While these big projects could make sense for some, we suspect the majority of buyers look for ways to keep the budget and complexity in check.

Enter small-screen EFIS, otherwise known as a budget glass upgrade. These are generally two solid-state gyro instruments—an electronic attitude display and electronic HSI. While you’ll sacrifice screen real estate, you’ll also save big on install labor because mini EFIS units can fit the existing 3-inch instrument cutouts without having to cut new metal, and in some cases, even retaining the old-school plastic overlay.

Here’s a primer on the budget EFIS market, where Garmin and uAvionix are two standouts, with some words on the realities of a bare-bones avionics upgrade.

The $15K Upgrade

While that isn’t chump change, the $15,000 price point is a realistic budget to set, though you might have some left over. And it’s possible to come out of the upgrade closer to the $10,000 price point, depending on the equipment and options.

Still, after adding up the equipment costs and typical labor, there are always extras that add to the bottom line once the airplane hits the hangar floor.

Truth is, while the aircraft may go into the shop for a couple of electronic flight displays, you might decide to also install a new GPS navigator—or maybe a new audio system. The list of add-ons is long, especially for aircraft that haven’t seen an avionics upgrade since the Clinton years. And those extras add up quickly.

The good news is that a basic budget-priced EFIS upgrade is a fine opportunity to clean up old wiring and address problems in the supporting systems. This includes working on the pitot/static system (aging systems often have leakage, which needs to be fixed before installing the new instruments), replacing old circuit breakers, and perhaps fixing faulty panel lighting. If the aircraft has been sitting for a while (or sourced outside of the U.S.), it might not even have mandate-compliant ADS-B.

Bottom line: Before upgrading, our advice is to address the basic systems first, including the transponder, altitude reporting system, and audio systems.

And speaking of cleanup, even the most basic electronic flight instruments provide the green light for removing the vacuum system. When the system hits the rubbish bin, you’ll enjoy a generous weight saving, while also making room behind the panel for future supportability. Vacuum lines, fittings and filters take up lots of space, making it tough for techs to get their hands in it to work.

Once the fundamentals are covered, it’s time for some glass. We’ll start with Garmin’s budget-based offerings.

Small-Screen Garmin

A staple in Garmin’s lineup is the 3.5-inch QVGA color LCD display-equipped G5, which started life as an experimental EFIS before Garmin earned STC for retrofitting them in certified aircraft through an AML-STC covering nearly 600 aircraft models. The G5 is a no-frills instrument but a step up from spinning mechanical iron gyros.

The battery-backup-equipped G5 attitude indicator is $2,725, and the electronic HSI version with GPS nav interface adapter (for connecting to select VHF navs and GPS navigators) is $3,675. Two G5 instruments connected together offer reversionary ADAHRS should one fail, plus there’s a four-hour battery backup if the aircraft electrics quit.

The G5 DG instrument can work for IFR approaches with its electronic HSI but is limited to VHF nav and GPS sources with digital databases, mainly Garmin GNS 430W/530W, GTN 650/750, and Avidyne IFD navigators. The G5 can also work with Garmin’s discontinued SL30 nav/comm and the current Garmin digital nav/comm radios through an RS-232 serial interface.

A couple of G5 instruments have some limitations because to keep in line with the STC requirements, they can’t replace the entire six-pack of flight instruments. Legally, they’ll replace the existing AI or DG, or a single G5 attitude instrument can replace the rate-of-turn instrument. In our estimation, the tech built into the G5 is aging and compared to newer displays it shows—there is no synthetic vision and no touchscreen. Think utilitarian, and while the instruments fit in an existing full-sized instrument cutout, the G5s have square bezels. That means modifying the plastic panel overlays (or false panels, as they’re sometimes called) in aircraft still equipped.

Depending on your particular interface, and which equipment you plan to connect to (including third-party autopilots), you might need Garmin’s $525 GAD 26 digital converter box. There’s also the $412 GMU 11 magnetometer required for heading resolution on the G5 DG. Without it, the instrument will display GPS track and not magnetic heading.

Increasingly, shops tell us that Garmin’s GI 275 beats the older G5 in popularity, given the advanced feature set and overall design. With a form factor that directly replaces most 3 -inch round instruments, the GI 275 is aimed at incremental upgrades and not requiring cutting new metal—plus, you won’t have to modify the plastic overlays, if equipped.

The instruments have a modern 2.69-inch diameter (active screen size) color capacitive touchscreen and an extremely flexible electrical interface potential compatible with a healthy variety of third-party equipment. They can function as a primary flight instrument, EHSI, CDI, an MFD with synthetic vision, traffic and terrain display, and an engine monitor. However, when used as an attitude instrument and heading display, these functions are locked in place per the AML-STC requirements. The GI 275 product line can be confusing because these instruments are available in many configurations—including one that displays Garmin’s EIS engine instrument system.

But for a typical IFR installation, you’ll want the $4,195 GI 275 ADAHRS, which is the one for use as a primary and stand-alone EFIS because it has the sensors for displaying all primary flight data. Again, it’s locked to display only the flight data. Synthetic vision is a $995 option and downloadable, so you don’t have to bring it to a Garmin dealer when adding it later on.

In a budget glass upgrade, it’s common to install a second GI 275 ADAHRS to replace a round-gauge directional gyro, and it connects with the GMU 11 magnetometer for heading resolution. It can be configured as an EHSI, works with a variety of third-party nav sources, and has mapping, traffic, and weather overlay. A GI 275 ADAHRS with the magnetometer is priced around $4,700. Visit www.garmin.com.

uAvionix AV-30-C

The $2,299 AV-30-C (the “C” means it’s for certified aircraft) with a 3-inch color display fits in a traditional 3 1/4 -inch instrument cutout. The AV-30 has been slowly maturing over the past couple of years, and a recent upgrade that makes it compatible for IFR flying has kicked the capability up a few notches. In its basic form factor, an AV-30 is capable of serving as a primary attitude instrument. In a dual installation (one as an attitude indicator and the other as an electronic heading indicator), the AI is required to be locked when used as the primary, although it does display a heading tape at the top of the display.

