AEA Pilot's Guide 2022-2023 - 42

AVIONICS UPGRADE MISTAKES AND HOW TO AVOID THEM
Continued from page 40
Mistake No. 4:
Choosing the wrong avionics shop
Selecting the right shop for your upgrade is probably the
most difficult decision you will make as an aircraft owner.
How do you know which shop is right?
Start with shops that already have experience with your
aircraft type and avionics selection. Not every shop has
worked on every aircraft, and you don't want to be the one
where the technicians go to school. Somebody has to pay
for their education.
" Take the new Garmin TXi displays, " Gualandri said.
" There are over 30 possible combinations that you have with
those systems alone. The typical aircraft owner has no idea
what will work in their aircraft, and even a less-experienced
technician can spend a lot of time figuring it out. "
Our experts' best advice is to talk to pilots who have
similar aircraft and find out what AEA-member shop they
recommend. As stated above, it's not about the lowest price.
The lowest price means nothing if the shop cannot do the
work to your satisfaction.
" Ask to see their incoming aircraft checklist, " Lee said.
" Look at it to see how complete and comprehensive it is. If
you don't think they're taking the time to check much upfront,
chances are you're going to get a nasty surprise somewhere
in the project. You want a shop that's very thorough in
everything they do.
" Another thing to ask is if the facility is an FAA Part 145
repair shop. Overall, the biggest difference to the customer
will be FAA oversight. Part 145 shops are required to have a
more-rigorous set of procedural standards, including a drugtesting
program in place for anyone who touches the aircraft.
" The project's outcome is directly related to the people
working on the aircraft. It's something owners should be
aware of. "
Mistake No. 5: Not actually flying the equipment
before you buy it
" This is a more-frequent mistake than you might think;
pilots see something at a show or a video on YouTube, and
they immediately think it's what they want and need, " Fryar
said. " You can't know if it's right for you and your type of
flying until you can physically use the unit in the air.
" We are very strong believers in trying before you buy,
so we have all of the latest avionics installed in various
single- and twin-engine aircraft. We want customers to have
the chance to get hands-on with it. Many times the unit they
want really doesn't fit their needs. "
" Some shops are pigeonholed into selling only one brand
of avionics, and I don't think owners take the time to look
at other options, " Lee said. " It's refreshing when an owner
comes in here and has done his homework. That makes the
whole process a lot easier and more successful for everyone
involved. "
Mistake No. 6: Falling in love with one brand
" Focusing too much on a particular piece of equipment or
brand can lead to more problems than you might imagine, "
Smith said. " Instead, it's much better to focus on what you
want to accomplish with the upgrade. Other manufacturers
have similar units that provide similar capabilities, and it may
actually be easier and less expensive to integrate that unit
with what you are keeping in your panel.
" It can take a lot of added time to try and get some types
of new avionics to work correctly with legacy units. That can
add a lot of time and money to the bottom line. You need to
work with your avionics shop early to understand what your
choices mean with regards to added engineering and STC
costs. "
Mistake No. 7: Not telling the installers about
existing avionics squawks
One all-to-common mistake aircraft owners make is
trying to save money by not telling the installing shop about
any preexisting problems with their current components.
Unfortunately, they're only costing themselves more money.
" If you have a known problem with a piece of equipment,
give the shop as much detail about it as you can, " Fryar said.
" If we have to interface the new avionics with that unit that
has a squawk, even if it doesn't bother you, it can be supercritical
in terms of your new equipment functioning properly.
We can spend much time troubleshooting a problem that we
could have known about in the first place.
" Even when the owner/pilot doesn't know for sure
whether or not it's a problem, make a note of it and tell the
shop technician. Even if we only suspect that there may be
an issue, we can look into it early on. Sometimes we have
the owner sit in the cockpit with us and show us what's
happening during the incoming checkout. "
Mistake No. 8: Not taking the time to give the
shop a detailed tour of your panel
When it comes to avionics installations, the more the
shop knows upfront, the better. Shop owners run across this
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