Ace Aviation did good work for my 185. At Renton airport.


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Dan at http://www.avionics.bz/ has done work for me ( got me out of a jam on short notice at one time) as well as for a couple other pilots I know and everyone is happy with his work. They are on the South end of Tacoma Narrows KTIW airport.

I have no personal experience with Cannon Avionics http://www.cannonavionics.com/ at Arlington KAWO but another Maule pilot had some panel work there and was pleased. Evidently has changed management to the good.

Another option is Crown Avionics at Paine Field KPAE http://www.crownaviation.com/ . Been there a long time.

Dan & Crown are the two that come to mind.
Dan comes up to our airport every once in a while to do a batch of txp certs.
And Mike at Crown did a couple radio repair jobs for me a few years ago.

I had a poor experience with Cannon once, that was enough as far as I was concerned.
But that was about 8 or 9 years ago, and I'm not sure that they're even owned by the same guy now.

Hotrod180 said:

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I had a poor experience with Cannon once, that was enough as far as I was concerned.
But that was about 8 or 9 years ago, and I'm not sure that they're even owned by the same guy now.

+1 on the crook who used to own Cannon. The guy who went to then recently was pretty happy although I tried to talk him out of it due to my previous experience with them. Either they have changed ownership or the recent guy hasn't counted his fingers yet.

Not that you asked, but this is the internet, so here it go’s...

Stec makes shitty auto pilots. The pitch control is based off a barometric sensor and makes great rollercoaster approaches. They are really expensive. Support sucks.
If it were me I would look at the new Tru Trak system, Trio avionics or a Garmin. You will likely need a field approval if it’s going in your 170 but that shouldn’t be tough for most avionics shops.


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swixtt wrote:Thanks for the feedback. It's actually going in a 206 straight so suggestions for the 'brand' of AP are great to hear.

Trio is working on certification for the 206, but it might be a bit yet. I'm putting 2 of them in 182s and they seem like a great unit. Installs are very straight forward. They link up to handheld gps and fly routes etc. My 206 will end up with one when I finish building it. If you can wait a bit for the cert, I'd go that route.

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swixtt wrote:wow ... as in a Garmin Aera 660 or such? too bad the Trio isn't available and it doesn't sound like much else IS available for it.

Yup, 660 will drive it just fine. But yes, you are right, at the current time the Stec is really the only one available for the 206...

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A guy at my airport just installed a TruTrak 2-axis autopilot in his C172.
He did most of the nuts-and-bolts stuff,
the local mechanic shop finished it up and wired it.
(BTW it was Tailspin Tommys at 0S9 Jefferson County)
Only been flying for a week or two now, but so far he loves it.

I think the device(s) cost a bit north of $5K, dunno about the installation labor.
FWIW I don't think an "avionics shop" necessarily has to do the work,
I think an A&P can probably do it-- at least here in the US.
Looks like you're in BC, rules might be different up there.

hotrod180 wrote:A guy at my airport just installed a TruTrak 2-axis autopilot in his C172.
He did most of the nuts-and-bolts stuff,
the local mechanic shop finished it up and wired it.
(BTW it was Tailspin Tommys at 0S9 Jefferson County)
Only been flying for a week or two now, but so far he loves it.

I think the device(s) cost a bit north of $5K, dunno about the installation labor.
FWIW I don't think an "avionics shop" necessarily has to do the work,
I think an A&P can probably do it-- at least here in the US.
Looks like you're in BC, rules might be different up there.

Us AMEs can do the install for the trutrak and trios up here in Canada. One thing that makes them so attractive.

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swixtt wrote:David, that is good to hear about the installs. what shop are you out of now? know of any stec installers in the area?

I have my own shop just outside of Grande Prairie.
Ony STEC installers I know of up here are Ducey Avionics/IFR out of Edmonton. We use them for lots of avionics stuff and the do great work.

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Inland Communications at Kamloops. They'll be doing the 930 install in my 185 in the spring. We've used them for years with very good results.

Have you tried Langley Aero? I'm not sure if they are a full comms shop but they installed my PAR200 and they are really good guys to work with. Rick's 180 is a thing of beauty.

PAMR MX wrote:Not that you asked, but this is the internet, so here it go’s...

Stec makes shitty auto pilots. The pitch control is based off a barometric sensor and makes great rollercoaster approaches. They are really expensive. Support sucks.
If it were me I would look at the new Tru Trak system, Trio avionics or a Garmin. You will likely need a field approval if it’s going in your 170 but that shouldn’t be tough for most avionics shops.


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All I know is no one has ever raved about Stec support. Their products are extremely expensive. And limited functionality. I would not want to be in their shoes. The new players will eat their lunch.


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swixtt wrote:

albravo wrote:Have you tried Langley Aero? I'm not sure if they are a full comms shop but they installed my PAR200 and they are really good guys to work with. Rick's 180 is a thing of beauty.

thanks, i was hoping to hear where you had gone for your work. getting to the coast from here during winter isn't always predictable though if we are given an install window.

Give Rick a call in January. He has been in the business forever and knows the other shops pretty well. There is also a good group on FB called BC General Aviation, I'm sure someone there will have a good idea.

These guys in Kamloops are great. Langley Aero sends a lot of their work up there.
http://www.icsavionics.ca/