics News June 2014 - 46
Avionics News June 2014 - 47
Avionics News June 2014 - 48
Avionics News June 2014 - 49
Avionics News June 2014 - Ongoing Evolution
Avionics News June 2014 - 51
Avionics News June 2014 - 52
Avionics News June 2014 - 53
Avionics News June 2014 - 54
Avionics News June 2014 - 55
Avionics News June 2014 - ADS-B Installations are Beginning to Take Off
Avionics News June 2014 - 57
Avionics News June 2014 - 58
Avionics News June 2014 - 59
Avionics News June 2014 - 60
Avionics News June 2014 - 61
Avionics News June 2014 - 62
Avionics News June 2014 - 63
Avionics News June 2014 - Member Profile
Avionics News June 2014 - 65
Avionics News June 2014 - What's Working?
Avionics News June 2014 - 67
Avionics News June 2014 - 68
Avionics News June 2014 - 69
Avionics News June 2014 - Business Basics
Avionics News June 2014 - 71
Avionics News June 2014 - 72
Avionics News June 2014 - 73
Avionics News June 2014 - 74
Avionics News June 2014 - 75
Avionics News June 2014 - Seven Signs it's Time to Use a Collection Agency
Avionics News June 2014 - 77
Avionics News June 2014 - 78
Avionics News June 2014 - 79
Avionics News June 2014 - What's New
Avionics News June 2014 - 81
Avionics News June 2014 - 82
Avionics News June 2014 - 83
Avionics News June 2014 - 84
Avionics News June 2014 - 85
Avionics News June 2014 - Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News June 2014 - 87
Avionics News June 2014 - 88
Avionics News June 2014 - Cover3
Avionics News June 2014 - Cover4
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