I got one last week after sitting in a buddies RV-9 while parked on the ramp and seeing it run through its paces. My recent trip throughout the Frank Church was my break in trip for it, and the best thing I can say about it is no instruction manual is needed! Just turn it on and start using it! The remote control is surprisingly handy, especially in rough air, and what better then an actual sectional depiction with a minature airplane that moves when you do for simple situational airwareness?

I love this thing, highly recommended It has the most common sense design I've seen yet and the mid 500 buck price isn't bad either. This was a safety related item of course so cost doesn't matter anyway I don't know if this thing has been discussed before but thought I'd blab it up, goodby Garmin!

Does it have capability for XM weather?

Not right now, the designer is talking about it. I'm old school and just look out the windshield so I don't care about that anyway. No offense to those who use that technology, good on ya, I don't need it, or at least think I don't need it, same difference. The whole setup seems to be very open for all kinds of upgrades. For right now the price is so good I guess you get what you pay for.

One thing I like is the support, it's like knowing Fred Garmin, (or whatever his name is) and just being able to call him up.....excellent service. I emailed them today at about 3:00 PM, and told how after my first flight with it I didn't get to fly for a few days. Then and only then did I realize the GPS is ON even though the display is turned off, so it draws power, about 500 milliamps I think, or maybe thats the all up power. Anyway, the day I was heading out to Chamberlain, the battery was dead and there I was all loaded and fueled but my plane wouldn't start, and I blamed the new GPS, and rightly so. I simply need to rig another cig type plug in to my master controlled buss bar, I had it plugged into my always hot cig plug in. About an hour later they got back to me, explained why and how they did it that way and the "problem" was solved.

The good thing is when I land off airport somewhere to take a leak and a picture, and get back in and re start, the iFly turned back on immediately to the whole display, (since only the external screen was off, the brains were still on) whereas my Garmin 196 went through the whole startup process everytime. Now that I think about it, I'll just leave it in my always hot plug in, and line switch it as I like the right now way it comes on line as I use my GPS all the time especially local off airport flying to help in determining winds/direction to land.

sounds OK courier...but cant even imaging not using my 396 garmin with live wx...have other stuff like an mx 20 in the dash also, but most other GPS equip. i find is way behind garmins capabilities and functionality. my 396 stays on also when stopped for a bit, and runs on it's own battery backup system...came out of the frank 2 wks ago in the rain, wouldnt pull that stunt without live wx 'goin on fwiw...

I'm also using the ifly700 and love it. It is simple and works great for what it does. You can get all current METARS on it before you take off if you want. Unlimited updates for VFR and IFR charts and approach plates for $89 a year is hard to beat. And just seeing myself flying across a sectional is all I really want anyway.

jomac wrote:sounds OK courier...but cant even imaging not using my 396 garmin with live wx...have other stuff like an mx 20 in the dash also, but most other GPS equip. i find is way behind garmins capabilities and functionality. my 396 stays on also when stopped for a bit, and runs on it's own battery backup system...came out of the frank 2 wks ago in the rain, wouldnt pull that stunt without live wx 'goin on fwiw...

So the 396 is obsolete I think. What's its followup? Do you have to go all the way up to the 696 XM G3 $2200 to get there?

Thanks

Emory Bored wrote:So the 396 is obsolete I think. What's its followup? Do you have to go all the way up to the 696 XM G3 $2200 to get there?

I think it's the Aera line, the main selling point of which seems to be the touch screen. I played with one recently and wasn't sold on the touch interface but maybe I just need to get used to it. They're going that way with the replacement for the GNS430/530 line too.

Thanks Vick. By the time I'm $1500 deep for the smallish 510 I would be more likely than not to go the extra to the for the larger 696. But then there's the IPad thingy with more and more apps coming along monthly. I'm not sure about the touch screen pinch movement on the IPad if it were mounted on the glare shield though. In fact, like you, the more I think about it I'm not so sure about a touch screen in an aircraft anyway. Ever use those blasted Terra COM units with the push button frequency change? Not kind in turbulence.

Anyway, thread hijack not intended. I'll check out the iFly unit.

If you're going to get the Aera then get the 560. You get a years free updates of all databases with the 560 but only the standard one free update with the others. If you update your GPS's then this makes the 560 cheaper than the 510. You get used to the touchscreen but it's not as nice as your current smartphone, it takes more finger pressure to make things happen.

I think that's the one I meant anyway B man. I got the numbers messed up.

i think obsolete is right emory, at least in the garmin world. it just seems to be all i need for my rather slowish fixed gear heavy 182 load hauler. the live wx part with the ability to scan ahead has been a real problem solver for me...seems once i had live wx, i dont like to fly far without it...! i do like GPS's that keep each flight stored so as to update the old log book too...