The AV-30 is loaded with standard features. The short list includes built-in angle of attack, audio alerting, altitude alerting, and primary slip indication. The AV-30-C has an STC with approved model list (AML) that blankets a wide variety of single-engine aircraft with speeds below 200 knots. It’s approved as a stand-alone attitude indicator, as an electronic DG, as a replacement for a slip-skid indicator (it doesn’t have rate of turn—just a skid ball), and it can be used as the required backup attitude display for the majority of primary EFIS systems. It can even be used with the company’s ADS-B/transponder systems.

A dual-unit installation is fair game for removing the aircraft’s vacuum system, but that could need extra approvals or paperwork on the shop level since the specifics of removing the vacuum system are outside the scope of the instrument’s STC. A pair of AV-30s—one as an attitude display, plus electronic pitot static instruments (in certified aircraft you still have to retain the originals), and the other as a heading indicator—is a good way to give an old VFR panel a new lease on life.

At press time, uAvionix released a major upgrade to the AV-30’s capability thanks to external smart adapters. The new uAvionix AV-HSI smart converter accessory adds long-awaited utility to the previously lacking AV-30 IFR interface, with support for essentially all Avidyne IFD and Garmin GTN/GNS GPS navigators. It will work with the GPS-only Garmin GPS 175/GNC 355/GNX 375 navigators, plus the legacy GPS 155XL. This means you can finally display lateral and vertical course guidance for GPS approaches—plus, the converter also works with Garmin’s GNC 255 nav/comm, Garmin nav/comms, and Trig’s TX56/57 nav/comm radios.

For autopilot interfaces, another adapter—the $299 AV-APA—is in the works for communicating with S-TEC rate-based autopilots—which includes the System 20/30/40/50 models. It enables GPS track hold, GPS desired track, GPS bearing, and GPSS digital steering when using the EHSI.

Speaking of add-on interfaces, for aircraft where panel space is limited, the $299 AV-Link can be used to stream ADS-B traffic data to the AV-30 for displaying standard ADS-B traffic symbology. Any portable ADS-B In receiver that works via the industry standard GDL90 Wi-Fi protocol can interface with the display just as it’s done with an iPad. The AV-Link, which piggybacks between the main wiring harness and the AV-30 itself, is only available in experimental installations, for now. Visit www.uavionx.com.

Aspen’s Budget Evoution

The $5,995 Aspen Avionics E5 scales back the features and capabilities built into the flagship 1000 Pro MAX but shares the same drop-in, form-fit chassis that fits the existing holes of mechanical attitude and heading indicators. With a 400×760-pixel TFT Active Matrix LCD screen, the E5 is perhaps the largest of the budget EFIS models with its 6-inch diagonal Matrix LCD screen, and it has a built-in, one-hour backup battery. The E5 shows primary attitude information with altitude, airspeed, and vertical speed, plus an EHSI into a single display with a backup battery.

For IFR capability, the E5 needs to be connected to an IFR panel-mounted navigator but doesn’t require a backup attitude indicator like the Pro models do. It does, however, require Aspen’s ACU (analog converter unit) for connecting with autopilots and VHF nav radios—an accessory that kicks up the price to around $7,000, plus the extra installation effort. You can upgrade the E5 to the Pro MAX version without changing the majority of the hardware. Visit www.aspenavionics.com.

How Much for That?

We think an important step in any budget EFIS upgrade is gathering proposals for larger-screen glass as a comparison. That means bringing the aircraft to the potential installer so they can determine what will and won’t fit.

For sure, the buy-in will be higher, especially when the project requires metal work, but for some—especially with aging eyes—the price delta could be worth it. For others, the smaller screens are a trade-off for an easier installation and lower invoice.

This column first appeared in the Summer 2024 Ultimate Issue print edition.

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Ten years ago, the most common panel conversions were from round dial, also known as legacy or steam gauge panels, to initial glass cockpits. According to Aspen Avionics in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Advanced Flight Systems in Canby, Oregon, these days, aircraft owners are focusing on upgrading their panels with the latest in glass technology.

Usually it is a two-fold process, says Perri Coyne, director of marketing operations for Aspen Avionics. The customer picks out the panel they want, and Aspen sends them a recommendation for a shop to do the work.

“With 700-plus dealers around the world, you probably aren’t too far from a shop that can help upgrade your panel,” she says, adding that Aspen Avionics “literally holds the patent on a plug-in solution for an EFIS to replace round-dial, six-pack instruments without cockpit panel modifications.”

According to Coyne, over the years, the company mission has expanded to provide products to more and more aircraft types and OEMs.

“We have always been focused on providing avionics products that can grow with the needs of our customers regardless of aircraft and market,” says Coyne. “Our initial focus has been in the aftermarket

GA segment and over time have expanded to provide products to more and more aircraft types and OEMs. “It is our core philosophy to work with whatever our customers have installed or are wanting to install their panels,” she says.

Trade-Up Program

“The Trade In Trade Up Program is unique in that air- craft owners can trade in their ‘older’ Aspen displays to the latest generation of Aspen Max displays at a significantly reduced price and get a new two-year warranty,” Coyne continues. “The trade-in program is an integral part of our strategy to provide a path for our customers to capitalize on their initial investment and affordably stay up with the latest hardware and functional innovations without having to incur the large expense of having to start over with an entirely new platform. For instance, a new Evolution Pro Max PFD sells for $9,995.

“An owner can trade in their old display for a new Max display for $4,995, which now comes with stan- dard synthetic vision,” Coyne says. “Aspen units that can be traded in for the Max units include the E5 (our basic PFD), the VFR-only display, the ‘Pilot’ or the older ‘Legacy’ EFD1000 primary flight display (not Max). Additionally, if there is any factory warranty left on the trade-in display, we will add the remaining coverage of the warranty for the new display. For example: An owner trades in his current display, which still has six months left of warranty coverage; that six months will be added to the new display for a warranty of 30 months, versus 24 months.”

