Promo: Santa Fe Aero Aspen Install

[bd32322]

PM sent - dont expect anything in response - but if he comes up with a big screen aspen unit for installation on fresh panels - that will be a dream come true

Quote: N4352H

Hey Partner (bd32322)....PM Peter Lyons re: above.

Craig...My SVT goes in next week. Can't wait to see how busy that screen is gonna be.

[zaitcev]

Since I live in Albuquerque, Aspen is everywhere. I fly a rental Arrow with Aspen. I like the most that Aspen takes the actual VOR signal and uses that to drive the HSI. A button switches between GPS and VOR inputs. I also fly a rental Remos with 2 GPS receivers: a little automotive-like Garmin that drives Denon PFD, and a document-size Garmin 696. It allows for redundancy of GPSes, but not redundancy against jamming, which Aspen does provide. If L4 goes ahead, we may need that. Of course there's a question of GPS receiver's quality, as the whole L4 issue arises because of insufficient performance of front-end filters and amplifiers. Sadly, nobody can tell if there's a difference between Garmins of various prices and stripes and the Aspens in this area.

[smccray]

Quote: bd32322

Hey Partner (bd32322)....PM Peter Lyons re: above.

Craig...My SVT goes in next week. Can't wait to see how busy that screen is gonna be.

[Cris]

The product smmcry is mentioning is the KSN 770 which has only been vaporware since its announcement some three-four years ago. King seemed either incapable or unwilling to get the software correct. I believe Aspen saw this as a competitive product to the GTN 650/750 & took up the challenge to complete the product with King. I seem to recall Aspen also indicated that it would come to market with a touch screen by years end.

[fantom]

Isn't Aspen supposed to have an engine monitor option released soon?

[bd32322]

Quote: fantom

Isn't Aspen supposed to have an engine monitor option released soon?

[M016576]

Would love to see a touch screen aspen or garmin PFD... might drive down the price of the old units enough for me to be able to justify one!

[johnggreen]

I just read an interesting book "How The Mighty Fall" by Jim Collins.  It's about how some of the world's greatest corporations sat on their laurels while some "nobody" came in and took the market from them.  According to the book, the first stage of failure is hubris.

I've always marveled at how IBM sat by and watched the PC market become the next tech phenom,

GM and Ford kept building really bad cars and dismissed a couple of Jap corporations by the name of Datsun and Toyota.

AT&T hired a consultant years ago that told them cell phones would never be any real competition.

Bendix King developed really crappy GPS units while Garmin developed the 430/530

Cessna built Skyhawks and Skylanes while a couple of upstarts designed the Cirrus.

God Bless Garmin or we'd all still be poking around behind 155 nav/com's.  They still market them!  To whom?

I love the little guy who sticks his little foot up the ass of the big guy.  Oh and S-Tek.  Thanks fellows!  You gave me a choice and made my life better.

JG

[jetdriven]

S-Tek is ripe for an ass kicking. Their rep at OSH was a haughty, smug prick.  Hopefully Avidyne can take care of them with the DFC-90 autopilot.  9K$ and it rights the aircraft from upside down in 3 seconds.  I will take the first one, in cash.

[johnggreen]

There's always a new, "little guy".  Ain't life great!

JG

 

[jetdriven]

John, he can't come soon enough!

[AndyFromCB]

Allsmiles,

To say that we don't need GPSS at our speeds is a falacy. Yes, we don't need it. Neither do we need Aspen or for that matter the whole GTN/GNS line. But GPSS is the greatest thing since sliced bread in IFR flying, sit down, kick back , relax and spend all your energy monitoring the flight instead fighting the wind in the soup. My GPSS took me thru a 32 knot cross wind on a LPV approach a few weeks ago where I could focus on the developing weather and pull the plug and do a 180 if needed instead of focusing on the basics of chasing the needles. If you have all the fancy avionics in your airplane and you don't have GPSS and you fly IFR, that's like a blind person buying the iPad. It's cool but pretty useless.

Andy

[jetdriven]

Well said, Andy.  our plane currently only has heading mode and altitude hold.  GPSS would be a whole new dimension.  Perhaps an Aspen is in our future.

[Cruiser]

I just ordered the Aspen Evolution 2000. My plane goes to the shop Nov. 28th. for the install. I have a couple of questions for those of you that have Aspens installed.

Where did you mount the RSM? I will have two. I have read that they should be as far from the COM antennae and aft of the baggage compartment to avoid heat from the cabin.

