KSN 770

[amillet]

Have any of you actually installed a BK KNS 770 in your Mooney?

[Marauder]

Have any of you actually installed a BK KNS 770 in your Mooney?

No one that I know has. We had a local fly-in with the BK sales doing a demonstration. Rumor has it that they aren't selling well.

Check out the app for training. It will give you a better idea of the interface.

[amillet]

Went to Northwest Aviation Conference this weekend. Pacific Coast Avionics said they had not installed any 770s yet and didn't think any had even been shipped yet. BK is certainly spending lots on marketing. Every aviation magazine has full page glossy ads. BK did not have a booth at the conference, thoughntheybwere at the AOPA regional conference in Spokane in August. Doesn't instill much confidence that BK will compete with Garmin.

[carusoam]

Another GTN has been installed in a NJ Mooney.

The competent MS support for the new user, by a handful of pilots, goes on and on...

To make the KSN 770 a success is going to take something special.

The GTN is good. It has a decade of reliable history to go with it.

The KSN would have to be better or (significantly) lower cost.

What would make a pilot choose the KSN...?

I have an aging KLN90B, these are my thoughts currently....

Best regards,

-a-

[amillet]

I too have the KLN90B. I too have concluded that Garmin update is probably in my future. Kln90B meets my flying needs, but ADS-B mandate will require some hardware upgrade.

[Marauder]

As a GTN owner, I held out hope that the Bendix offering was going to challenge the Garmin series. I really want an integrated solution that was not going to cost an arm and a leg.

To break into this market, Bendix will need to aggressively price this offerings for a couple of years. The gorilla is just too big and strong for a frontal attack.

[PTK]

Another GTN has been installed in a NJ Mooney.

The competent MS support for the new user, by a handful of pilots, goes on and on...

To make the KSN 770 a success is going to take something special.

The GTN is good. It has a decade of reliable history to go with it.

The KSN would have to be better or (significantly) lower cost.

What would make a pilot choose the KSN...?

I have an aging KLN90B, these are my thoughts currently....

Best regards,

-a-

 

It's more than just the money, imo Anthony.

 

It will take serious commitment from BK to GA. The buyer of these expensive avionics is buying into a company that's committed 100% to them. BK has not demonstrated this level of commitment. It's just not there. Not that it's a bad thing because, in all fairness, they do have bigger fish to fry.

[Cruiser]

don't forget Bendix-King still has the trade up deals going.

 

You can get from $1000 to $1500 for your old gps or nav/com in trade IN ADDITION to the best deal from you avionics tech.

[donkaye, MCFI]

I too have the KLN90B. I too have concluded that Garmin update is probably in my future. Kln90B meets my flying needs, but ADS-B mandate will require some hardware upgrade.

 

I loved my KLN90B and it provided me with years of dependable service all across the US.  Being a second generation GPS it also provided me the opportunity to really learn about GPS approaches because most of the approach work needed to be accomplished by the pilot.  After I upgraded my panel as a result of a failure of the Bendix King EFIS 40 and their ridiculous $17,000 repair estimate, I bought into the latest technology with the Garmin GTN series.

 

With the exception of the D/T 4 page and better VNAV capability, the new navigators are light years ahead of the KLN90B in capability, especially approach capability.  With GPSS much, much more time becomes available for the pilot of oversee the safety of the flight--also known as situational awareness.

[helitim]

Don,

I happened by TopGun while your plane was there for the upgrade. Short of a lasar range finder and ballistic missiles, I don't know what else a pilot could ever want in a plane. Yours is beautiful.

Tim

[donkaye, MCFI]

Don,

I happened by TopGun while your plane was there for the upgrade. Short of a lasar range finder and ballistic missiles, I don't know what else a pilot could ever want in a plane. Yours is beautiful.

Tim

 

Thanks, Tim.  At present there is not one other thing I could think of that I would want to put in the plane.

 

The KLN90B manual was one of the best written manuals I have ever read.  Too bad BK had absolutely no vision with regards GA, so now Garmin has all of their talent.

[carqwik]

So no one has installed a KSN 770?  This is the upgrade path I am thinking of doing...along with the new KT-74 xpdr to meet the ADS-B requirements.  I am thinking that since my plane is now all B-K equipment, no point in trying to make a G-brand boxes work with the other B-K stuff...

 

But still not going to pull the trigger yet....we've got five years to do so...maybe prices will fall further on the equipment plus more time for B-K to get the bugs worked out.

[amillet]

There is a new favorable PIREP on Beechtalk on KSN 770 installed in F33.

[Piloto]

Unlike the diapers or casket markets were there is new customers every day it is a different story for GA. The GA market is essentially saturated with planes and avionics. And is not a growing market. This is one of the reasons why there are no booming sales for the KSN 770. Many planes are already equipped with the GNS 530W which is a comparable well known product.

José

[LANCECASPER]

One of the few who has bought the 770 is happy:

 

http://www.beechtalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=107762

[Marauder]

One of the few who has bought the 770 is happy:

http://www.beechtalk.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=21&t=107762

I wonder if BK has been updating the user interface any. When I did the hands on demo of it, I was not impressed with the interface. The other thing that was apparent and it may be an issue for Mooney owners is the size of the box.

Unlike the GTN 750, the box is a full rectangle shape. I never checked to see if it could sit in the #1 spot in the radio stack.

I really hope the 770 and Avidyne's 540 take off. Competition is not a bad thing to help moderate pricing for us.

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