Upgrade the Experimental

It isn’t just certified aircraft owners who go shopping for a new panel; the owners of experimental aircraft are just as likely, if not more likely, to upgrade their panel. For the owners of Vans’s RV designs, that often means a visit to Advanced Flight Systems located in Canby, Oregon, a mere 3.8 miles from Aurora State Airport (KUAO), the home of the Van’s Aircraft factory.

“There are so many RVs out there now we are now seeing people who are second or third owner of an RV,” says Rob Hickman, an electrical engineer and software expert who some 20 years ago created an engine monitor for the RV-4 he was building—and it evolved into Advanced Flight Systems.

Just as the design of the RVs has become more refined over the decades, so have the avionics. Round dial steam gauges are almost unheard of, he says, “For every fifty glass panels we do there might be one panel with round-dial analog gauges installed for backups. Everything is driven by software and electronic circuitry.”

“It works better for today’s RV builders. They are not like people who built them 20 years ago. Today building an RV is more like an assembly product, and they want avionics that they can install as a plug and play.” Selecting an upgrade panel begins with questions about the type of aircraft and the type of flying the owner does. Panel real estate is a finite resource, and over the years, Advanced Avionics has developed several panel designs that work for most of their customers. The big questions, often answered through a video conference, are IFR or VFR, or is there an option to upgrade to IFR in the future? Many panels are designed with space to allow this. Once these questions are answered, Advanced Avionics creates a build proposal that includes the layout and the materials to be used and presents it to the customer.

Sometimes the customer’s desires can be complicated, says Hickman. “We get that all the time. We sell them the components—the trays and harnesses and the advanced control and EFIS and the switches and let them do what they want to do either by themselves or someone assigned by the builder to complete the installation.”

Most customers, say both Hickman and Coyne, are looking for panels to enhance IFR capabilities, but because of the cost, they often buy the components in a modular fashion—installing one feature, then later when they have the money, adding to it. It is not uncommon for aircraft owners to time the avionics upgrade with the aircraft’s annual.

“Our products are designed to be able to be installed in stages as the owner’s finances and flying needs grow,” says Coyne. “For example, an owner can install three Aspen displays (an Evolution 2500 Max system = 1 PFD, 1 MFD500, and 1 MFD1000) or choose to upgrade in stages when their budget allows.”

Advice from One Who Knows

You probably know a pilot with an airplane project that has taken years to finish. That can complicate the avionics selection, says Hiroo Umeno from Seattle. Umeno has performed avionics upgrades in two aircraft panels. The first was a Velocity, the second a Cessna 182. He says he learned along in the process. For starters, when you are building an experimental aircraft, don’t buy the avionics package before you are ready to begin taxi tests.

“I bought a Chelton Systems in the 2000s to put in the Velocity, and by the time I was ready for flight, my Chelton system was obsolete by the time the airplane first flew,” he explains. “Also, the numbers on the data sheets are nominal, and cutting the panel to that size will guarantee things will not fit, and you will be spending quality time with dremel tools.”

If possible, he suggests modeling everything in CAD software before you start manipulating materials.

Online Learning

The avionics manufacturers have libraries of online tutorials for pilots and aircraft owners to use to learn their new panels. In addition, most airports have a pretty good grapevine, and the local pilots know who has what in their airplane, and who can offer help to learn the panel.

Panel Plays: 5 Things to Remember When Upgrading Your Panel

1. Don’t reinvent the wheel

Ask what the avionics suppliers have in stock—you’re probably not the first person to ask for that configuration.

2. Keep in mind that IFR capability is a bonus

You may not have your instrument rating (yet), but the buddy you fly with does, and now your airplane has more versatility.

3. Do the online training

While you watch the tutorials, make notes so you can have cheat sheets in the airplane, just in case.

4. Keep a copy of the manual

Make sure it’s for the current avionics in the aircraft and keep it onboard for reference.

5. Practice with the IFR panel

While you fly in VFR conditions, go through instrument procedures so you don’t have any unwelcome surprises in IMC.

This article first appeared in the June 2023/Issue 938 print edition of FLYING magazine.

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So when Garmin flight test engineer—and experienced rotorcraft instructor—Jack Loflin gestures me into the right seat, I don’t hesitate. Then I do.

He’s putting me on. Is this wise?

But as it turns out, I’m not only ready for my first AS350 lesson, I am going to have the best assistant I could possibly have. The GFC 600H turned me—for a couple of amazing hours—into a helicopter pilot.

I’m not saying this is its intended application—or even a good one—but it’s an indication of just how incredible the advances in autoflight have come to the rotorcraft world, that I can even fathom what I’mabout to see and do in the AStar.

Takeoff—And a Cross-Country

The AS350 is also equipped with the Garmin G500 TXi flight display system for rotorcraft, along with the GTN 750 Xi and GTN 650 Xi, allowing for a host of other features—including H-TWAS—to supplementour short cross-country flight. Loflin has planned for us to fly from the Salem Municipal Airport (KSLE) up to the Portland Downtown Heliport (61J)—a gem in that it is one of the few public heliports located in a major metro area in the U.S. We’ll utilize it—it sits on the top of a multistory public parking lot—to pop in for lunch at Loflin’s favorite Lebanese place downtown.

From there, we’ll take off and head back southwest towards the Willamette Valley, dropping in to practice hovering and other spot landings both on-airport and off, on a sandbar in the Willamette River.

From the briefing, I know what to expect of the GFC 600H—now it’s time for Loflin to give me dual on our departure after leading me through the engine start and initial rotation from the pad outside Garmin AT’s flight ops hangar.

