flyingcheesehead

Not entirely true... Practically speaking, good enough for most of us, but GPS cannot be used in lieu of DME on an arc inside the FAF, such as on this approach: Now, that's not a great loss there, since there's an RNAV(GPS) with lower minimums, but there's at least one other approach like this... I just can't remember where.

That's because, if you get the package-deal 10"+7" G3X Touch, they share a single AHRS. That means that the reversion is only good in the event of a display failure. In the event of an AHRS failure, both screens will go dead. The G5 has its own built-in AHRS, and the G5 and G3X Touch can do miscompare monitoring against each other as well. Finally, if you're doing the GFC 500 autopilot, both the G3X and the G5 can drive it, so failure of either one still leaves you with an operable autopilot. TANSTAAFL. Even if they do delete the G5 backup requirement, it'll mean you need a second AHRS for the second display. That costs $1500 for the experimental version, so it'll probably be roughly $2500-$3000 for the certified version... And that's if it's a valid backup to have the second independent G3X and would actually work correctly that way. Garmin indicated at one point that it wasn't/didn't. Better speak with your friendly Garmin dealer or rep.

There's more to it than that. With a tailwind, you'll likely get more glide distance if you use minimum sink instead of best glide. Minimum sink is going to give you an L/d ratio very close to that of Vg, but you will be exposed to the tailwind for a longer length of time and thus be able to extend the glide a little. It's unfortunate that most manufacturers never published a minimum sink speed for our birds, but that's something that's worth doing some of your own testing on. It'll be slower than Vg, and from what I've heard it's generally where you end up if you trim fully aft with power off. In a headwind, of course, increasing speed will reduce your glide angle relative to the wind, but can increase it relative to the ground. It'll never be as good of an angle as Vg with no wind, though.

I've been hearing rumors to the contrary, and I'm expecting Garmin to address this by Oshkosh. 2 weeks to go! Yeah, it'd be something like a CANBus-enabled GAD-###. There are a LOT of people wanting this, since Century owners have no solution and King owners such as myself have nothing but endless promises of a future solution. I mean, I do want the GFC 500 autopilot eventually, but my KI-256 is doing its comically slow movie death dance and the only three options available today are an expensive overhaul of the KI-256 (ugh), an Aspen + EA100 (ugh), or a G500 TXi + GAD-43e ($$$$$).

I think this is simply planned expiration of a limited-time exclusivity agreement, similar to how you could originally only get an iPhone on AT&T. And, FWIW, this is not a new thing. The Stratus 3, which came out at Oshkosh last year, already worked with multiple EFBs, and ForeFlight has had support for more devices for even longer than that.

There's a bias in exposure here. There are no 3100s on Mooneys yet, which is why you're not hearing of any issues here. However, my local avionics shop has had so much trouble installing the 3100 on a C340 that they're unlikely to ever sell another one. Saw a thread about some similar issues on another plane over at BeechTalk. The 3100 is basically trying to kill them on the test flights. It'll probably remain that the 3100 is an OK solution for those who already have an S-TEC installed, while the rest of us will end up on Garmin. King is simply too inept to even get a product on the market.

Will you be at the show? Can we buy a kit from you there?

Oh, there'll be news at Oshkosh. There always is. They'll probably tell us it'll be "shipping in Q4" or some such crap, but I guarantee there won't be a year attached to that. After all, they've been telling us the KI-300 would be shipping in Q4 since 2015. Word is that Garmin will have something G5-ish that'll do it at OSH. Eagerly awaiting that myself. Yeah, that! Now, I expect that the G5 + interface box will cost around $5K-$7K. If you look at Sarasota's price for the G5 of $2249 and the GAD 43e of $4389, that gives you an idea of what their existing stuff costs. (The GAD 43e is the box that works with the G500/TXi to provide control of legacy autopilots.) They're also going to be competing with King eventually, so the $5300 price point of the KI-300 + KA-310 is going to be squarely in their sights.

I highly recommend Skycom Avionics at KUES Waukesha, WI. They do fantastic work. They probably won't be the cheapest quote you get, but they will do it right the first time which always ends up being cheapest in the long run. They did a significant upgrade in my 1997 O1 in late 2017, pulling almost all the King stuff out except the autopilot and one nav/com, and some other non-King stuff too. They put in a GTN 750, GMA 350c, GTX 345, and FlightStream 510 and I'm very happy with the result! We decided to wait on doing anything with the autopilot or the instruments because of how quickly things were/are moving in that area. We'll likely follow on with "part 2" of the upgrade in the next couple of years, likely to be a G3X Touch, G5 backup, and GFC 500. I will say this: The best decision we made was to go with the GMA 350c audio panel. Even the owner of the shop tried to talk us out of it... But when he saw how well it worked on the test flight, he said he'd be installing one in his own plane. The 350c is Garmin's audio panel that has voice control, and that really makes the GTN much more usable. Without it, getting most anywhere in the GTN interface means hitting the Home button followed by something else on the touchscreen, and another touch for many pages. With it, you can get to any page in the entire UI with a single voice command. You can also tune radio frequencies, control the audio panel itself, etc. So, for example, instead of hitting "Home" and then "Traffic", you just push the PTC (push to command) button on the yoke and say "Show traffic". Instead of Home->Waypoint Info->Airport->Wx Data, you say "Show destination airport weather." Instead of looking at the chart and twisting knobs or Home->Waypoint Info->Airport->Frequencies->ATIS you just say "Tune Destination ATIS." It's really really nice, and if you're going to be doing the audio panel when you do the GTN, the 350c is the way to go. Definitely get the FlightStream 510 as well. It's really nice to be able to update the databases over WiFi and never touch a data card again, and also to plan a flight on your iPad at home and then bring it to the airport and beam it to the panel.

