GTN PIREP

[PTK]

Yeah, the pics aren't the best.  The cup holder is nice.  It took me a while to find it. I was looking for two but couldn't find them small enough to fit neatly on the center console there.  So I put one in.  It is the smallest I found. The item is the AFI 20055.  If you search you'll find it.

[docket]

Garmin issued today a Pilotpak deal.  If you have a G500, GTN750, GTN 650 the annual subscription is now $849.  That is a considerable savings over all of the subscriptions together.  FYI.  56FM

[docket]

Picked up the Eagle today with its new GTN750 and 650.  I also put in the new audio panel Model 35.  I had it done at Avionics Unlimited in Conroe and they did a really nice job.   They solved a frustrating audio issue with the old radios and delivered it to me squawk free.

I am not sure that they are any easier to use than the 530/430 but the screen is awesome and flight plan creation is tremendously easier.  I also like the way the audio panel and transponder all work through the front of the 750.  I am glad, however, that it still has a knob to enter frequencies when it is bumpy.

There is a lot of information overload with these new units but they are a lot more intuitive than the 530/430.  I do not like, however, the way you input frequencies because you have to put in the 1 and any trailing zeros -- I have no clue why Garmin didn't put a function in to auto populate the first number.  I still think that the knob turning for frequencies may be easier.

I traded in the two year old 530/430/347 and left today with a 750/650/35 and left $13,000 with tax at Avionics Unlimited.  I thought that was a pretty fair price.

[Txbyker]

Docket,

My M20J - 5288G is at Avionics Unlimited right now due out early next week with a GTN650.  I got a great price too.  I am very interested to hear about some of your inflight pireps. 

 

[flyboy0681]

docket
I am not sure that they are any easier to use than the 530/430

What are you finding difficult to accomplish? I now have about 20 hours flying with the 750 and find it phenomenally easy to use.

[Txbyker]

Just picked up the M20J with GTN650.  I am upgrading from a KLN94 to Garmin GTN so it is really dramatic for me.  I only have an hour with it but it seems very intuitive.  The screen/cpu refresh rate is very fast.  Ground operations very clear with position on airport, taxiways, frequencies, etc easy to see and manipulate.  Zooming in and out very quick.  It was very bumpy in the hot skies over Houston today so I got a good work out with the finger tip grip areas and was able to accomplish the desired button push except for a couple of times.  Doing some IFR approaches Thursday so I will see how that flows.

Avionics Unlimited in Conroe KCXO is top notch.  They crossed it to my yoke mount 496, better connection to the autopilot and even corrected some wiring issues from past equipment installs. 

Docket - lots of praises about your Mooney from those guys especially your planes climb performance.  I think I am the second Mooney out of there with GTN, yours being the first.

[flyboy0681]

Docket - lots of praises about your Mooney from those guys especially your planes climb performance.  I think I am the second Mooney out of there with GTN, yours being the first.

 

What am I, chopped liver?

[Txbyker]

Haha, heck no.  You are in no way chopped liver.  My comments were in regards to the local shop that Docket and I apparently both used.  The test co-pilot was telling me about Dockets test ride the week before and I mentioned I knew about the plane from this chat board.  The test tech told me that Dockets Eagle climbs pretty darn good.

[Parker_Woodruff]

flyboy0681

That's a great Pirep on the GTN750, thanks. I will be installing one in my Mooney also. The main reason was the learning curve I have to go through. I watched some of the training tapes for the 430/530 series and have to admit I was somewhat frustrated. That's what being away from flying for a number years does to you. The old way was to tune in the VOR frequency then fly the needle. Or dial the tower and talk. I know I would have mastered the 430/530 style in a short time but going with the new product just made sense. When you share more I will soak it all up.

 

Eldon

[docket]

Txbyker,

I saw your Mooney at Avionics Unlimited and it is a beautiful bird.  Who did your paint -- it was a nice looking job.  The guys at Avionics Unlimited are a great bunch.  I took Marshall on the test flight and we were climbing out at 1500 fpm at 175 kts over the ground (of course I had a 10 knot tailwind).  We leveled off for the test flight at 3000 feet in under two minutes and were in level cruise at 190 kts over the ground. 

We then did a high speed descent to the field to test the intercept ability of the autopilot.

 I don't want to admit, however, how much fuel we were burning at $7.00 per gallon of KHOU fuel.

I am taking the plane on Friday to Wilmar to have the tanks redone since I am tired of chasing weeps and being unable to put in full fuel.  That should give me a good chance to get acclimated to the new equipment.  The one thing that I can tell is that it is just going to take a while to erase my head of 530 logic and reprogram to the new deal.

I do like the dual set up.

This system will last a year or two until the STC issues for the G2000 retrofit.  I have some mental defect that always makes me want the new toy.  Garmin tells me that it is coming and that willl be a huge deal.  I figure that I have one more money bomb to blow up on the Mooney before I do a Meridian/TBM.

[PTK]

Don't worry flyboy0681, I must be chopped liver too!!   And I don't even like liver!

 

The way I see it is that the 430/530 were DOS (does anybody remember DOS ??) and the GTN is the latest Windows OS.  I find it very easy to use and ultra fast. Literaly everything seems to be at my fingertips.  And I'm glad I went with the GMA35 and GTX33. The audio panel and transponder are there when I need them and hide when I don't.  And 95% of the time I don't need them there taking up precious space.  I'd rather look at the 750 bigger display!

There is a rumor floating that Garmin is coming out with a PFD only version of the G500.  Has anyone heard anything?? I'd love a sleek PFD from Garmin as there is no need for a G500 mfd portion anymore and I'm definitely not installing Aspen.

