Sure would be nice if there was a primary replacement for the airspeed and alt.


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JP256 wrote:

C180_guy wrote:With your list of requirements, why not just get an Aspen and call it a day? He showed me his records on the number of installations, versus the number of warranty claim transactions, comparing Garmin and Aspen. The difference was pretty startling - about 4 times higher percentage of claims versus Garmin. He says that Aspen is great about honoring their warranties, but the down time can be brutal when you have to ship the units back and forth.

Add to that the fact that the Aspens I've seen in my friends' cockpits appear to be a lot slower updating the screen (lagging behind) than the current-generation experimental stuff, and the screen resolution seems to be a bit lower as well. It's almost like a 5-year-old laptop compared to a state-of-the-art system with a faster processor and higher-density display...

We have been running Aspen units for the last seven years at work and have been very satisfied. We did go through some warranty issues at first, it had to deal with turn rate at slow speeds, we make lots of tight orbits. However, since they updated their software they have been very dependable. We shoot lots (20-30) IFR approaches a month and they have been spot on. We have the synthetic vision option, but we seldom use it as I would agree the refresh rate is sub-par. Although, I have used the Aspen for numerous approaches and have never had problems. Our Aspen is driven by our WAAS 430 and has been very reliable.

With all the above listed, we chose to install Garmin G5’s in my personal aircraft due to price. If price was no issue, I would probably have a nice glass panel, however, I live in the real world. The G5’s have given us almost the same functionality as the Aspen at a fraction of the cost. I have flown hard IFR with both and the nicest (not most important) piece of equipment would be a nice autopilot for single-pilot IFR operations.

So, maybe full disclosure is warranted, my 170 flies on an OM (owner maintenance) C of A, its a Canadian thing only and leaves a lot of room for alternate configurations. There are some basic requirements to comply with, max 4 seats, no retractable gear, no pressurization even anphib floats or wheel skis are prohibited. Some feel it may adversely affect the resale value but that won't be my issue the executor of my estate can deal with that. However the one unfortunate limitation is no "foreign" flying so even the region south of the Canadian border is off limits.

So with that said I'm planning a dual AV-30 installation as stand alone instruments for redundancy and reversion if required. The existing ASI, VSI, ALT and RPM will remain but I will be able to ditch the venturi tubes with this config. I would love to replace the electro-mechanical bits and pieces but have found exactly what I'm looking for yet (these are close https://www.kanardia.eu/product/indu-round-indicators/). I am planning to continue to use an Ipad mini for mapping and may go one step further with this accessory (https://www.wingbug.com/) for further redundancy.

All is driven by an ongoing desire to shed weight wherever and whenever possible, create reliability and avoid MAGENTA at all cost.

Mapleflt wrote:...I would love to replace the electro-mechanical bits and pieces but have found exactly what I'm looking for yet (these are close https://www.kanardia.eu/product/indu-round-indicators/).

Interesting stuff. Any idea about pricing? The website does not appear to show any. Also, have you looked at the MGLavionics.com website for their color "singles" (2 1/4" Vega and 3 1/8" Blaze)?

Mapleflt wrote:I am planning to continue to use an Ipad mini for mapping and may go one step further with this accessory (https://www.wingbug.com/) for further redundancy.

Now that unit seems very similar in functionality to the BOM (Broadcasting Outer Module) rom Levil Aviation (https://shop.levil.com/products/bom-with-adsb). That's the "with ADS-B" version, but it's also available without...

The Kanardia price list is in the "support" drop down window

Mapleflt wrote:The Kanardia price list is in the "support" drop down window

Oops! Well now I'm embarrassed. I could swear I checked that yesterday, but obviously not... Thanks!

Still interested in more info here. Perhaps some news from the AOPA gathering in Tullahoma?

Best,

Tommy

Here’s a short flight report on both the AV30 and AV20

https://youtu.be/hhRrNQsBl2w

uAvionix just bought AeroVonics!

https://uavionix.com/why/


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Wonder if this is going to speed things up as I have been waiting... and waiting ... and waiting... to purchase two AV-30s.

I think the Aerovonics units are quite cool. One of my buds is in the process of getting all the bits together for his panel upgrade. I looked over the install manual see how to interface various components into it. Well the current release shows 4 of the 5 serial ports as "reserved." So how it will interface is still being kept a bit of a secret. So I suggested he call them and see if they would reveal some aspects so he could at least plan out the install and leave some ports stubbed out awaiting the units. So the quote back was, "120 days out till certification." This was coupled with what appears to be several months backlog of reserved orders. So when you might have one in your hand is an open question.

Personally I would love if these inexpensive units could be used as replacements for my co-pilot instruments in the Caravan. I have to maintain a 28V ADI and a vacuum DG on that side that seem to have a very limited lifespan. The ADI is $2500 to get overhauled and the last one lasted for almost 3 hours. Luckily Mid Continent warrantied it, but it still took the plane out of service for the 10 day turn around. The sad fact, these units (G5 included) are not to be installed in aircraft over 4000 lbs. So it kind of eliminates them for my purposes. They would be cheaper and more capable than what is installed and a whole lot safer as backups. I suppose I could get a field approval, oh wait, I'm in Scottsdale's FAA jurisdiction. May as well wish my hair would grow back.

If the "reserved" ports do what I suspect, then they would be a much cleaner install than the G5 units, not having a separate box to interface everything through. That and finding a clever place to mount the box. I don't know what we would do if Cessna had not installed the nearly useless glovebox to mount stuff on top of. I find in almost criminal that all the POH's are too big to fit in the installed glovebox, yet we are required to have it in most aircraft. So it gets to float around the cabin. It is one of my number one complaints, that and a lack of a cupholder. Now if one of these units combined a cupholder with the silly interface box, then it would be a win in my world.

Well, if the wait is now into 2020, perhaps I need to rethink the Aspen unit. It is on sale at Chief ..........

Well, the bastards jacked up the price $500/unit, so aerovonics is dead to me.

That wasn't a very friendly way to start attracting new buyers. I'm glad I picked up my AV-30's last month but now I'm concerned about product support going forward

C180_guy wrote:Well, the bastards jacked up the price $500/unit, so aerovonics is dead to me.

Guess I'll ask for my deposits back!

I was an early adopter of the G5. I originally installed an Aspen with a G5 backup. I later learned the Aspen would not interface with the GFC500. That aside I've had dual G5's for a couple years now and could not be more pleased.

MW185

Mapleflt wrote:That wasn't a very friendly way to start attracting new buyers. I'm glad I picked up my AV-30's last month but now I'm concerned about product support going forward

Maybe the earlier quoted price was part of the reason the company was sold.....certification can be a bitch, and there are a LOT of small companies out there who’ve had to massively increase their price estimates once reality struck.

Not to mention production costs.

MTV

Very true MTV, I'll have to hope the new owners support the original product or I'm now the proud owner of a couple of AV-30 paperweights there not heavy enough to be door stops It all seems a bit ironic I purchased them for the weight savings and now they not heavy enough to be useful for anything else, I guess I've learned my "early adopter" lesson.

Why are you concerned with product support? Did something change I’m not tracking?

I’ve been saving pennies for one of these, I feel like I’d be happy to have bought one before the price increase. What am I missing?

Just a bit nervous I guess given the change of management, will the new guard support the original units as the product develops. One of the features that helped sell me was AeroVonic's intentions to release software update to the original product as a "field upgrade".