Is anyone using the Sonalert?

If you had a yoke mounted GPS before, do you still use it with the Aspen panel or have you abandoned the yoke mounts? 

Any other pointers or suggestions any of you might offer?

  

[John Pleisse]

Cruiser,

I had the series 2000 installed in March. The RSM in my AC was installed high in the tail cone, halfway aft , port side between the avionics platform and the tail (midway back). It was installed significantly more aft than the flux sensor for my Century HSI. There hasn't been a single issue. The RSM was the source of poor installs in the past and I have to think Aspen has a handle on their dealers.

The bigger question during my install was where to put the one-hour battery for the dual adahrs. It is heavy and has to be secured to something forward near the panel. My guy strapped it to the inside along the center pedestal on the floor.

I had a 396 wired to ship's power beautifully braided and out of site. During the Aspen install, they just ripped it out without conferring. I would have kept it, although I think Garmin is discontinuing support for this unit in about one more year.

I have the SVT/ESV, so the sonalert was part of the STC. I would never have purchased the SVT, it was part of a promotional offer at the time.

Lastly, I was sternly warned the software cards (not data) were only replaceable at full value (thousands), so guard them.

My install was far more involved than I had anticipated. Pic's posted. I have drawings and log entries. Anything you need, just PM me and I'll scan it for you. You won't be able to beat a Santa Fe install.

 

[PTK]

Quote: astelmaszek

Allsmiles,

To say that we don't need GPSS at our speeds is a falacy. Yes, we don't need it. Neither do we need Aspen or for that matter the whole GTN/GNS line. But GPSS is the greatest thing since sliced bread in IFR flying, sit down, kick back , relax and spend all your energy monitoring the flight instead fighting the wind in the soup. My GPSS took me thru a 32 knot cross wind on a LPV approach a few weeks ago where I could focus on the developing weather and pull the plug and do a 180 if needed instead of focusing on the basics of chasing the needles. If you have all the fancy avionics in your airplane and you don't have GPSS and you fly IFR, that's like a blind person buying the iPad. It's cool but pretty useless.

Andy

[John Pleisse]

Quote: jetdriven

S-Tek is ripe for an ass kicking. Their rep at OSH was a haughty, smug prick.  Hopefully Avidyne can take care of them with the DFC-90 autopilot.  9K$ and it rights the aircraft from upside down in 3 seconds.  I will take the first one, in cash.

[fantom]

Some, myself included, consider the GTN a big bell and whistle, which while nice is an overpriced, rather than necessary piece of navigational equipment.

Point being, tastes vary for many reasons, so what is necessary and what isn't for someone else is very subjective and not worth debating IMHO. 

[Cruiser]

Quote: N4352H

Cruiser,

I had the series 2000 installed in March. The RSM in my AC was installed high in the tail cone, halfway aft , port side between the avionics platform and the tail (midway back). It was installed significantly more aft than the flux sensor for my Century HSI. There hasn't been a single issue. The RSM was the source of poor installs in the past and I have to think Aspen has a handle on their dealers.

........snip

[John Pleisse]

Quote: Cruiser

 Inside the airframe or on the outside?

[Parker_Woodruff]

Quote: allsmiles

Best Regards,

PK

[John Pleisse]

Quote: fantom

Isn't Aspen supposed to have an engine monitor option released soon?

[rocketman]

What a cool thread. I am in the process of getting many things installed in my new Rocket which I will post pictures, prices and recommendations in future posts. But for now, let me put on my comical hat and revere that I am currently installing a new GTN 750 Garmin in one ring, and in the other "extreme challenge" is the Aspen PFD. I am also re-weighing my plane to really see how the POH really stacks up over 31 years to current gravity measurements. 

 

The plane is currently in Kentucky for the radio's and the interior is being sent to Aerocomfort for a new interior. Thats just the start. More to come. And with Pictures!

 

But always remember, we fly these things for the fun (and business) and our investments which never will pay dividends or capital gains. We each have our bias and desires, but are not married to our radios. These are things, all very sophisticated and do the same things with a few exceptions. My family, like yours, are our really treasures. Lets not loose focus of our enjoyable pleasures that we are fortunate to own and fly. 

[rocketman]

This is the current install as of this week. Hard to appreciate what will be coming. Glad this is not a self install project

[jetdriven]

You might want to reconsider re-weighing the airplane.  Its legal now, it might be legal and minus 75 lbs useful load after the fact.  And you only had to pay 300$ for the privilege.