Aspen EFD1000 ?s

[Marauder]

I think what Aspen is doing is taking the "Pilot" version of the PFD, adding a long-life battery and calling it the "STC approved" version. The discussion about the additional cost is nothing more than what I have heard before. To make a VFR PFD Pilot version into a Pro version, you buy the software to make it function as a Pro.

[jlunseth]

14 hours ago, Marauder said:

The overall issue with this class of airplane is the limited redundancy. It doesn't matter how many Aspens, Garmin G500 or any other items you add, if there exists a single point of failure like our pitot system, they all fail. For attitude information there are options including vacuum and battery backups.

+1.  No, +100! I have a thousand hours now on my 231.  I have experienced, in the air, one alternator failure, one vacuum pump failure, one pitot heat failure, and one GPS that burned out and went black, taking the associated Comm with it when the other Comm was out of the plane and in the shop.  Knock on wood these all occurred in VMC and were uneventful.  Well, ok, they were not uneventful, learning to deal with them the first time they happen in the air is a little exciting even VMC.  I have had several more alternator coupler failures and a couple of mag failures found on the ground at runup.  Time to stop right there.  But the lesson is, you can't have too much redundancy and backups, and there are some things, like mags, vacuum pump, that you just have to replace every "x" hours no questions asked.  A vacuum system is what, six or seven pounds?  Keep it, better yet improve it with a wet pump, it may save your life someday.

Edited April 29, 2016 by jlunseth

[Pictreed]

I'm watching this thread closely.  In my meer 165 hours I've seen an AI, mag, and an alternator (night flight) all VMC.  (Rentals)

I would like the Aspen but it seems everyday someone comes out with something new. 

Maybe I should do the STEC first and give the electronics time to settle down. 

[ArtVandelay]

It turns out it's mandatory for electronic displays to have a backup by Far 23.1311 , apparently FAA doesn't trust electronics.

[Guitarmaster]

It turns out it's mandatory for electronic displays to have a backup by Far 23.1311 , apparently FAA doesn't trust electronics.

That's because the FAA is still using vacuum tubes.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[LANCECASPER]

12 hours ago, teejayevans said:

It turns out it's mandatory for electronic displays to have a backup by Far 23.1311 , apparently FAA doesn't trust electronics.

It makes sense. With steam gauges you practice partial panel so if one goes out you can keep the airplane right side up and get it safely on the ground. If the display goes out on an EFIS you lose all of that information, therefore you need a completely independent backup.

[Jerry 5TJ]

1 hour ago, LANCECASPER said:

It makes sense. With steam gauges you practice partial panel so if one goes out you can keep the airplane right side up and get it safely on the ground. If the display goes out on an EFIS you lose all of that information, therefore you need a completely independent backup.

If my G500 goes into  "red X" mode I have a separate, smaller EFIS in the ESI-2000.  "Partial panel" becomes "smaller panel" and it's about as easy to fly IMC as full panel.  

By contrast in my older steam-age Mooneys if the vacuum AI failed I had the turn coordinator to keep the blue side up.  That was a good bit tougher to fly in actual IMC.