Reviews of the AeroCruze 230

[Jetpilot86]

1 hour ago, LANCECASPER said:

If you have a Bendix King KFC150 autopilot in your panel right now that was a $50,000 complete system back then. It’s still very capable and might need just some tweaks by a competent shop. The AeroCruze won’t do anything that the KFC150 would do.

Flushing out my due diligence and building my upgrade wish list budget.  Ya, it's a KFC 150 in there now, but as I mentioned above, over equipping is a hallmark of my crowd.  Right now the total upgrade estimate is around $50k.  Might all happen next month, or next few years, but I'm getting the first draft going.  Stumbled across a co-worker that does Avionics as a side gig, and comparing notes from here to there.  So far the drift back towards Garmin is becoming noticeable as he's been able to articulate how some of this stuff integrates, and where the bucks (AMU's?) can be saved.

[dzeleski]

19 hours ago, Echo said:

Do most of you IFR guys and gals really fly significant weather (with regularity) that the benefits of these wiz bang systems really are applied?  I am really curious and not trying to be confrontational.  I would just have zero interest in flying to low IFR levels and wonder if many recreational Mooney pilots utilize their planes in such a way?  I really liked the STek system (altitude hold and flying the magenta line) as a VFR pilot, (for ease of operation) but hand flying is fun too.  Most of my missions are two hours and so fatigue isn't a big factor.  The money to update a panel (to current tech) is, to me, not well spent in return on investment.  I of course understand that if you have a load of money getting latest and greatest is fine.  Why not just get a latest and greatest Mooney or "gasp" Cirrus?  I fly for fun and yes when weather allows.  This will be even more flexible with retirement coming in a year.  Love looking at the amazing panels many here have on their planes, but it is NEVER gonna happen for me.  I wish there was ability to install older Stek systems that have been removed (like System 30) into older planes for less AMU's.  Like new vehicle prices I find avionics (new tech) prices absurd.  Enjoy the investment you have made.  Just put in the Garmin, says I to you, not to myself in mirror.  It's only money  

Yes plenty of us do. Nothing wrong with being a VFR pilot only either. Personally I use my airplane to visit friends and family that have moved away or just for vacations.

There is a point where your return on value starts dropping which is why I stopped at dual G5, GFC500, and an IFD. I could’ve spent more but it didn’t make sense. 

[201Steve]

@Echo Adding modern avionics (Garmin) to my plane has doubled my enjoyment of it being used as a traveler. All that and to add, I don’t even fly to mins. 
 

Cross xxx at 5,000 - whiz bang, done. 
 

transition from gps to localizer, bang whiz. 

enter this unpublished hold - whiz bang, done. 

get into busy airspace with machine gun instructions - whiz bang, done. 

final approach course guidance for any runway- whiz bang. 

I could go on, but the point is, you don’t need to be flying long hard IMC to mins to make it, just better. You ever been to a casino? Whiz bang is just fun. 
 

[Tim-37419]

All that whiz bang makes me feel even more excited about my 650xi install this week 

[PT20J]

According to the FAA's notice of a proposed AD for the now-fixed GFC 500 pitch trim runaway, Garmin has sold 5900 certified GFC 500s. I wonder how many Aerocruze 230s have been installed?

[kortopates]

Let’s also not loose sight of the fact that the Aerocruze is merely a computer update to an existing BK KFC-150. they’ve updated the computer which ironically is still maintainable but done nothing to address the real issue with these - the servo’s. Since they no longer have all the parts to repair them, namely motors, i wonder how they can warrant your old servos for a year after an Aerocruze - i guess they have to go to a third party source for an expensive motor replacement which still would wouldn’t be current brushless technology motor like Garmin uses. I don’t see how anyone would bite once knowing the details.


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[PT20J]

1 hour ago, kortopates said:

Let’s also not loose sight of the fact that the Aerocruze is merely a computer update to an existing BK KFC-150. they’ve updated the computer which ironically is still maintainable but done nothing to address the real issue with these - the servo’s. Since they no longer have all the parts to repair them, namely motors, i wonder how they can warrant your old servos for a year after an Aerocruze - i guess they have to go to a third party source for an expensive motor replacement which still would wouldn’t be current brushless technology motor like Garmin uses. I don’t see how anyone would bite once knowing the details.


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Some of the parts for the KC 191 and 192s (namely the microprocessor) are no longer available according to Mid-Continent. And, there is the problem with the leaky electrolytic capacitors that can destroy the circuit boards in the units built in the mid-90s.

[MikeOH]

8 minutes ago, PT20J said:

Some of the parts for the KC 191 and 192s (namely the microprocessor) are no longer available according to Mid-Continent. And, there is the problem with the leaky electrolytic capacitors that can destroy the circuit boards in the units built in the mid-90s.