 

[Txbyker]

Docket - my plane has original paint.

Flyboy - I would like to ask you a question.  I would like to quickly jump back to the map page from other pages.  I find it takes two steps, pressing home then pressing map.  I have read then manual and used the simulator software and cant find a quicker way to get to maps.  Do you know? 

I am going to do some approaches tonight and will try to convert my mental and muscle memory from the KLN to the Garmin.  Any tips for IFR approach steps is appreciated.

Thanks

[flyboy0681]

Flyboy - I would like to ask you a question.  I would like to quickly jump back to the map page from other pages

To display the map in one keystroke just hold the HOME key for 1.5 seconds.

There are a few other shortcuts, such as touching the digital CDI box on the bottom of the screen to instantly bring up the Flight Plan page. Need to know how far you are from a point on the map? Just touch it and it's distance will display along with its coordinates in a little window on the bottom right side of the screen.

 

Allsmiles, in your configuration of Xponder and Audio panel, how do you bring up the default navigation display? Just curious since this isn't covered in the manual or the simulator.

[PTK]

Allsmiles, in your configuration of Xponder and Audio panel, how do you bring up the default navigation display? Just curious since this isn't covered in the manual or the simulator.

 

Either hold the home button a couple seconds or press back button all the way back to where you were. If you were on the main menu you press the map button.

[flyboy0681]

Allsmiles

Either hold the home button a couple seconds or press back button all the way back to where you were. If you were on the main menu you press the map button.

I guess I misunderstood your original posting. What did you mean when you said " The audio panel and transponder are there when I need them and hide when I don't."?

What are you hiding?

[PTK]

Allsmiles

Either hold the home button a couple seconds or press back button all the way back to where you were. If you were on the main menu you press the map button.

I guess I misunderstood your original posting. What did you mean when you said " The audio panel and transponder are there when I need them and hide when I don't."?

What are you hiding?

What I meant is the audio panel and transponder physical boxes are hidden remotely and don't take up panel space.  When I need to access them  there are screen buttons at the top of the display to access them and control them, ie change a squawk code or switch comms, navs  etc.  Then they hide again.  So they are there when I need to control their functionality but do not take up permanment panel space.  

[PTK]

If you saw the GTN video on the GTN you'll know what I mean. 

[jlunseth]

There are some letters and piece in the recent Aviation Consumer about the GTN's.  Apparently they are not flying off the shelf, too costly and not enough of an improvement from the GNS's.  Also, there was a letter stating that, at least in a composite aircraft, the STC for the 650 did not permit the 650 to be used as primary nav., there needs to be another box in the plane.  The 750 is apparently the solution.  Not clear from the letter whether it was GPS redundancy, or the need for an MFD display of some kind that cause the STC issue.

[flyboy0681]

Well, yea I knew all that, I just thought that you were able to hide the transponder and audio panel on the actual display.

So is the transponder/audio display full time or can you also display navigation information in the same space?

[Piloto]

There are some letters and piece in the recent Aviation Consumer about the GTN's.  Apparently they are not flying off the shelf, too costly and not enough of an improvement from the GNS's.  Also, there was a letter stating that, at least in a composite aircraft, the STC for the 650 did not permit the 650 to be used as primary nav., there needs to be another box in the plane.  The 750 is apparently the solution.  Not clear from the letter whether it was GPS redundancy, or the need for an MFD display of some kind that cause the STC issue.

A GTN 750 is not going to improve the mission profile over a G530 equipped plane. But the equivalent cost of the GTN 750 will give you over 3000 gallons of AVGAS or 50 tank top off. Either you fly 300 hours with the old G530 or play with the GTN 750 in your hangar, your choice

José

 

[docket]

Flew the Eagle nonstop from KHOU to KBDH to leave the plane with Paul Beck at Weepnomore for a reseal job.  Made the trip in 5 hours.  In that 5 hours the 650/750 and I got some serious togetherness time.  You can never justify blowing money on a lot of electronics because they are often just minor improvements on the predecessor.  I think the 650/750 is kind of like the microwave when we got one back in the 1970's -- all we new how to use it at first was to make hot water -- big deal.  Use the new GTN's for a few hours and they really are a big improvement in the ease of operation and the screen is a lot easier to see.

My favorite part is that you can now touch the screen and instantly know what that object is or how high the airspace may be.

But, Jose is certainly right, new electronics arent going to make the plane faster or fill up the tanks.  But come on, its still cool.

[Piloto]

But, Jose is certainly right, new electronics arent going to make the plane faster or fill up the tanks.  But come on, its still cool.

If you want to make it really cool you could have an air conditioner instead of the 750. I am sure your passengers will appreciate that more than a touch screen.

José  

[jetdriven]

Docket already has an air conditioner too, Jose.

[Piloto]

What can I say. Unlike some of you I never got the Obama stimulus check to get me the GTN 750. All that I could afford with my wife approval was a 70" Sharp HDTV. And I will tell you that Angelina Jolie looks much better on the Sharp than any of the icons on the GTN 750, no regrets.

José 

[PTK]

A GTN 750 is not going to improve the mission profile over a G530 equipped plane. But the equivalent cost of the GTN 750 will give you over 3000 gallons of AVGAS or 50 tank top off. Either you fly 300 hours with the old G530 or play with the GTN 750 in your hangar, your choice

 

Yes, but for us guys who never had a 430 or 530, and I personaly never wanted them because they have too many pushbuttons and knobs, the GTN 750 is a justifiable upgrade to GPS NAV COMM.  Realize, Jose' that I installed a GTN750 plus a GMA35 plus a GTX33 for the same if not less than what a 530 (I said 530 not 530W) cost to install when IT first came out!!