Garmin sales manager Pat Coleman has joined us—on our way out to the helicopter, he showed us a few projects inside the Garmin skunkworks in the hangar. Originally certificated in the AS350 in 2019, additions to the GFC 600H’s supplemental type certificate approved model list (STC AML) loom ahead. You can already find the autoflight system in the Bell 505 under a Garmin-owned STC, which came out in mid-2021. 

As we lift off and Loflin hands the controls over to me, I feel a sense of low-level anxiety, reflecting on my minimal time in the category. But that quickly melts away as I test out the three axes of flight in small increments as I follow the magenta line that leads us up to Portland proper.

Along our initial flight path, I feel only the barest sense that the autoflight system’s silent hand carries me in the background. It monitors the envelope, speeds, and other parameters to stabilize my relatively level flight. I come down to 500 feet msl to track into the city; we’re indicating about 95 knots.

We are approaching from the south-southeast—the city lies along the Willamette, making for a pleasingly situated downtown, with the heliport we’re aiming for on the western bank. Loflin points out several key obstacles as we approach—at this altitude, nearly everything becomes an obstruction, but the TXi highlights only the most critical at the moment on the multifunction display. The screen shows normal terrain shading with a yellow “obstacle” annunciation as we come up on a series of bridges.

The same obstruction shows on the Garmin GI 275 electronic flight instrument located in the center stack. It has many of the same functions available as those brethren STCed for airplanes—a PFD with attitude, airspeed, altitude, and vertical speed, plus MFD, traffic, terrain, and engine information.

A web of red lines depicts the location of powerlines and other high wires that threaten a helicopter’s path. In order to get the most out of the aircraft’s capabilities, you need to take it into confined areas that would be fatal to fixed wings. It’s a whole different way of looking at the world—and the obstruction data on the MFD goes from towers popping up during an otherwise uneventful flight to an entire maze to navigate down low.

Loflin coaches me so that I take us within about a quarter mile and 100 feet of the landing pad, then takes over to position the AS350 into the relatively confined space. I say “relatively” because there’s plenty of room on the heliport to accommodate at least three helicopters, maybe four, depending on how well they are parked.

He slows us to 35 kias on short approach, bleeding down to hover over the space we’ll leave the AS350 parked in while we grab lunch. It feels surreal—yet just like another one of those “only with GA moments” as the four of us take the elevator down to the street and walk out onto the rather quiet city streets.

Hover Test

We remember the code to get back to the fifth floor of the parking garage—the heliport restricts access to pilots and their guests or customers for clear reasons. It’s time to fire up again and head out to play—and really test the GFC 600H’s mettle against the best amateur rotorcraft pilot moves I can throw at it.

We follow the river out of town, over connecting lakes, and into the valley which is world-renowned for its pinot noir and chardonnay. It’s the very best view of the vines as we pass over them at a neighborly altitude. Often helicopters a reused for frost protection and other agricultural ops over the vineyards—but that is not our mission today.

Our first stop has us joining the traffic pattern at the McMinnville Municipal Airport (KMMV). To me, the airport is famous because it’s home to the Evergreen Aviation Museum—and home to the famous Spruce Goose, the Hughes Hercules eight-engined mammoth that sits barely encased in glass so its enormity can be appreciated even if you never step foot in the museum. We don’t make a stop there today—but both the Gooseand the Boeing 747 in Evergreen livery out front create easy landmarks for me to follow in the pattern.

After the approach, Loflin instructs me through slowing the AS350 down into a hover over a far reach of the taxiway. We have plenty of ramp space here to give me the leeway I need to perform my first AS350 hovering—at first highly assisted by the GFC 600H, in both attitude and yaw hold modes. Then, Loflin turns the magic off. And all of a sudden, the work that the autopilot has been performing behind the scenes becomes dramatically apparent. He takes back the controls periodically to help me along.

We step taxi over to a field northwest of the runway, an open area where we can play a little more. I get to test with and without the GFC 600H and see again just how much it is assisting me as a newb. Now, the benefit to the seasoned pilot lies in the dramatically reduced workload—just like any autopilot—taking the physical work of flying the aircraft from the pilot’s hands so they can focus on something else. And if you think about it, that’s a big change for a helicopter pilot who nearly always has to have both hands engaged with the flight controls during a flight,with only momentary transitions to change radio frequencies or manage checklists.

ESP, Rotor Style

The envelope stability protection that we enjoy in the fixed-wing versions of Garmin’s autoflight systems takes on a new cast in the GFC 600H. H-ESP, as it’s called here, provides both low speed and overspeed protection, as well as limit cueing to help the pilot keep the helicopter upright.

When the pilot maintains f light with the rotor blade plane tilted less than 10 degrees from level, the ESP system sits in the background, monitoring the flight dynamics. When it first senses the rotor plane approaching the beginning of the limit arc either up or down, ESP engages and applies the nudge that’s familiar to those of us accustomed to flying with ESP in other aircraft. If the pilot powers through that nudge and continues to tilt the rotor plane towards the upper limit of the arc, the GFC 600H applies up to a maximum level of force, opposing the pilot’s action and striving to return the rotor plane to a level state.

In the case of a low speed limit approaching, the yellow “LOWSPD” annunciation appears on the pilot’s primary flight display. Similarly, if a maximum speed limit is anticipated, the yellow “MAXSPD” highlights. A LVL mode returns the helicopter to a zero fpm vertical and zero bank angle lateral attitude when actuated.

Flying the Approach

Coming back into Salem, we opt for another one of the system’s enormous safety benefits—the ability to fly a coupled approach. The AS350 we’re in is placarded “VFR Only,” and many helicopter pilots do not possess an instrument rating. It’s not that they wouldn’t ever need the skill, but it comes up less often than it does for airplane pilots.

That is, until it takes on critical importance. Recalling the accident that took Kobe Bryant’s life and those of his family and friends in January 2020, it’s sobering to contemplate what would have been different if the pilot had been able to maintain situational awareness.

