Avionics News April 2013 - 21

if not their thirst for all the modern help they can afford.
Only in rare occasions do we hear from pilots so inclined
to spend $30,000, $40,000 or more to upgrade the panel on
a $25,000 starter airplane.
Perhaps they fly a simple Cherokee or Skyhawk, Musketeer or Tiger, Maule or Pacer; maybe they fly something
more capable – but just as old and down in the value quotient.
But they know in their hearts they already own the airplane they need and can afford. They also know that value is
in the eye of the user.
And since they plan on more years of travel and business,
vacations and hundred-dollar hamburgers in the future, they
want as much capability as possible for safety, convenience
and reliability.
It’s difficult for some to believe, but multiple options exist to own a new aircraft adorned with all the modern digital
gear of the 21st century to support the flying of the penultimate in simple flying – a Cub.
Some of those options can be installed in old Cubs, as
long as they sport an electrical system to power them, as do
new versions.
And some offer most of the benefits at more-affordable
prices but lack approvals to make them legal as a primary
source for their roles.
So how much capability can an owner find without an investment exceeding the hull value they fly today?
That’s a question each individual must answer. Aircraft sales and brokerage advisors counsel that the
longer you plan to keep the plane, the better
you can justify expenditures up to 25 or 50
percent of the aircraft’s value.
It’s best, the experts seem to concur,
when the upgrade will get used; spending
25 percent of the value makes less sense
for an airplane flying less than 50 hours
a year than for one flying in excess of
100 hours.
The best approach allows customers
to stay in their comfort zone financially and brings benefit to their flying.

ments into one screen with solid-state flight and air-data instrumentation, navigation indicators – those are the basics
available from most primary flight displays.
Some PFDs and most multifunction displays can exhibit
a top-down-view moving navigation map, along with images from weather datalink systems, satellite navigators, and
storm- and ground-avoidance system sensors.
Some of these systems depend on an independent GPS
navigation receiver to accurately portray the moving map
and weather graphics; some others get their position data
from integral GPS receivers.
These self-contained packages also provide a modicum of
back-up functionality to approved hardware.
These GPS receivers are typically not IFR approved, but
that won’t stop them from saving a life when used properly
in a pinch.
It’s also about balancing the financial capabilities with the
demands of the flying and being realistic about what the pilot needs.
CERTIFIED TO EXPERIMENTAL

If the owner/operator is broad minded, the installation of
noncertified gear can bring the same pilot benefits as certificated gear, but with one tremendous difference. Approved
Continued on following page

A BROAD AND VARIED SKYSCAPE

Thanks to some healthy competition, the options are broader than ever
– at costs more affordable than ever.
For the most part, the advantages
of these systems remain unwavering
across the costs spectrum.
Integration of the six-pack instruAspen's Evolution 2500
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Avionics News April 2013

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