PTK

The best general advice I can offer to you if I may is the same that was offered to me when I was looking for my airplane. And that is resist the temptation and don't fall in love with the first one you see. Look at several and look for reasons to reject them. After a while the list of candidates narrows as the right ones start talking to you. Now in regards to this particular airplane. IMO the premium asking price does not reflect and disagrees with its less than premium reality. The factory reman engine installed in 2012 although sounds good, means absolutely nothing in view of the very recent damage from sudden engine stoppage in 2014. You need to find out, in great detail, what the damage was and how it was repaired. At under 300 hours it is very recent and safety critical. A couple other things stand out to me which may or may not be important to you. One is the Aspens. As capable as they are they are old tech and, unfortunately, there is no upgrade path presently. As there is with the legacy G500 for example. That would be one issue I'd weigh very carefully and know what you’re getting into. The other is the lack of ADS-B in. These are details which stand out to me on an airplane with a premium asking price.

Where do you see a GTX 345? And no avionics or interior can overcome the stigma of damage hx anymore than lipstick can help a pig. I have no issue with the asking price. Just not reasonable in this case. And I disagree with your assesnent that people are ignorant. They aren’t anymore ignorant than some sellers anyway. People want to see value for their money. If you hypothetically take away the damage hx how much should he be asking? 165k?! 170?!

Because you can take your hypothetical 80K $ airplane and put in a brand new G500txi, new paint and interior and be at 130K.

Although I have no issue with the asking price it’s not appropriate for this airplane. For that kind of money I’d expect a Garmin G500 with a KAP/FC150, ADS-B in and NDH. Not a dead end Aspen with a patched up entry level auto pilot and the stigma of damage hx. Overpriced imo.

I'm unable to find anything on this. Anyone have any info?

One backup I don’t see mentioned is the MD302. Is it a viable option?

Garmin didn’t lie! They bought UPS because it already had FAA approvals. It was a very smart move. Why reinvent the wheel? They never lied!

Garmin never lied to me, the consumer, about another company’s product. Avidyne did.

What’s with the euphemisms and tiptoeing? Is it too sensitive for you to call it for what it is and call them out for lying? The consumer doesn’t win by being asked to pay thousands while being lied to by companies with unethical and immoral business practices.

Have you called Garmin? I did as recent as yesterday as matter of fact, and asked about this. I learned that the GNS series is and will be supported for years to come. Then I asked specifically about that announcement and specifically about the 480. The gentleman asked to place me on hold so he can confirm and give me accurate info. How refreshing, they actually care to give honest and accurate info even verbally on the phone. He returned a few moments later and confirmed: The only part they cannot repair/change on the 480 is the front bezel. He also mentioned that there is false information and advertising being put out on this by another company and that it’s being handled appropriately through the proper channels. Remind me again... who is talking to the windsock?

That’s sounds warm and fuzzy and feel good nice. But the facts and their actions don’t support it. Let me tell you something: I have “zero” respect for a company that blatantly lies to me. “Zero.”

Yes exactly correct Victor. Get your facts straight. The only part they will not be able to change on the 480 is the front bezel if someone scratched it and wants it replaced. That’s it. The entire GNS line is and will be supported for many years to come.

They didn’t contact you because they don’t care. They got your money...

What exactly did they say?

I'm on the fence between the Parmetheus plus and the Aeroleds sunspot 46HX but having a tough time deciding. Considering strictly the two landing lights (i.e. ignoring the pulse feature of the sunspot) which one is the better landing light and why?

Disgraceful. Avidyne got caught in a blatant lie. Are they not above disrespecting and insulting the intelligence of their customer base? What do they think? Their potential customers are fools and they won't notice? Could it be that they just can't move their IFD as well as they expected? Their one hope they hanged their hat on to sell to existing GNS owners maybe was just a flop? Personally I was never a big fan of the idea leaving the old wiring behind the panel. Paying all that money for what amounts to a half ass install imo.

Of course it's bait and switch. Think about it. They cannot sell their box unless someone swaps it with a GNS. It's in their best interest to push that to happen. There is resistance for precisely the reasons you mention. Folks are not in a hurry to remove a WAAS GNS because it has great functionality and value. It's best to stay with one vendor and not intermix imo. Avidyne seems to introduce more headaches than they are worth.

I agree with you. The goals of RCA however is to identify problems and devise methods to prevent them. That’s all well and good until someone is bent on intentionally bellying an airplane. All the rca in the world is not going to help.

So we can reasonably conclude then that this gear up epidemic is to a high degree intentional and not due to “distractions in the cockpit.” Unless of course the prospect of an upcoming engine ovehaul is a major distraction which can make someone “forget” the gear! Thank you for proving my point. There are legitimate distractions which can make a pilot forget to put the gear down. But no where near to these levels we are seeing.

I couldn't tell but I can assure you fraud examiners and investigators can. See Theodore R. Wright III and Andrea Reed. But the bigger question is: what self respecting individual, pilot and aircraft owner would intentionally crash their plane for a few dollars? How unethical is that? Even if some do manage to get away with it what have they really accomplished? Managing to shaft the rest of their fellow pilots and owners with higher premiums?

I suppose they could. But that’s insurance fraud and doesn’t sit well with the underwriters. Insurance companies are not stupid. They aggresively investigate and those convicted do some serious time. As they should.

Intentional?! You think someone would bend the airplane or worse intentionally? Why? I don't think anyone is suggesting it can't happen to them. I certainly am not suggesting that. What I'm suggesting is that there's no good excuse. Distractions are not a good excuse. To me lowering the gear goes hand in hand with slowing down. If someone is distracted enough to forget the gear they are so disconnected from what the airplane is doing and certainly forgetting other things as well.

We’re talking about gear ups of epidemic proportions. It follows then according to your theory that we must have an epidemic of babies crying, dogs freaking out, doors popping and planrs landing in opposite directions. We don’t. Sorry Churchill... no cigar!

I’m amazed by the display of a lack of urgency in the attitude that forgetting to put the gear down just happens. Really?! Do we have better things to do when setting up for landing? It doesn’t just happen. It was allowed to happen. We need to hold ourselves to a higher standard than saying “it just happens.” A much higher and professional standard.

Good for you. But this is no time to be humble. This is the time to be assertive. Sit up straight and be in control. Barring some sort of failure, imo, it is inexcusable. My Vloext is 134 KIAS. The first thing that comes down is the gear. What I find interesting is the position some have is that it's a given. Gear up landings do and will continue to happen. This is one reason our insurance premiums are where they are.