Avidyne - IFD440 & Software Release 10.1.0.0

[Simpson Bennett]

More details to follow soon but the FAA has granted TSO/STC for both the IFD440 and software release 10.1.0.0. This software release has the correction for the AD that was issued for the IFD540 as well as 50+ new features. The IFD440 is the direct slide in replacement for the GNS430. http://www.avidyne.com/products/Ifd540/

[Awful_Charlie]

Woo hoo! Great news. Looking forward to a shiny new 540 and 440 soon then!

[carusoam]

Thanks for the update Simpson.

Best regards,

-a-

[Marauder]

When you going to get us competitive prices on your navigators? Would love to see you guys take a bite out of the gorilla.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Simpson Bennett]

When you going to get us competitive prices on your navigators? Would love to see you guys take a bite out of the gorilla.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

We are competitive in pricing if you add up all the features you get on the IFD series that you have to pay extra for on the GTN. Want Jepp Charts? Included in the IFD's, with the GTN's it's a $1,995 unlock fee. Want Terrain Alerting - FLTA/RTC? Its included with the IFD's, you would need to upgrade to TAWS for $7,995 to get something similar. For Bluetooth capabilities, you would need FlightStream $549, It's included in the IFD's. Want WiFi capabilities? The hardware is already in the IFD's, there's no capabilities with the GTN's.

[KSMooniac]

Some of us don't want Jepps, though, and don't like to pay extra for features that we don't want... 

 

Will The IFD boxes allow 2-way comms with a tablet + app solution?  I'm a current 530W/430W owner and the FlightStream box + Garmin Pilot is a very, very attractive proposition to extend the useful life of the GNS series.  I'm waiting to pull the trigger, though.  I would love to see Avidyne have similar functionality especially since the BT and WiFi radios are already on board.  An ADS-B IN only box would be nice too, for $1000 or less, for those of us with ES transponders already installed.

[Simpson Bennett]

Will The IFD boxes allow 2-way comms with a tablet + app solution?  I'm a current 530W/430W owner and the FlightStream box + Garmin Pilot is a very, very attractive proposition to extend the useful life of the GNS series.  I'm waiting to pull the trigger, though.  I would love to see Avidyne have similar functionality especially since the BT and WiFi radios are already on board.  An ADS-B IN only box would be nice too, for $1000 or less, for those of us with ES transponders already installed.

 

Yes, we plan to activate the 2 way communication through WiFi on a following software update.

 

With 10.1, you now have the capabilities to utilize the Bluetooth portion. We have this feature paired with our Bluetooth keyboard, which allows you to control map, frequencies, flightplan data with a wireless keyboard. http://www.avidyne.com/landing/ifd540/index.asp

[KSMooniac]

Thanks for sharing that link... I haven't been there before.  The BT keyboard is neat, but is there planned functionality with a tablet & app so that flight planning can be done out of the plane, and then pushed into the IFD?  How about sharing ADS-B data with an IFD and tablet?  All I've heard is WiFi is in the future, but there are never any details about *what* will be possible after WiFi is unlocked.  

 

Also, MANY thanks for participating in our little corner of the aviation world.  Nothing beats having official interaction at this level to answer questions and receive feature requests from your current and potential customers.  

[Tom]

We are competitive in pricing if you add up all the features you get on the IFD series that you have to pay extra for on the GTN. Want Jepp Charts? Included in the IFD's, with the GTN's it's a $1,995 unlock fee. Want Terrain Alerting - FLTA/RTC? Its included with the IFD's, you would need to upgrade to TAWS for $7,995 to get something similar. For Bluetooth capabilities, you would need FlightStream $549, It's included in the IFD's. Want WiFi capabilities? The hardware is already in the IFD's, there's no capabilities with the GTN's.

 

But if you don't want or need those features, you are not competitively priced.  Not even close.

 

The IFD 540 is currently retailing for about 80% of MSRP before install.  80% of the 440 MSRP equates to about $12,000 (plus rack for another $500 if the 440 will be a new install, i.e. not just swapping out an old 430W).  The 650 goes for $9,750 with instal kit an antenna ($10,250 with the Flight Stream to use blutooth/Ipad data entry).  An Ipad can give TAWS.  For new installs, the IFD 440 makes no sense unless you need TAWS in the box for some reason.

 

For new WAAS instals, there again there is the ubiquitous $6500 430W with $1000 Flight Stream for ease of entering flight plans providing for a total of $7500.  Far below the $12,250 of the 440.

 

Meanwhile the 770 is a little late in arriving but is available for much less than the 440.

 

I really want you guys to do well, but I can't see how the market will bear your prices.

[jetdriven]

Whats the going rate of a Ifd540 vs a GTN-750?

