Clients come to AvionixHelp.com for many reasons. Some have owned the aircraft for many years with the dream of something bigger and faster. Now, they have abandoned the dream and decided to keep it and to address the “tired” avionics. Many have decided to get an instrument ticket and realize that they are under equipped for that mission and many have just bought an aircraft and are planning to upgrade the avionics or they have already made some upgrades with little or no guidance . This later group has hired someone to do a pre-purchase inspection of the aircraft usually by an A & P or AI to inspect the airframe for signs of previous damage or corrosion. The engine gets a lot of attention to confirm its condition including a compression test and visual inspection for leaks and cracks in cylinders and exhaust pipes, condition of the baffles and often an oil analysis. The documents are inspected to confirm that AD’s, etc., are up to date.
The avionics? They often get turned on and with a few turns of the knobs and a transmission of the comms and a confirmation that the GPS locks on and confirms your location and hopefully a flight test of the autopilot is done to confirm that it keeps the wings level. With that, the deal gets done. Seldom are the avionics bench tested to confirm that they are healthy on the bench or has anyone looked at the avionics with an emphasis on reliability, support or longevity. Additionally, since avionics upgrades are likely, they do not know the answer to this question: “If I buy this aircraft, how much will I need to spend on avionics in order for it to be a safe platform for the kinds of flying I plan to do with my family … in other words, how much more will I need to invest in this aircraft before I can safely fly my mission with it?”
Fact is, many new owners of a used legacy aircraft have no idea what they need to fly VFR, Light IFR and True IFR safely and how much it will cost. They find out after they have bought the aircraft and are already committed! That makes no sense! There is a better way!
My 20+ years as an avionics consultant on the firing lines of one of the busiest avionics companies in the country and my six years as an avionics writer and consultant to legacy owners makes me very qualified to answer these questions in a minimum amount of time and expense. The used aircraft market is very volatile. The most desirable models are selling very quickly and you need to be able to “pull the trigger” on an aircraft purchase quickly when you find the right aircraft and to do that, you need the facts. Your A & P/AI is qualified in airframes and engines. They are frequently, in the dark with avionics.
The Avionics in the aircraft dictate what you can do with it. You need to know what you are buying and what you will need to spend to equip for your mission or … your “Buying Blind”!
My “Virtual” Avionics Pre-Purchase Discussion before you buy can save you thousands!