Let’s Talk About a La Carte Avionics

FLYING Magazine

When my wife agreed to an extensive avionics upgrade to our Piper Arrow, I was pleased that she immediately understood the safety value of the endeavor despite the eye-watering cost. Based on our experience of a vacuum pump failure, an intermittent dual comm failure, and the fact that the entire system was aging, it was time for a change. 

Avionics shops don’t just install a standard instrument panel template for a 54-year-old airplane. It’s a carefully thought-out strategy of integrating the new with the old, dependent almost completely on customer desire and budget. Selection and placement of the electronics is a la carte. Although the shopping process to determine the best value for our airplane was exciting, it alerted me to an interesting challenge.

This Article First Appeared in FLYING Magazine

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How would I train to operate all of this new technology safely?

At the airline, learning a new airplane incorporated not only systems education but understanding how to operationally interact with the technology of the cockpit instrumentation. The same airplane type had virtually the same instrument panel. With few exceptions, even our B-727 steam gauge instrument panel with its antiquated autopilot system was uniform across the fleet.

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For the purpose of installation perspective on the Arrow, allow me to provide an electronics equipment description and strategy so you can better understand the training challenge. If you are keeping score, take this as an opportunity to do the math on the cost.

Although the plan involved hours of online research, it was actually the avionics shops that were invaluable with information. A lot of credit is due to the salespeople who had superior knowledge of their product and superior patience in answering my inane questions.

Domino Effect

First on the replacement list was the dinosaur GNS 430W. As of this writing, Garmin was no longer repairing any part of the unit. An equivalent replacement would require another nav/com GPS, which initially became the Garmin GTN 650xi because its size fit into the available panel real estate as it
existed. More on this later.

Although fully functional, the stalwart King KX-155 Nav/Com radio, would eventually suffer the indignation of the amber LCD digits beginning to flicker—the display had been restored twice before. A Garmin GNC 215 was the most viable substitute for the No. 2 radio.

The catalyst for sending costs into the flight levels was the idea of replacing the S-Tec 50 autopilot system, which was fully functional. But I was growing weary of always having to monitor the amber glow of the up/down pitch trim indicators that would require another pitch adjustment as part of normal operation. And the system wasn’t capable of glide path capture. Although it was certainly not pocket change, the new autopilot system itself didn’t radically change the cost trajectory. It was the domino effect.

What do I mean?

After much deliberation involving functionality and interfacing, it seemed that the best bang for the buck was a Garmin GFC 500 autopilot. Unfortunately, it didn’t play well with the Aspen Pro Max installed in the Arrow. So, weighing the market value of selling the Aspen still under warranty, the decision was made to purchase two Garmin GI 275s. 

One unit would function as an AHARS instrument and the other an HSI with emergency ADI capability. Both GI 275s are installed with 60-minute batteries in the event of a complete electrical failure. Essentially, the Aspen would transform into two separate instruments.

But wait, there’s more.

After making the mistake of learning about the Garmin GTN 750xi attributes, notwithstanding the bigger screen, the available features made it more attractive than its smaller sibling, the GTN 650xi. When I discovered that the audio panel could be essentially incorporated into the 750xi, the die was cast. The virtual audio panel would solve the problem of diminishing panel real estate. 

The Flintstone-era, push-button Bendix/King KMA 24 audio panel would disappear. But a complete failure of the entire 750xi would leave me without radios, right? Nope, the system was designed to magically default to the GNC 215 acting as the No. 2 radio…in theory, of course.

In all, the domino effect of the avionics choices changed about 50 percent of the instrument panel landscape, which literally translated into an entirely new panel layout. I would have to reorient my scan and my button pushing.

Training With New Tech

So, back to the original premise of how one trains to safely operate with new technology. Each avionics unit in my installation includes a pilot’s guide and an AFMS (airplane flight manual supplement). The pilot’s guide is more of a descriptive systems manual, where the AFMS is operationally focused and specific to the options actually installed because the shop has to literally check the boxes. 

Having spent my professional life studying such manuals, those documents seemed not only the best place to start, but mandatory. My geek side found the material interesting, but my retention needed some practice. To their credit, Aspen, Avidyne, Bendix/King, and Garmin all provide links on their websites to download manuals. 

Next on the list was a search on YouTube for real-time video of the equipment in action. Beyond Garmin’s videos, a fair amount of selection was available from random pilots with GoPro cameras, some with better production quality than others. One pilot recorded a session on the ground with an avionics shop tech, shortly after taking delivery of their new installation. 

I give credit to the tech for his expertise but was disturbed that the owner had limited knowledge of the equipment he just purchased because he was being spoon-fed information. If he had cracked open the manual before the installation, it wasn’t apparent. In that regard, Garmin makes numerous references to the “installer,” which I think unfairly places the burden on the avionics shop for teaching the operation of the equipment.

Although Avidyne has a variety of free online lessons, Garmin’s training includes webinars, PC trainers, mobile device trainers, in-person instruction, and web courses. All of Garmin’s training comes with a cost, which may deter some toward YouTube videos only. I was able to beg for a free GTN 750xi coupon code directly from a Garmin tech rep who was sympathetic to the money being spent on my installation. For whatever reason, no gratis code was available for the GFC 500 autopilot course. Apparently, the GI 275 has no course despite it being in production for six years.

In addition to book knowledge, learning the operational nuances of the avionics will require proficiency. I could certainly have a knowledgeable flight instructor fly with me for the first few hours, but he’d have to train himself on the idiosyncrasies of my airplane and how the new electronics integrate.

Honestly, I think the FAA should consider a logbook entry similar to instrument proficiency entries that documents a certain number of hours with new avionics before venturing into the clouds. A safety pilot would be a necessary part of the documentation. 

At the end of the day, all instrument panels aren’t created equal.

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This column first appeared in the June Ultimate Issue 971 of the FLYING print edition.

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