The GFC 600H, when integrated with the NXi, allows even a non-rated pilot to engage an approach as a safety tool in lowering visibility. We had set up the RNAV (GPS) approach to Runway 31 at KSLE and I engaged the AP through a similar mode controller as other Garmin autoflight systems in the series. Though I cannot tell you how many times I’ve watched the approach proceedings unfold on an MFD over the course of my career, it’s wild to see it happen in a helicopter. Our speed on the approach isn’t too slow—though it’s slower than what most of us are accustomed to—but the outcome is the same. We’ve returned to a safe position from which to hover-taxi to our final landing point on the airport.

That’s when it really hits me—the GFC 600H makes the helicopter as easy to keep in level flight or a stabilized approach as an airplane. I mean, Coleman had said it in our initial conversations, but it turns out not to be just a marketing line. The autopilot shadowing me allowed me to manipulate the controls in a way more akin to my ingrained skill controlling an airplane. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my rotorcraft lessons before, but flying a helicopter without this felt like pirouetting on the head of a pin—a delicate balancing act full of nuance and retraining my muscle memory.

While this isn’t a panacea—what happens to the pilot who flies with it on all the time when it breaks, and they suddenly have to hand-fly? But that’s a question we ask in the fixed-wing world too—and we make sure to train both VFR and IFR flight without the automation as a result, to keep those skills sharp.

The other piece is that it made the rotorcraft rating feel approachable—and one less barrier to entry, perhaps. But most of all, the real capability of the GFC 600H changes the game for safety.

This article was originally published in the March 2023 Issue 935 of FLYING

Genesys Autoflight for Helicopters

Genesys helicopter’s speed range, with altitude-command and altitude-hold functions. Fly-through system engagement is available in all flight regimes, from startup to shutdown, and the system features rugged, redundant flight control computers. Total weight installed is less than 35 pounds, and it operates in a fail-operable manner. The GRC 3000 is currently certificated on the Airbus EC-145e and the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.

Aerosystems (formerly S-TEC) entered the autoflight arena in 2014 with its HeliSAS two-axis VFR autopilot and stability augmentation system for light rotorcraft on the AS350 as well as the EC 130, followed by the Bell 206B/L and 407, and the Robinson R44 and R66. A three-axis option is available for the Bell 505. The company has delivered more than 1,000 units to date.

The HeliSAS incorporates the ability to track heading and nav functions (VOR, LOC, GPS), with course intercept capability, and manage forward speed, vertical speed, and altitude.

With units weighing less than 15 pounds, the HeliSAS also features an auto-recovery mode to return the helicopter to a neutral attitude when the pilot loses situational awareness. And according to the company, its system has also allowed pilots with no prior rotorcraft experience to maintain the helicopter in a hover “with very little practice.”

Genesys also makes an IFR autoflight system, the GRC 3000. The two- or three-axis autopilot includes auto-recovery to near-level flight attitude throughout the

This sidebar was originally published in the March 2023 Issue 935 of FLYING.

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During the fourth quarter, sales increased 31 percent compared to the same period a year earlier, which is the highest quarterly increase in the report’s history, the AEA said. Fourth-quarter sales rose 7.2 percent compared with the third quarter, marking the tenth consecutive quarter of increasing sales, AEA officials added.

• READ MORE: Report: Avionics Sales Increased 6.5 Percent in 2021

“We have seen yearly sales rebound the last two years despite supply chain constraints and a tight labor market,” said AEA president and CEO Mike Adamson. “While it’s encouraging to see a record-breaking percentage increase in year-over-year avionics sales, the industry is still rebounding from the economic impact of the pandemic. The $2.8 billion in sales for 2022 falls short of the 2019 year-end sales when industry notched a record $3 billion just prior to the international health crisis, but we are trending in the right direction with positive gains over the past 10 quarters,” Adamson said.

The retrofit market for avionics installed after an aircraft’s original production accounted for 48.2 percent of total sales in 2022, while avionics installed by aircraft manufacturers during original production totaled 51 percent of sales, the AEA said.

Companies that separated their sales figures between the U.S. and Canada and other international markets said 74.9 percent of their sales during 2022 took place in the U.S and Canada and 25.1 percent took place in other markets.

The AEA said it began releasing its Avionics Market Report on March 26, 2013, during the 56th annual AEA International Convention & Trade Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Before that, the industry group said, there was no “effort to capture the true dollar size of the business and general aviation avionics market.”

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The approved model list (AML) for tailBeaconX contains more than 550 aircraft that it can accommodate. The company notes that it is working on STCs for additional models, such as light twins, and it expects approval in a few months.

The initial STC-AML utilizes the uAvionix AV-30-C multifunction display to be installed as the control head. In this configuration, the AV-30-C is able to leverage the tailBeaconX SBAS GPS for its GPS track display. In the future, uAvionix anticipates adding additional means of control through its own technology and third-party devices.

TailBeaconX is uniquely designed to meet the challenge of worldwide adoption of both ground and space-based ADS-B for air traffic surveillance, including Canada’s upcoming mandate over the next few years. 

According to uAvionix, NAV Canada’s performance requirements can be met either through the use of a top and bottom antenna, or with a single antenna that is capable of transmitting both toward the ground and up toward satellites, saving the aircraft owner thousands of dollars for equipment and installation as compared to a full diversity system which requires two antennae.

For the Canadian market, tailBeaconX will initially be available for 336 models on the FAA AML, whose type certificates were accepted in Canada without the issuance of an equivalent TCCA type certificate. STC validation for an additional 56 models has been filed with Transport Canada and is expected to be approved shortly.

The company will immediately begin shipping pre-orders in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand soon to be followed by STC validation for European, U.K. markets, and Brazil. 

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Next came active-matrix LCD displays and early versions of synthetic vision, which represented an important technological leap but still were priced out of the reach of most buyers. Again, early adopters couldn’t reach for their checkbooks fast enough, while the majority of pilots watched the market with curiosity but without any overwhelming compulsion to upgrade their old but serviceable six-pack instrument clusters with the shiny new glass displays.

