Decision on Avidyne Equipment?

[455 Bravo Uniform]

I just put in another 6 hrs, for a total 11 so far. I am SLOW! Doesn’t look like a lot of progress.

I found I don’t like shielded wire.

Next up, build 2 pieces of coax for the splitter, then the harness for the new KI209 for my Nav2 (KX155). Monday.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

16 hours on the bench and we’re done. Time to take the plane apart.

 

[MajorTurbulence]

Not a problem for the OP, but I don’t think the IFDs will display WX500 stormscope data like my GNS430W. So as others have warned, check full compatibility with existing or future avionics.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

Man, what a mess. Still taking stuff apart. Maybe one more day of disassembly and removal of old wiring.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

Replaced non-WAAS with WAAS antenna. Needs sealant still.


Additional wiring came out of plane, including old GPS and DME wiring that was still in plane from a prior retrofit.


KN 72 also pulled from empennage. Found a few more odds and ends with wiring.

Ended up doing more bench work, as we are replacing the altitude encoder, and needed some splicing and new plugs for the autopilot to encoder...really the only colored wire...so different than automotive wiring!

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

Still looks like a long way to go, but it’s getting close. At this point, I’m just staying out of the way, I’ve done mostly all I can do. Reinstalled side panels, floor sealed back up.

Also badly torn speaker replaced, and new dual shielded wire was installed for it (was just 1 wire, with speaker grounded to the plane). Did I need it? Will I ever use it? No. But it went back in as it should be. (I’ve spent almost 2 years getting this plane “right”).

Also got a new ELT annunciator and relocated it to the front. The old one was next to the ELT behind the rear bulkhead. Little 3V battery was old and had corroded the internals.

HSI wiring left to splice/attach; auto pilot, nav-com wiring, transponder, and new blind encoder wiring done. I cut and fit new upper and lower sub-panels for the radio stack (need to paint).


KN-72 wiring cut and wrapped for future use if needed for a future project (already used a couple existing KN72 wires for the ELT, in foreground).


ELT now be hooked up to GPS.



Unboxed, old & new sandwich

 

[Artimas]

This will be a tremendous upgrade for you. Vey nice.

 

[455 Bravo Uniform]

Done! All the avionics were finished last week while I was out of town for work. Spent the weekend buttoning things back up. Logs, W&B, and other legal paperwork was finished today.

Test flight tomorrow, depending on weather and schedules. Probably do the ADSB rebate flight later in the week after making sure it flies and operates like it should.



Already there are things I would have done differently, but for the reality and practicality of time, cost, and “while we’re in there”;

-Maybe would have removed more old wiring than we did.
-A/P head and WX scope would’ve been nice to swap locations, but wiring was tight.
-Maybe tie the TX altitude annunciation audio to the audio panel.
-Move the stack all the way up and drop the altitude preselect and intercom to the bottom.

 

[Groundpounder]

Those of you that have IFD’s, how have they been from a reliability standpoint, and how has the customer service been? The only bad stuff I have heard about Avidyne equipment has been from staunch Garmin people, and I would like to get some real data.

@Fearless Tower I'm really sorry to hear this. What exactly do you mean by stopping support? While we no longer produce the EX5000 MFD's they are still supported from a repair standpoint. We even released 8.2 software upgrade for that product a few months ago. Many competitors will announce "end of service" on products while Avidyne has products 20+ years old that can still be serviced. Just trying to better understand your perception.

Best regards,

Bryan Kahl

Director of Customer Experience

Bkahl@avidyne.com

I’d be curious to hear @Fearless Tower’s response to this.

 

[Briar Rabbit]

Those of you that have IFD’s, how have they been from a reliability standpoint, and how has the customer service been? The only bad stuff I have heard about Avidyne equipment has been from staunch Garmin people, and I would like to get some real data.



I’d be curious to hear @Fearless Tower’s response to this.

We are pleased with the service and support on our Avidyne equipment. We replaced a Garmin 530 with a Avidyne 540 and transponder with both ADS-B in & out. Both were a big improvement. Have had them for 3 or 4 years.

 

[Buck Rizvi]

I installed an Avidyne IFD550 (plus Avidyne's ADS-B in/out that they threw in with the deal) into my Piper Cherokee Six 300.

I didn't cut my teeth on Garmin, so I'm not biased and like Garmin gear. I stopped flying in '94 and started up again only a couple years ago when I got my instrument ticket.

I routinely use the RealityXP GTN750 in simulation and an actual 750 while flying in my buddy's 182, so I have an idea of the operational differences.

1. Reliability? My install is only a year old, but the 550 has performed flawlessly.

Everything just works with it hooked up to dual Garmin G5's and my legacy Piper autopilot. In fact, I have no incentive to upgrade to a newer autopilot with this setup.

2. Support: Every time I've called Avidyne for support, they've gotten back to me by phone and answered my questions. I'd give them high marks here.

3. User Interface: Having the extra physical buttons is extremely handy vs. always relying on a touchscreen. I've flown from Boulder, CO (BDU) to Teterboro, NJ (TEB) day and night, in smooth and bumpy air, with plenty of actual. The 550 was very easy to manipulate in all conditions. I ran into some issues with the GTN750 flying "over the rocks" to Steamboat Springs in my friend's 182 when things got choppy.

I also like how easy it is to program and modify flight plans on the Avidyne. If you're already a dyed in the wool Garmin person, you may be more comfortable with their interface. I never learned the Garmin 430/530, so I don't have a frame of reference.

3. Cost: I think you can get better deals on the Avidyne gear. Interesting that Bendix-King includes Avidyne in their product suite. The one issue I have is the Jepp data required by Avidye does seem a bit more expensive than Garmin's data. That's my only negative.

Buck

Those of you that have IFD’s, how have they been from a reliability standpoint, and how has the customer service been? The only bad stuff I have heard about Avidyne equipment has been from staunch Garmin people, and I would like to get some real data.

 

[Jesse Saint]

I hear Jepp just dropped the prices on Avidyne subscriptions.

 

[Bryan Kahl]

I hear Jepp just dropped the prices on Avidyne subscriptions.

Jesse is correct. One of the new bundle packages was released on August 15th. Other bundles with price reductions will continue to be released throughout the end of this year. Our goal is that by the end of the year all of the reduced pricing will be released. Below is a link to the current pricing that we put up on the Avidyne Pilot Support help desk.

https://pilotsupport.avidyne.com/kb/article/353-jeppesen-pricing-for-avidyne-equipment/

Thanks,
Bryan

 

[SCCutler]

Was I a chump for buying a renewal at OSH?

 

[Martin Pauly]

Was I a chump for buying a renewal at OSH?

That was my first thought also when I saw the new, lower Jeppesen nav data subscription pricing for Avidyne IFDs!
At least I have next year's renewal to look forward to, right?

To chime in on the earlier question in this thread on reliability and support: I have had absolutely no issues with my two IFDs since I installed them a few months ago. I have a 550 and a 440. They are rock solid units. And the installation in my case - they replaced a Garmin 530W and a 430W - couldn't have been easier.

- Martin

 

[Radar Contact]

Those of you that have IFD’s, how have they been from a reliability standpoint, and how has the customer service been? The only bad stuff I have heard about Avidyne equipment has been from staunch Garmin people, and I would like to get some real data.

I’d be curious to hear @Fearless Tower’s response to this.

I loved my AMX240 and IFD550 so much we just put her back in the shop to finish the full suite. Coming soon IFD540, AXP322 (remote transponder) and SkyTrax605A. Customer service, integration, ease of installation, intuitiveness...all have been great!

 

[denverpilot]

I know a guy that did all Avidyne in his Skylane a few years ago and is one of their “ambassadors” or something.

He has had zero problems and no complaints.

We did Garmin and like ours.

Think both really do a good job. If you’re doing a lot of airplane switches and jumping around the training environment you’re more likely to see and know Garmin because so many 430 and 539 units are out there and installed in the training fleet who upgraded long ago into those.

Once you get past the training fleet you see a mix of Garmin and Avidyne. You also have that same mix in older and newer Cirri, but I don’t really fly those much. Just know the local Cirrus place has a mixed fleet still.

Owners seem to like both. Whatever they buy they get used to and like. Instructors kinda have to learn both if teaching in the owner fleet. In the training fleet it’s nearly all Garmin.

Just observations.