[Simpson Bennett]

Thanks for sharing that link... I haven't been there before.  The BT keyboard is neat, but is there planned functionality with a tablet & app so that flight planning can be done out of the plane, and then pushed into the IFD?  How about sharing ADS-B data with an IFD and tablet?  All I've heard is WiFi is in the future, but there are never any details about *what* will be possible after WiFi is unlocked.  

 

Also, MANY thanks for participating in our little corner of the aviation world.  Nothing beats having official interaction at this level to answer questions and receive feature requests from your current and potential customers.  

 

I can't disclose what app or ADS-B product providers we are working with yet, that announcement will be made at a later date. Since it involves other parties, I can't be too forthcoming with information but we should have more information soon, now that we have crossed the 10.1 hurdle.

 

I'm glad to be here!

[Simpson Bennett]

Whats the going rate of a Ifd540 vs a GTN-750?

 

List price to list price: IFD540 $16,995 GTN: $16,900

[AndyFromCB]

Let's not forget, every time you hit the master button, you indemnify Avidyne and agree to pay for their defense. Yeap, read the startup screen…

 

What's the flat repair fee on the IFD unit if you choose not to accept Avidyne's liability and defense costs?

[Simpson Bennett]

But if you don't want or need those features, you are not competitively priced.  Not even close.

 

The IFD 540 is currently retailing for about 80% of MSRP before install.  80% of the 440 MSRP equates to about $12,000 (plus rack for another $500 if the 440 will be a new install, i.e. not just swapping out an old 430W).  The 650 goes for $9,750 with instal kit an antenna ($10,250 with the Flight Stream to use blutooth/Ipad data entry).  An Ipad can give TAWS.  For new installs, the IFD 440 makes no sense unless you need TAWS in the box for some reason.

 

For new WAAS instals, there again there is the ubiquitous $6500 430W with $1000 Flight Stream for ease of entering flight plans providing for a total of $7500.  Far below the $12,250 of the 440.

 

Meanwhile the 770 is a little late in arriving but is available for much less than the 440.

 

I really want you guys to do well, but I can't see how the market will bear your prices.

 

I think the comparisons are slightly off. You can't get a factory new G430W anymore. Sure, you can get a used one and upgrade it with FlightStream to have the Bluetooth capabilities if your goal is just cockpit connectivity.

 

Owners buy the IFD440 and IFD540 because they want the latest GPS/FMS/NAV/COM technology. They aren't just concerned about the features we have today but building a platform for the future. For example, we've just added 50+ customer facing features in this latest release of software and we aren't stopping there. We plan to continuously evolve and improve the IFD series, evident in the early decision to incorporate Bluetooth and WiFi in every IFD.

 

What separates us the most from competitors isn't just the one to one feature comparison but the ease of use that the whole platformed was built off of. We used the technology that we developed in our R9 platform and built the IFD's around that. All pilots can appreciate its ease of use; we constantly get airline pilots that stop by our booth telling us that they wish their, Boeing, Airbus, Embraer, had the same FMS as what we provide in the IFD's.

 

My point is, purchasing avionics is a long term investment, everyone knows that. We aren't building a product for just today and we put in place the features to make our product a viable option for years to come.

[Simpson Bennett]

Let's not forget, every time you hit the master button, you indemnify Avidyne and agree to pay for their defense. Yeap, read the startup screen…

 

100% incorrect. Indemnification exists only in the AeroPlan OPTIONAL extended warranty. The startup screen you refer to only applies to AeroPlan customers as stated in the first line of the AeroPlan OPTIONAL extended warranty.

 

What's the flat repair fee on the IFD unit if you choose not to accept Avidyne's liability and defense costs?

 

IFD540 $1,200

IFD440 $1,000

[Piloto]

Is the IFD540 Glonass capable?

José

[Tom]

[snip]

Owners buy the IFD440 and IFD540 because they want the latest GPS/FMS/NAV/COM technology.

[snip]

 

My point is that I believe that this is a very small segment of the WAAS/LPV market.  I could be wrong.  I would point out that (probably) the majority of the GA fleet is not LPV capable today.  I would further argue that this is so historically because of the expense associated with installing the LPV/WAAS hardware.  It's simply relatively expensive.

 

It doesn't make sense to me to believe that all us owner/operators who haven't bit the WAAS (Garmin) bullet in the past are now all of a suddent going to jump in and buy the "latest and greatest" at a price point higher than Garmin.  Like we were just waiting 15 years for a more superior product to come along, even if it was more expensive?

 

Trust me, I don't want to feed Garmin monopoly.  At this point the 770 with its own FMS core at a price point less than Avidyne seems the better non-Garmin option.  And for pure utility old Garmin is still the best thing going.

[Simpson Bennett]

Is the IFD540 Glonass capable?

José

 

No and there are Glonass plans at the moment.

[mike_elliott]

100% incorrect. Indemnification exists only in the AeroPlan OPTIONAL extended warranty. The startup screen you refer to only applies to AeroPlan customers as stated in the first line of the AeroPlan OPTIONAL extended warranty.

