Handheld options

[74657]

I am getting into a new plane and my beloved Garmin 496 is staying in N888DF. I have grown to love the yoke mounted 496 since I started flying in 2008. The XM weather and AOPA directory have been wonderful to have in the cockpit.

The plane I am moving into has a G500 w/ synthetic vision and a GTN750 in it. While I can get the weather displayed on the GTN I think I am going to miss having all of the weather data "at my fingertips". I currently fly with an IPad 1 w/ Foreflight HD which I use mainly for approach plates only.

I have been looking at getting an Aera 560 and have also looked at the 796. I don't know if I want to get away from XM yet and jump to an ADS-B system for weather. In a perfect world, someone would have a Foreflight type system that could bluetooth XM weather onto a new IPAD mini......

I don't stay on top of avionics except when I change planes. I'm about 2 years behind the curve!

I learned how to fly IFR using NACO charts and would prefer to keep using them. I am having a hard time justifying the 500 bucks a year for Garmin supplied charts for the G500 and 796.

Thanks,

Brandon

[74657]

Pic of new panel.

[philipneeper]

i would kill for your panel

[dougmilam]

Ditto on your panel.

I use an Aera 510 for backup. It seems to be about the best bang for the buck. About $1,100 gets you a nice GPS with XM. The current version Aera software includes a number of features what were not available on the 496. I would be happy with either. Have fun flying that nice machine.

[danb35]

In a perfect world, someone would have a Foreflight type system that could bluetooth XM weather onto a new IPAD mini......

It's here. Well, almost. It uses WiFi instead of bluetooth, but XM WX is supported in Foreflight on the iPad using the Baron MobileLink device. See here: http://www.baronservices.com/aviation/inflight/mobilelink

Unfortunately, it's expensive, starting at $1100 for the receiver plus mobile link device, and then $50/mo for XM. The ADS-B options are cheaper up front, and no monthly fee, but show less information.

[74657]

Do you know if the Baron system needs its own XM subscription or would it work with the signal fed to the GTN750?

[74657]

The fallback plan would be to pickup an IPad Mini and install an ADS-B receiver.

I'm really really going to miss my Missile. It is a fantastic plane. Things came together at the right time for the new one and I had to jump on it. We just got back from Florida. 870 miles in 5 1/2 hours with near constant 25kt headwinds. It truly is an amazing machine that I will dearly miss. I thought it would take me more than 2 years to outgrow. I didn't realize 2 years ago how quickly kids grow up!

[carusoam]

Or how short 2 years really is...

Good luck with the new machine Brandon.

Best regards,

-a-

[danb35]

Do you know if the Baron system needs its own XM subscription or would it work with the signal fed to the GTN750?

I don't know for sure, but I believe it needs its own subscription.

[jetdriven]

We have the aera 500 and the GDL-39 plus an ipad. It works great, as long as ADS-B is available in your area. Side note, the aera 500 is 500$ less than the 550. Enough so that you can almost pay for the GDL-39. The only thing you dont get that XM has is the satellite pics. But you get NOTAMs and TFRs.

[Seth]

I had the 496 yoke mounted in my former M20F. In my Missile, I have an Aera 560 panel mounted and interconnected with the 430W. I am able to remove it when I need it in other aircraft. Sent you a PM with more information.

Congrats on the Malibu!

Take care,

-Seth

[flyboy0681]

I thought it would take me more than 2 years to outgrow. I didn't realize 2 years ago how quickly kids grow up!

Those kids must be huge. I can get my two teens into the J without any problem.

[jetdriven]

As Bill Lear said about the Learjet 25 "You can't stand up in a Cadillac either."

[fantom]

As Bill Lear said about the Learjet 25 "You can't stand up in a Cadillac either."

No kidding, and squeezing into the front seat of a TBM-850 or a Meriden isn't exactly a picnic, either.

[RobertoTohme]

No kidding, and squeezing into the front seat of a TBM-850 or a Meriden isn't exactly a picnic, either.

That's why TBM's have the optional pilot door.... Don't buy one without it!

[74657]

Those kids must be huge. I can get my two teens into the J without any problem.

The kids aren't. The luggage and misc. stuff that goes with them is. Like I said, this idea wasn't kicked around until a month or so ago. I had my sights set on a new Garmin audio panel with bluetooth for the Mooney. This deal came together and given the nature of what the current administration has in mind for the next 4 years I thought it was best to live a little and make the jump.

[jlunseth]

My thoughts. First, a couple of years ago I was a big proponent of putting as much as possible on the panel because it was more robust than the available EFB's. What I have noticed, and this is true of all computer driven electronics, is that new generations of devices come along every two or three years, and each new generation has new useful features that require more processing power. You can keep your old panel mounted stuff and it may run the current generation of software, but it does not run it very well or quickly. In addition, the manufacturers do not provide inexpensive upgrade paths. So if, for example, you bought a G1000 equipped plane five years ago and haven't done the WAAS upgrade, that upgrade is going to cost you somewhere north of $10,000. The other issue with installations of new equipment is that they never seem to work perfectly, there always seem to be a number of issues that drag on for months or even years trying to get everything to play nice.

There is not much you can do about it when the issue is navigational equipment that is panel mounted and certified. You are stuck with it if you fly IFR or want the AP to work with it. But I have been very impressed with the quality of the software, the peripherals, and the ability to cheaply upgrade to the newest and generally fastest core device, that is available with the iPad. I now carry all my charts, plates, and my checklist on the iPad. The issue with a Mooney is that it is designed as a long cross country machine, and to fly across several states you need a bunch of VFR, low enroute, and plate books "just in case." And having run into a couple of "just in case" situations, I can tell you that paper does absolutely no good in the dark in the back seat during an emergency. You need something that allows you to access needed information instantly, otherwise you are stuck with the decisions/suggestions that ATC gives you.

So I apply a fairly rigorous cost/benefit analysis to any new aviation electronics. My main navigational system is a standard 6 pack, 430W, GPSS, and KFC200. I have XM weather on an MX20, it is old and clunky, but I have not yet converted to ADSB because, again, the Mooney is intended to fly long trips and I am frequently in areas where ADSB coverage is not very good, like the Dakotas or the western states. That weather is a life-saver in terms of making decisions that allow you to avoid situations you and/or the aircraft cannot deal with.

But for anything electronic other than weather and core nav functions, anything such as AHRS, traffic, and of course charts and plates, the iPad is just the best solution going right now. Upgrading or adding a new capability runs in the $800-1200 range rather than the 8,000 - 12,000 range. It is a given that probably in three years and definitely in five years, the great new whiz bang electronics will have been far surpassed and in need of replacement, so why not go with stuff that lets you keep up as developments occur?

Frankly I would not buy a Garmin portable, all of the functionalities are available on an iPad with Foreflight or WingX, and the upgrade path is much cheaper. Garmin makes great stuff, but they know how to price and they are not very good at giving you a credit to trade in your old device when the next one comes out.

I have to say that it is not that I don't like the new panel stuff, it is all great and makes flying the aircraft a breeze. But it is changing very rapidly and I left my crystal ball in my other pants pocket so I do not know the future, except that the iPad is going to be a highly useful, easily upgradeable platform.

I have been in situations where the engine may not be with you when you get to the ground, or where the alternator is gone and you need to conserve all the power you can for the approach and landing, so the electronics on the panel stare at you blankly for quite awhile, unable to help. The paper is buried in the back seat in the dark. I can tell you that a Mooney flies perfectly well with the Master switch off. The panel is not much help and there is no backup for the engine readouts on the 930, not even the little RAD strip. I can tell you that when, not if but when it happens, you would kill for a 6 pack and a good chart to navigate with. The iPad may not be legal to navigate IFR except in an emergency you get to use anything you have available to you, anything at all.

[GaryP1007]

I have the Aera560 on my yoke and it works fine, but I tend to agree with jlunseth above.....the iPad (and now the iPad-mini) are just great cost-effective options. I love the weather on the 560 and have relied on it in many occasions. If I were making your purchasing decision right now I might opt for the iPad with ADS-B....unless you can get a good deal on an Aera.

[1964-M20E]

I like the I-fly 720 good dedicated unit with street navigation as well easy to read in daylight. Subscription for all lo alt charts, proceedures, sectiontioals and TACs $110 per year. Coupled to Skyradar gives good ADS-B weather even though traffic is unreliable.