You must have missed the "... and the GFC 500" part. He's ditching the KAP, so G5s will do the trick quite nicely. In fact, at least one is required... But I'll bet you knew that.

Right now, the G5 does not provide the attitude reference to the KFC-150 that the KI-256, Aspen (with EA-100), or G500 TXi (with GAD 43e) does. But... Don't do anything until Oshkosh. Word is that Garmin will have something allowing the G5 to function as an attitude source.

Pay particular attention to the last post on page 9 of that thread. Actually, since BT requires signup to see attachments I think, I'll hope they don't mind me sharing the pic. The attitude is WAY off. 45 degrees off. And there's no indication at all that it's off. That will kill you. Then, there's the matter of the KA-310 not being available. Rumor has it that Garmin will have a way for the G5 to replace the KI-256 by Oshkosh. Crossing my fingers, because right now the options for replacing the 256 really suck - Kick the can down the road with an overhaul, or spend five figures on glass + autopilot adapter (Aspen + EA100 or Garmin G500 TXi + GAD43e). Crossing my toes too, because if they do that, it'll make it possible to do my desired G3X+G5+GFC500 upgrade piecemeal. I know that costs more in the end, but as I also have an engine over TBO, so I'm not too keen on dropping $50K into the panel all at once if I can help it.

con·sis·tent·ly /kənˈsistəntlē/ adverb 1. in every case or on every occasion; invariably. So, since I gave two examples right off the top of my head of recent Garmin equipment that interfaces with many other manufacturer's equipment... No, not consistently. Your counterexamples above aren't particularly relevant, because they don't make a wide enough variety of equipment to even be able to exist without interfacing with others, BK's rebranding notwithstanding. Note that I'm not trying to have an argument with you in particular, but to me the general Garmin-bashing in the GA community is tiresome. They make good equipment, which is why everyone wants it, and we're lucky that they devote the level of resources to our industry that they do.

Consistently? Sorry, not buying it. Everyone loves to pile on Garmin because they're the big fish, but they're the big fish in an excessively small market. But of Garmin's 4(?) divisions, Aviation is the least profitable. We should be happy that they still choose to play in the market to the extent they do. Modern business tends to like to shut down least-profitable divisions... Also, I have a very mixed panel. King AI/HSI/Autopilot/Nav/Com2, Shadin fuel flow, Garmin GPS/Nav/Com1/Transponder/Audio panel... And it all works together, flawlessly. Look at the list of things that Garmin's new stuff like the G500 TXi and G5 HSI are compatible with. It's quite extensive. Everything that Garmin decides to be compatible with requires testing, and that takes time and money. Now, the things that aren't compatible with non-Garmin stuff are the G5 AI and the G3X Touch. They have their roots in the experimental side, where people are putting brand-new panels in brand-new airplanes and thus they don't particularly need to worry about being compatible with anything else. And the word is that there will be a G5 AI that can drive third-party autopilots at Oshkosh... So, IMO, the Garmin-bashing I see here and elsewhere isn't really fair. You want more companies making stuff that's more compatible with everyone else for a reasonable price, quitcherbitchin and go recruit some new pilots so the market is more attractive!

Don, Your "two Befores ago" is better than most people's After. That's a great panel!

It's probably just that there are only two connections available on the G3X, not any sort of trick. This product was designed several years ago, for a different market (experimental) that is largely new installations and probably using Garmin's autopilot as well, so they didn't anticipate a need for more.

Well, that can vary widely, and a lot of it depends on installation. Option 1 (330ES upgrade, GDL 52R, FlightStream 210): IIRC the 330ES upgrade is about $1500, the GDL 52R is $1200, and FlightStream 210 is $1000, so $3700 in equipment. Option 2 (GTX 345, FlightStream 210): GTX is $5K, FlightStream is $1K, so $6K. $2300 difference in equipment, but you should check with your installer to see what the difference in installation cost would be.