 

 

IFD540 $1,200

IFD440 $1,000

 That is really a shame, the cost of this optional extended warranty is way way to high because of this Serious risk, IMO. The quality of the product and quality of the company should  be able to defend itself.

[AndyFromCB]

My point is that I believe that this is a very small segment of the WAAS/LPV market.  I could be wrong.  I would point out that (probably) the majority of the GA fleet is not LPV capable today.  I would further argue that this is so historically because of the expense associated with installing the LPV/WAAS hardware.  It's simply relatively expensive.

 

It doesn't make sense to me to believe that all us owner/operators who haven't bit the WAAS (Garmin) bullet in the past are now all of a suddent going to jump in and buy the "latest and greatest" at a price point higher than Garmin.  Like we were just waiting 15 years for a more superior product to come along, even if it was more expensive?

 

Trust me, I don't want to feed Garmin monopoly.  At this point the 770 with its own FMS core at a price point less than Avidyne seems the better non-Garmin option.  And for pure utility old Garmin is still the best thing going.

 

I'm not sure what world you're living in, but unless you're talking about trainers and/or fly around the patch aircraft, most aircraft out there have WASS…Look on controller. It's really hard to find an aircraft without a 430W or 530W in it. Garmin sold somewhere around 150,000 of these babies.

[Tom]

I'm not sure what world you're living in, but unless you're talking about trainers and/or fly around the patch aircraft, most aircraft out there have WASS…Look on controller. It's really hard to find an aircraft without a 430W or 530W in it. Garmin sold somewhere around 150,000 of these babies.

 

I certainly don't live in the 1%r Cohiba lounge. 

 

Today on Controller I found the following.  I chose Js, Fs, and 182s as these aircraft generally are considered to be traveling machines:

22 Js listed.  6 do not have WAAS.  An additional 3 have 4/530s installed without a "W" (either a typo/bad salesmanship or indeed no WAAS).  Thus 9 of 22 Js don't have WAAS.

7 Fs listed.  5 do not have WAAS.

23 182s listed.  17 do not have WAAS.  An additional 3 have 4/530s installed without a "W."  Thus 20 of 23 182s don't have WAAS.

 

Noted in the above anectodal survey is a fairly high percentage of aircraft with autopilots installed with an en-route approved non-WAAS IFR GPS.  This suggests to me that owners historically were willing to spend money for capability, but not LPV capability.  To reiterate my earlier point, why does Avidyne think that these owners will now choose one of their units for a price higher than Garmin and King?

 

The number of Garmin units sold over the years seems to have been rounded up and up much faster than Garmin production.  I've never seen anywhere near 150,000 quoted before.  Moreover, as the above survey demonstrates, for the first 8-10 years of GNS production WAAS was not included.

 

In case you haven't noticed, AOPA et al have been raising a fuss about the ADS mandate as a high percentage of aircraft don't have an approved WAAS source on board.  The numerical bulk of the legacy GA fleet, which IS the bulk of the GA fleet, are "trainers and around the patch" type aircraft and I still stand by the assessment that the majority are not WAAS enabled.

[mike_elliott]

Some of us don't want Jepps, though, and don't like to pay extra for features that we don't want... 

 

Will The IFD boxes allow 2-way comms with a tablet + app solution?  I'm a current 530W/430W owner and the FlightStream box + Garmin Pilot is a very, very attractive proposition to extend the useful life of the GNS series.  I'm waiting to pull the trigger, though.  I would love to see Avidyne have similar functionality especially since the BT and WiFi radios are already on board.  An ADS-B IN only box would be nice too, for $1000 or less, for those of us with ES transponders already installed.

What I would like to see is avidyne come up with a flghtstream me too that isn't captive only to their boxes and software like Garmin is. 20% more for 20% less is the success formula to break into a market 

[Piloto]

Simpson

Is there an IFD540 on line simulator similar to the G530 to play with. There is no one around in my airport with an IFD540 to play with. I think the IFD540 is an excellent option for those that have the G530. I find the IFD540 maps a little bit too cluttered, but I would imagine they can be uncluttered like on the G530.

José

[PTK]

Welcome and thank you for sharing your expertise Simpson.

Great things come out through competition!

Wish you and Avidyne lots of luck!

[LANCECASPER]

Simpson

Is there an IFD540 on line simulator similar to the G530 to play with. There is no one around in my airport with an IFD540 to play with. I think the IFD540 is an excellent option for those that have the G530. I find the IFD540 maps a little bit too cluttered, but I would imagine they can be uncluttered like on the G530.

José

 

Some good videos     http://www.avidyne.com/landing/ifd540/index.asp

 

Simulator for an Apple iPad at the App Store   http://www.avidyne.com/products/ifd540/ipad-app.asp

 

Request a PC Simulator for an IFD540  http://www.avidyne.com/products/ifd540/demo-sim-signup.asp