Hmm, how often are failures actually due to the microprocessor failing?

IMHO, the cap disaster from the 90s is long gone; I’d bet they would have failed by now

[201Steve]

It seems like people think there is a huge money saving benefit to non-garmin. If you run the math... the savings isn't all that compelling.

[PT20J]

35 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

Hmm, how often are failures actually due to the microprocessor failing?

IMHO, the cap disaster from the 90s is long gone; I’d bet they would have failed by now

I had one. The autopilot turned itself on uncommanded. I sent it to Mid-Continent and they said it was a bad microprocessor and unrepairable. This was the second failure of that computer. The first was an intermittent, random failure of the trim which eventually got bad enough to randomly fail the self test. Autopilots Central thought they fixed it, but it started doing it again soon after return. I sent it back and they kept if for two months before giving up and sending it to Mid-Continent that found a bad internal connector. It worked for a year before the microprocessor incident. I bought another one on eBay and it was working before I removed it, but I'd had enough whack-a-mole with 30 year old avionics and decided to upgrade. 

[EricJ]

47 minutes ago, 201Steve said:

It seems like people think there is a huge money saving benefit to non-garmin. If you run the math... the savings isn't all that compelling.

It is with the Aerocruz 100.   Some are out in the wild now, but availability is still not great.    Unit cost and installation are both well under GFC500, and the installation is much more straightforward and maintainable (imho) than the GFC500.  Plus any A&P can install it (or supervise owner installation).  There is no electric trim option, though, or yaw damper, for the people where that matters.

[ricardo-sf]

You can do a GFC500 with avidyne units .. 

no reason to go to GTN units just to get the GFC500

[201Steve]

On 10/9/2023 at 5:11 PM, EricJ said:

It is with the Aerocruz 100

I don’t know I’d like to see pure apples to apples. A friend of mine just got quoted all the variations in his Piper archer and the delta was like 20% or less difference. To me, the 20% is well worth the added capability, availability, and support. I know you don’t like the gfc500 installation theory, but… it works!

[LANCECASPER]

On 10/9/2023 at 12:44 PM, PT20J said:

According to the FAA's notice of a proposed AD for the now-fixed GFC 500 pitch trim runaway, Garmin has sold 5900 certified GFC 500s. I wonder how many Aerocruze 230s have been installed?

One Mooney confirmed..lol

[NotarPilot]

On 10/5/2023 at 5:46 PM, hubcap said:

I know a lot of folks like to hate on Garmin, but their stuff works and it works well….in my experience.

I have some experience with it not working so well. I have images and videos on my phone of the screen on a G500H going red (twice) that had to be sent back to Garmin for repair, the magnetometer failing, and probably a couple other issues that escape me at the moment. It’s good stuff but not perfect. Every product will have issues at some point. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

[hubcap]

6 hours ago, NotarPilot said:

I have some experience with it not working so well. I have images and videos on my phone of the screen on a G500H going red (twice) that had to be sent back to Garmin for repair, the magnetometer failing, and probably a couple other issues that escape me at the moment. It’s good stuff but not perfect. Every product will have issues at some point. Don’t let anyone tell you different.

I certainly do not believe any manufacturer is 100%…stuff breaks, but Garmin made products are obviously thought by folks to be pretty good, the demand is high.

[EricJ]

12 hours ago, hubcap said:

I certainly do not believe any manufacturer is 100%…stuff breaks, but Garmin made products are obviously thought by folks to be pretty good, the demand is high.

There's not a lot of competition.

[Justin Schmidt]

On 10/6/2023 at 12:51 PM, KSMooniac said:

Can you even still buy a new 55x?  I thought 3100 was the latest and greatest.... 

I talked to a Genesys guy at Airventures this year about the 3100. He said there isn't enough people interested in the Mooney world to get them certified for the Mooney. I can't remember what number he said needs to be interested and paid for

[Jetpilot86]

9 minutes ago, Justin Schmidt said:

I talked to a Genesys guy at Airventures this year about the 3100. He said there isn't enough people interested in the Mooney world to get them certified for the Mooney. I can't remember what number he said needs to be interested and paid for

No interest because it's not STC'd, and no STC because there is no interest.....

hmmm  I get that the STC cost's money but what he's really saying is they don't think they'll get interest even after they put the money in the STC.

[hubcap]

6 hours ago, EricJ said:

There's not a lot of competition.

A friend with a turboprop has all Collins equipment. It broke and had to be replaced. I will take my chances with Garmin rather than hold my breath waiting for something else. 

[LANCECASPER]

23 hours ago, Justin Schmidt said:

I talked to a Genesys guy at Airventures this year about the 3100. He said there isn't enough people interested in the Mooney world to get them certified for the Mooney. I can't remember what number he said needs to be interested and paid for

And this is why: