Hey - Does anyone know of another (cheaper) IFR approach approved GPS besides the Garmin 430/530 series? The cost is way to funky for a budget flyer....John
If I am not wrong, the King 89B is IFR capable GPS. You wont be able to do WAAS approaches but for some reason I think it is IFR certifed. It should be much cheaper too. I had one in the first cessna I trained in. here is a link to it....
Yes, the 89b can be ifr certified and can be picked up cheap. Problem is, you still have to install it. I had a deal on one for around 900bucks but it would end up being around 5k properly installed. I passed as I would rather put that towards a 430!
Another choice is the Garmin GNC300XL. These can be picked up for about $3000 reconditioned with a 1 year warranty (or less on E-bay) and are approach certifiable (but not precision approach). Like the King you'll end up having to spend a lot more to get it installed with the necessary indicator and annunciator.
The VOR at our airport was just decommissioned so we have no VOR approach anymore (and that was the only approach we had). I suppose we’ll get a GPS approach soon. If you’re going spend the money to install a GPS it might as well be one approved for WAAS precision approaches.
I was with my flight instructor yesterday and he told me that he had heard that as of 2012 the VOR system in this country was going to be decommissioned. It seems that the system is so expensive to maintain and the GPS system has become very reliable.
I have an Apollo 2001 GPS that we took out to put in the Garmin. Never have gotten around to posting it before. It is IFR approved. Actually, back when we had that put in, each installation had to be approved (seemed ridiculous since you could put an ADF in with no approval and even an un-approved GPS HAS to be more accurate). Have the indicator to go with it as well.
I have a flybuddy Loran 618 and the Apollo GX55 GPS is a drop in replacement. Unfortunately, only the Apollo GX50 is IFR certified, so I've never thought the cost would be worthwhile. In either case, I don't consider the small single color display a useful moving map compared to what I can get in a non certified handheld GPS.
If you have one of these units, I'd love to hear your opinion.
John
Others have mentioned the older certifiable GPS' - let me throw my 2 cents in.
I installed a GNC 300XL. It was about 2800 dollars to purchase. Add 500 for a used set of annunciators from Wentworth (new they're about 900). Add an external CDI (you don't REALLY have to have it with the GNC300XL, but if you try to get by without it, be prepared for a fight with the avionics shop). There's only a couple of CDIs that can be used. You will not find a used one - expect to purchase a rebuilt one (add another thousand dollars). Installation will run 2000 or so. You'll need the approved flight supplement.
All together, it's near 8 thousand - and it's almost impossible to get it cheaper. If I had it to do again, I'd go for the Garmin 430 package offered by most avionics shops. About 10 grand - and it's not several generations old.
WAAS is the future. Might as well bite the bullet.
I, too, love the WAAS upgrade that we added to our 430 in our Archer. It truly gives you glide slope at most of the airports that you will be flying in to. And, Garmin offers a realistic simulator, for free, that allows you to familiarize yourself with approaches on your home computer prior to liftoff. Try it, you'll like it. We did get the upgrade when it was still about $1,500, before it went up to $3,000.
I just got a price of 11K fully installed (with fan) with trade in of my old King Avionics to have a 430w installed in my 81 Warrior. They would also slave the 430 to my Century 21 autopilot I fly a lot of IFR and need for an IFR approved GPS is becoming more apparent. It's a lot of money to put into this plane, but with a new engine and 3 year old interior I know i'm going to keep this aircraft for awhile. At least unitl I get my kids through college. Any comments regarding this cost would be appreciated. Price is from Griffin in Hyannis. Anyone knows of a more competetive avionic shop in the New England area, I'd love to hear from you.
That price sounds about right. The 430W itself should be about $7500, you'll need the GI106A CDI/GS indicator which is another $1200 or so, they need to run new cabling and antenna and move stuff around on your panel so depending on labor that adds up as well.
I just had a similar install done in my '76 Warrior and the quote was $10.6K, which with tax and a few minor gotcha's ended up being just shy of $12K.
Incidentally, before she was moved to the South my bird lived a good chunk of her life in Connecticut, and the logs show that she had a major avionics upgrade to first-gen GPS (the stuff I took out) in 1999 at Reeves Air in Westerly, RI. The current xpndr (GTX-320A) was put in by Three Wing Avionics in Stratford, CT. Those installations all seemed fine and I never had any problems with them, so you may want to check those shops.