Fast-forward to 2018 and that’s all changing. Suddenly, prices for retrofit avionics have come way down and functionalities have exploded. After the FAA relaxed avionics certification rules a couple of years ago, products originally destined for the Experimental market, such as the Garmin G5 display and Dynon D10A EFIS, were made available to owners of Part 23 piston airplanes for enticingly low prices. Those who faced expensive repair bills to fix or replace older electromechanical instruments realized they could make the relics in their panels magically disappear forever by purchasing a new solid-state EFIS with built-in inertial sensors and backup battery for about the same price as a replacement mechanical ADI.

The FAA sweetened the pot last year by allowing approval of non-TSO’d autopilots in Part 23 airplanes. Suddenly, an owner of an aging piston airplane like a Cessna Skylane or Piper Archer could upgrade to state-of-the-art glass displays and autopilots from a half-dozen manufacturers for prices that make sound economic sense.

While this revolutionary change was occurring at the low end of the market, several avionics-makers began introducing highly capable retrofit avionics systems for high-performance piston airplanes, turboprops and light jets that could transform dinosaurs into technological beasts boasting the same capabilities, or in some cases better capabilities, than new airplanes rolling out of the factory.

Clearly, the market for retrofit avionics has matured beyond the early adopter stage. According to the Aircraft Electronics Association, retrofit avionics sales exploded last year, surging more than 20 percent over the previous year. So far this year the trend is continuing, with retrofit avionics sales rising another 12.6 percent versus last year. We’re well into the “early majority” stage that product marketers so covet, soon to be followed by the “late majority” of buyers and finally the “laggards” who will upgrade their crusty old Skyhawks only after everyone else on the field is already flying with upgraded avionics.

Of course, there will always be those pilots who prefer flying with round instruments to glass, and that’s OK — but let’s face it: They haven’t made it this far in the article to know we’re talking about them.

For the rest of us — the “majority” of pilots, who understand the value of the latest cockpit technology — we want to know what the newest products to hit the market can do for us and what they cost. On the next pages we’ll take a look at what’s new in the retrofit avionics market today.

Piston Airplane Avionics

When the FAA a couple of years ago relaxed approval standards for certain avionics in certified Part 23 airplanes, it opened a pathway for manufacturers to skip the lengthy and expensive TSO certification pathway and create new products for general aviation based on ASTM standards rather than the cumbersome DO-178 standards for software, in the process sometimes slashing millions of dollars from the development costs of a single product. By achieving parts manufacturing approval (PMA) and supplemental type certification (STC) for products more typical of Experimental-category avionics, manufacturers were able to bring prices down considerably for hundreds of types through the approved model list (AML) process. Even the avionics manufacturers themselves say they did not anticipate how quickly aircraft owners would adopt these products, but it turns out that the combination of lower prices and additional capabilities makes for a winning formula.

While a stand-alone display will add some nifty capabilities to an older airplane, to truly bring your cockpit into the modern age, a complete panel retrofit is the way to go. It’ll cost more, but nowhere near the astronomically high price of a cockpit overhaul just a decade ago as products have greatly improved and the prices have come down to earth.

Garmin G500 TXI and G600 TXI

Touchscreens are going mainstream, and why not? As long as an alternative means of entering information in turbulence is offered, touch interfaces clearly are superior, as we all learned the first time we picked up an iPad. Garmin’s new touch-series cockpits, the G500 TXi and G600 TXi, incorporate touchscreens and superfast computer processors that support lightning-quick map and chart rendering, fast panning and single-finger zoom and pinch-to-zoom capabilities.

Three TXi display sizes are available, offering flexibility for panel configurations. Our favorite is the large 10.6-inch display, which just looks right in the panel of an airplane like a Beech Bonanza. There are also two versions of 7-inch displays, in portrait and landscape orientations. The 10.6-inch display can operate as a PFD, MFD or optional integrated engine indication display. The 7-inch portrait display can be dedicated to any one of those functions, while the 7-inch landscape unit is available exclusively as an engine display. The G500 TXi system is intended for Part 23 Class I/II aircraft under 6,000 pounds, and the G600 TXi for Class III aircraft weighing up to 12,500 pounds.

When the TXi series is paired with a GTN 650/750 touch-screen navigator, Connext wireless connectivity offers additional capabilities. Flight Stream 510 is an option with the GTN 650/750, which enables Database Concierge, the wireless transfer of aviation databases from the Garmin Pilot app on a mobile device to a GTN and the TXi system. Flight Stream 510 can also share information with compatible mobile devices running Garmin Pilot or ForeFlight Mobile, including two-way flight-plan transfer, traffic, weather, GPS information and backup attitude information.

Here’s the quick rundown of prices: The 10.6-inch G500 TXi display is $15,995, the 7-inch display is $11,995; the 10.6-inch G600 TXi display is $24,995, and the 7-inch display is $18,995.

BendixKing AeroVue Touch

BendixKing has been on a roll lately, introducing several new products that are turning heads and giving competitors reason to believe the storied brand is back in a big way.

The new AeroVue Touch cockpit introduced this spring is a single-box PFD retrofit option for certified general aviation aircraft that will be available for installation on 353 different aircraft types through an AML STC. AeroVue Touch features a 10.1-inch touchscreen and a “near-4K” high-resolution display offering the choice of a full-screen PFD or a split-screen shared with a moving map and other flight information. Large display buttons and infrared scanning allow easy use even by gloved hands, BendixKing says, and shallow menus provide access to all system functions with a maximum of four touches.

Additional features of the cockpit include Honeywell’s SmartView synthetic-vision system, 2D and 3D moving maps and taxi diagrams, and VFR sectional charts and IFR high- and low-altitude charts. Pilots can update databases via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or through a dedicated USB-C port.

Future software updates are slated to include engine parameter indications, radios and autopilot control. AeroVue Touch is priced at $12,590. BendixKing expects to submit the STC documentation to the FAA this month.

Dynon Skyview HDX

Dynon Avionics made its mark in aviation with a highly capable portfolio of products for the Experimental market. Now, the company is beginning to seriously encroach on the market for certified avionics. It has received its first supplemental type certificate for the SkyView HDX avionics system aimed initially at older Cessna Skyhawks. Cessna owners can now replace the vast majority of their legacy instruments with a SkyView HDX system offering complete primary flight instrumentation and a whole lot more.

The SkyView HDX cockpit includes synthetic vision angle of attack indication and engine monitoring with CHTs, EGTs, fuel flow, fuel computer and lean assist. Dynon’s integrated two-axis autopilot also earns approval for IFR-approach capability when SkyView is integrated with a compatible GPS navigator. The approved installation includes a Mode S transponder with 2020-compliant ADS-B Out capability and moving map with ADS-B traffic and weather overlay. The backup flight instrument is the Dynon D10A, which has a built-in backup battery.

A complete SkyView HDX system costs about $20,000, plus $2,000 to purchase the STC. The initial approved model list covers Cessna 172F, 172G, 172H, 172I, 172K, 172L, 172M, 172N, 172P, 172Q, 172R and 172S models, and you can expect a diverse line of aircraft types to follow.

Aspen E5

Aspen Avionics has followed the path forged by Dynon and Garmin by introducing its own non-TSO’d electronic flight instruments for owners of Part 23-certified airplanes. Aspen’s new Evolution E5 flight instrument, unveiled this spring, is essentially the same unit as the latest certified Aspen products but with features geared toward buyers looking to keep costs in check.

The Evolution E5 display consolidates traditional attitude indicator, directional gyro and course deviation indicator instruments into a single display that retails for just under $5,000. The E5 unit also includes global positioning system steering (GPSS) and air-data computer and attitude heading reference system (ADAHRS), as well as a backup battery. Aircraft owners can also upgrade to the Evolution E5 display and a compatible TruTrak Vizion autopilot for less than $10,000, Aspen says.

What we like best about the E5 6-inch active-matrix LCD is that it’s brighter and more vibrant than previous Evolution displays, while retaining Aspen’s ingenious form factor intended to keep installation costs down by slotting into the panel space of electro­mechanical attitude and heading indicators.

Turboprop Retrofits

When we talk about retrofits for turboprops, what we primarily mean is the market for King Air upgrades, since many thousands of these airplanes continue to serve admirably for their owners with hull values that can justify spending a fairly substantial chunk of change to transform the flight deck into a masterpiece. All it takes is one flight in a King Air with any of the latest retrofits from the major avionics manufacturers before you decide you never want to go back to round dials or older EFIS screens again. These cockpits are so good that you’ll totally forget you’re flying an airplane that left the factory decades ago. Here are three newer King Air avionics upgrade options worth considering.

BendixKing AeroVue

BendixKing’s AeroVue cockpit is the latest to receive FAA certification in the Beechcraft King Air 200, bringing “business jet technology and functionality” to the twin turboprop’s cockpit. We visited BendixKing’s test center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to put that claim to the test and came away impressed. The AeroVue cockpit for the King Air is a worthy competitor from a company that’s clearly focused on regaining a leadership position in the market.

The AeroVue integrated avionics package is similar in form and function to the Apex glass cockpit in the Pilatus PC-12 NG turboprop single, which pilots have been raving about since its introduction.

The AeroVue system incorporates three high-resolution 12-inch LCDs featuring Honeywell’s SmartView synthetic-vision system. AeroVue also includes a full flight management system and HUD-like symbology on the primary flight display. The flight deck includes an excellent cursor control device mounted on the center console next to an alphanumeric keypad.

The AeroVue system weighs 125 pounds less than currently installed equipment, allowing King Air B200 owners to carry more payload. All the avionics boxes are mounted in the nose rather than behind the panel for ease of maintenance. Price is competitive with the King Air G1000 retrofit cockpit from Garmin, with a fly-away price predicted at between $300,000 and $425,000, depending on what options the buyer picks.

Garmin G1000 NXi

Garmin’s G1000 NXi is a faster, modernized successor to the original G1000 cockpit now available in the King Air 200 and 300/350 models. Thanks to its improved computer processors, the system supports faster map rendering and smoother panning throughout the displays, which now initialize within seconds after start-up.

Garmin’s Connext wireless connectivity can optionally transfer aviation databases from the Garmin Pilot app on a mobile device to the G1000 NXi, as well as support two-way flight plan transfer, the sharing of traffic, weather, GPS information and backup attitude data with compatible mobile devices running Garmin Pilot or ForeFlight mobile.

G1000 NXi also supports geographical map overlays within the HSI of the PFD, as well as animated Nexrad graphics, FIS-B weather, weather radar, SafeTaxi airport diagrams, traffic and terrain information, and a whole lot more.

Price to upgrade G1000 to NXi in the King Air is about $53,000 plus installation, while a from-scratch install will cost an estimated $350,000 to $450,000.

Sandel Avilon

Sandel is attacking the King Air retrofit market with a retrofit cockpit called Avilon that is unusual for a few reasons, most notably its “guaranteed” installed price of $175,000, well below the price of cockpits from Garmin, Rockwell Collins and BendixKing.

The Avilon avionics system includes four large LCD flight displays, two smaller data-entry touchscreens, radios, flight management computers, dual AHRS, audio panel, ADS-B-compliant Mode S transponder, and flight director/autopilot (minus the autopilot servos, which are retained).

That’s a lot of features for not a lot of dough. The price is piquing the interest of King Air 200 owners who have been quoted prices of close to $100,000 just for the labor to install competing systems.

Sandel Avionics president and CEO Gerry Block explains that the installation cost is predicted to be so low because the entire Avilon instrument panel is shipped to dealers as essentially one piece.

“It takes only about five days to install our system, with 80 percent of the work being removal of the old equipment,” he says.

The system is currently flying in a company King Air 200 certification test bed, with certification expected by this fall. Sandel says it has partnered with three dealers in the United States (Stevens Aviation, Cutter Aviation and Landmark Aviation) and one in Canada (Rocky Mountain Aircraft), which have all agreed to honor the guaranteed $175,000 fly-away price.

“There are a lot of King Air cockpit retrofit choices, but very few people have been buying them because they are just too expensive to justify,” Block says. “We think this price and the capability our cockpit offers will get a lot of King Air operators off the fence.”

The post What Pilots Need to Know about Retrofit Avionics appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Sandel Avionics is continuing testing of its Avilon integrated flight deck, created as a lower-priced alternative for the King Air retrofit market, as the company reports certification and initially deliveries are on pace for early next year.

Flying had the chance to see the latest version of Avilon at the NBAA Convention in Orlando, Florida, and it’s clear that the avionics system has evolved greatly since it was first announced three years ago. Then, the element of Avilon that turned heads was its “guaranteed flyaway” price of $175,000, which is less than half the installed price of competing King Air retrofit choices.

Sandel was able to keep the total price low by designing the modular avionics with fast installation time in mind. The avionics system includes four large 12.4-inch touch screen LCD flight displays, two smaller data entry touch screens, radios, flight management computers, dual AHRS, audio panel, ADS-B-compliant Mode S transponder, RNP approach capabilities, and flight director/autopilot (minus the autopilot servos, which are retained).

Certification for the entire King Air family is expected in January, said Larry Riddle, vice president of sales and marketing for Sandel. Look for a full flight report in an upcoming issue of Flying.

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Cessna Citation owners can now take advantage of Garmin International’s advanced avionics technology as the Olathe, Kansas-based company’s G700 Txi is now available for the light business jet series. Citation owners can get a single or dual 10.6-inch display installed through an STC made available by JETTECH, based in Broomfield, Colorado, and can be installed by approved Garmin dealers. The G700 TXi is specifically designed for aircraft in the Part 23 category.

Like Garmin’s G500 and G600 series for lighter aircraft, the G700 links to a GTN 650 or 750. The combination offers coupled LPV/WAAS approaches with the option to display vertical navigation guidance with RNAV approaches. The G700 TXi displays a map overlay on the HSI portion of the PFD, showing an overhead view of terrain, traffic, weather and more. 3D synthetic vision views are also provided on the PFD, displaying a frontal view of weather, traffic, terrain and the runway environment.

Real time, cost free weather and traffic can be provided by a separate Garmin ADS-B unit. Datalink weather products can also be added as well as options for RVSM support. FlightCharts can be linked either with Garmin’s FliteCharts or Jeppesen’s approach charts. Database updates can be streamed through a Flight Stream 510, allowing customers to sync the data with a portable wireless smartphone or tablet.

The G700 TXi option will initially be available for the Cessna Citation II/SII and Citation V with the Sperry SPZ 500 autopilot. Additional models are expected to follow. A Citation II with the G700 TXi will be on display at Garmin’s exhibit at NBAA’s Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in Orlando, Florida, next week.

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European King Air B200 and B300-series operators can now take advantage of Rockwell Collins’ latest touch screen avionics suite – Pro Line Fusion.

The Pro Line Fusion retrofit was FAA certified in 2016 and represents the panel delivered with new Beechcraft King Airs coming out of Textron Aviation’s factory in Wichita, Kansas. Installed in the panel are three 14.1-inch high resolution touchscreens that allow for multiple configuration options. The suite includes ADS-B equipment to comply with the June 7, 2020 mandate for EASA aircraft, and enables operators to take advantage of SBAS-capable GNSS, LPV approaches, RF legs and more.

The system also features Rockwell’s proprietary synthetic vision system, which includes dome representations for airports, making them easy to identify on the screens. Extended runway centerlines add to the situational awareness as do real time weather radar, high-resolution topography and special-use airspace and search patterns. Geo-referenced navigation charts with own-ship position make shooting instrument approaches a breeze.

Database updates cannot be done wirelessly, but are completed through an easily accessible USB port on the front of the displays.

Amsterdam-based JetSupport B.V. has already completed the first installation of a Pro Line Fusion system into a King Air B200. “Pro Line Fusion breathes new life into these aircraft, bringing compliance with airspace mandates and sets the stage for flying in the Single European Sky,” said Didier Perrin, senior director of commercial sales and services for Rockwell Collins’ European, Middle Eastern and African regions.

The post Pro Line Fusion Approved for King Air B200 and B300 in Europe appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Garmin is bringing safety enhancing capabilities to legacy aircraft models with the approval of its GFC 500 retrofit autopilot STC. The Olathe, Kansas-based company added the Grumman AA-5 series airplanes, which include Traveler, Cheetah and Tiger models, as well as the 140-horsepower Piper PA-28 to the list. The GFC 500 is also available for many Cessna 172 and 182, and Piper PA-28 models, as well as four Beechcraft Bonanza models: S35, V35, V35A and V35B. Additional Bonanza/Debonair models, Mooney M20 models and the Cessna 210 should be added to the list soon, followed by more legacy single-engine piston Cessnas and Pipers.

The GFC 500 was first introduced last year and is designed for light, single-engine piston airplanes. The GFC 600 was developed for high performance pistons and turbine aircraft. Both systems integrate with the G500 and G600 glass panels, Garmin’s navigators and other flight displays. The autopilots can also be used with Garmin’s recently introduced, low-cost G5 electronic flight instrument. The autopilots are not compatible with the G1000 system, which uses the GFC 700 autopilot.

In addition to flying a selected altitude, vertical speed and heading, the autopilots have a level mode, underspeed and overspeed protection, Electronic Stability Protection and much more. When used with navigators, the new autopilots can fly a variety of instrument approaches.

The cost for the autopilots vary greatly depending on the type of airplane and avionics installed. Starting price for the GFC 500 is $6,995 while the GFC 600 starts at $19,995. Click here for a list of approved aircraft for the GFC 500 and GFC 600.

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