Hi Frank, At the beginning, you mention a setup with 530W, 330ES, and FlightStream 210, being able to display "limited ADSB in". With those devices, you would have *no* ADS-B In. The 330ES will give you ADS-B Out on the 1090 band. It has no 978 and no ADS-B In. I have a GTX 345 in my Mooney. It gives you dual band Out and In, plus many of the Connext features. The one thing it does NOT do is flight plan transfer. However, the FlightStream 210 will give you that, and it is worth the money to get the 210 just to have that feature IMO. I have a GTN 750 these days, but I've spent hundreds of hours behind a 430 and I do not miss spinning knobs... With Bluetooth, you can connect to multiple devices at once, but throughput and signal strength are limited. WiFi has better throughput and signal strength, but you can only connect to one WiFi network at a time. Bluetooth also requires "pairing" the devices, while WiFi just requires you to connect to the network, and enter a password on one device if there is one. Pick your poison. WiFi and Bluetooth do not conflict with each other. You can easily connect to both a FlightStream 210 *and* either a GDL 52 or a Stratus 3. My recommendation would be that if you're going to get a Bluetooth device, you either need to mount it in the panel, or you need to run a Bluetooth antenna to the panel to avoid signal strength issues. I was, until recently, on the board of a flying club with a G1000 DA40. In that airplane, the LRUs, including the transponder, are mounted in the tail - And when we put in the GTX 345R, we found that even the 10-20 feet between the pilot position and the GTX gave us a fairly unreliable Bluetooth connection (we did not have a bluetooth antenna run from the transponder back up to the panel). I think you have two possible options to go with your 530W, and you should add the FlightStream 210 in both cases to enable flight plan transfer: 1) Upgrade your 330 to a 330ES for Out, add the GDL 52R for In. This might be a little cheaper than option 2, but you won't be able to see traffic or weather on the 530W, and you'll only see 978MHz traffic if you're within range of an ADS-B tower. With the 52R, you'll have the ability to get XM weather on portable devices as well. The big downside is that you won't be able to get traffic or weather on your 530W. 2) Replace the 330 with a 345. The 345 will hook to the 530W as well as portable devices, so you'll be able to receive both bands directly, and get traffic and weather both on the 530W *and* on your portable devices. This is the complete solution - The only thing you wouldn't get compared to option 1 is the option of having XM weather ($ monthly subscription) in addition to the free ADS-B weather. Hope this helps!

Huh? There are still approaches using radial/DME fixes...

It's not common, but if I've seen 70ish knots twice in my first couple thousand hours, it's not the rarest phenomenon either. And I've had a few more over 50 knots. To get a Cherokee 140 with a 170mph/148 KIAS Vne to 181 GS at 5500 feet without going over Vne wouldn't be that hard. 148 KIAS at 5500 feet is 164 KTAS, so you'd only need a 17-knot tailwind if you were on the red line. Make it a not-so-rare 30-knot wind and you don't need to even get close to Vne. I've seen the 20 knot rule referenced by people along the front range, where that air is getting stirred up. Here in the flat Midwest, it's pretty much the opposite. Calm winds, especially this time of year, mean bumps because the thermals will go up high. Throw 30 knots aloft at it, and it breaks up the thermals and you get a much smoother ride. This is why I love flying - There's always something new to learn. And cross-country flying - Not 50nm, but literally crossing large portions of the country - is the best learning flying you can get without a CFI aboard, because you get into these different situations and learn from them.

The proper response if you feel like you should do something is to talk with your local FAASTeam rep. These people are not the FAA, they're generally experienced CFIs and they'll have a conversation with the person. Let them evaluate the situation and decide whether remedial training or escalation with the FAA is the appropriate course of action. You can find FAASTeam reps here: https://www.faasafety.gov/faastapp/directory/default.aspx

Yeah, probably not at Cherokee 140 altitudes. I've seen a groundspeed of 260 knots in my M20R, descending out of 11,000 with a wicked tailwind. I was probably indicating about 160 (Vne = 194), and truing closer to 190, so maybe a 70 knot wind. I know I've also seen a 68-knot headwind when a thunderstorm was approaching, at lower altitudes... So, let's say this Cherokee staggered up to 10,000 feet, pushed over to Vne (170 mph = 148 knots), he'd be truing about 177 knots, and thus would only need a tailwind of 4 knots to hit the aforementioned 181.

There's some more details in a thread I saw on BeechTalk... Sales is being handled by Avidyne, most of the support people that people were used to talking to are gone or have been transferred elsewhere within the company, and the development on correcting the issue that L3 had with GPS rollover is being handled by the group that works on their airliner avionics. On a Mooney - I would upgrade, unless you're both planning on never being instrument rated AND never selling the airplane. Since Mooneys are traveling airplanes, the vast majority of people who buy them are, or want to become, instrument rated. Not having a WAAS GPS is going to make it increasingly difficult to sell.

What is a "perfectly good transponder" though? If it's something like a GTX 327 that's modern and pretty much has all the functionality of any of the new stuff like the GTX 345 (pushbutton entry, timers etc) then yeah, keep it. If it's an old Narco that just happens to be working at this particular instant - Well, that's not "perfectly good", that's "circling the drain." In aviation, "cheap" usually isn't.

The 55x we had in our 414 was never quite capable of flying the aircraft. It could not handle intercepts or configuration changes without massive overshoots. Never? Yikes... Because that sounds like S-TEC may not make these problems go away completely.