More often than not, an aircraft owner of a Legacy aircraft will be able to upgrade their avionics, to the point where they can fly the aircraft the way they want to, without upgrading everything. Occasionally, I get a client that needs it all or in this case, almost all!
Ivan Leibbrandt of Florida approached me recently about his 1963 Cessna 205. He has owned the aircraft for about a year with plans to keep it for “5-8 years”. A good photo of the panel and an explanation of his “situation” is where we start. Ivan is instrument rated and comfortable in IFR conditions but a quick look at his existing panel (photo above) told me he wasn’t going to get it done with what he had. The only upgrade to the panel was a TKM MX-170C Navcom which was an upgrade to one of the aircraft’s original KX-170B radios from the 60’s and at some point a King KN-64 DME had been added. We would need to design a new avionics panel, Integrated Navigator as the primary navcom/GPS, the MX-170C is a suitable #2 (in my opinion) an ADS-B solution, Autopilot and a modern, metal panel. He already had his heart set on a high-end engine management system which was “overkill” in my opinion and I let him know it. Don’t get me wrong, updated engine information is a plus for any aircraft that will fly in IFR conditions but he wanted a 70″ TV when a 40″ would do the job. so to speak. Ivan also saw EFIS as a part of his upgrade and we found a way to work the New Garmin G5’s, both Attitude Indicator and DG/HSI into his budget. As I mentioned, an Integrated Navigator (SV) was included in my recommendation and a New CDI ($2400) would have been required and I pointed out that Garmin G5 would upgrade both his old DG and at the same time eliminate the need for the new CDI (with the G5’s HSI function) at only about $600 more. It became obvious that the G5 DG would look terrible without the G5 AI on top so it was included and a definite improvement in performance and safety over the old, existing mechanical attitude indicator which was likely due for a $1000 overhaul. His old DG would likely be ready for the shop also. I created two budget options for the 205, one including a new integrated navigator and a second utilizing a good, Garmin factory rebuilt unit. An autopilot was a must as the 205 had nothing and any aircraft in single-pilot IFR should have one and we included the new options from TruTrak and Trio in the package. I was assured by Trio that and STC for the 205 was coming.
Ivan is just about to “tackle” his avionics upgrade but he knows what he needs and how much it will cost. I’ll be there to monitor his installation quotations and help him “get it right” along the way.
If you are considering an avionics upgrade, either minor or major as in Ivan’s case, wouldn’t you want to step into as an educated buyer also?
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Bob Hart www.AvionixHelp.com