frontrangeflyer01
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2017
- Messages
- 154
- Reaction score
- 37
It's been over 6 months since I took delivery of my Piper Cherokee Six 300 from the shop and I thought I would file a pilot report.
My experience includes completing a 10-day accelerated IFR training course (PIC), plus flying a 24-hour mission from Boulder, CO to Teterboro, NJ to Baltimore, MD and back that included actual IFR and 4 night landings.
I had quite a bit of work done, including an engine overhaul and a panel upgrade, but this will focus on my experience with the dual Garmin G5's.
Cost Of Install (Parts & Labor): $8,424
This included the Garmin GAD 29B interface and a Garmin GMU 11 magnetometer.
Vacuum System: I KEPT my vacuum system and old AI for two reasons: 1) As a backup for IFR and 2) because my Piper AutoControl III autopilot requires the old AI (per the Garmin G5 install docs).
I'll include a pic so you can see how everything is arranged.
Interface with Avidyne IFD 550 nav/com: The G5's work perfectly with my IFD 550 nav/com. I've flown several solid IFR missions and everything works as I expected.
Piper AutoControl III AutoPilot: The heading mode and GPSS steering of my old Piper AutoControl III is amazing.
Sure, I'm not able to do fully coupled approaches with my single-axis autopilot, but this config takes A LOT of work off my shoulders on long cross countries, flying procedure turns, and getting initially setup for approaches.
I know a lot of folks are talking about GFC 500, TruTrak and Trio autopilots, but I'll have a hard time justifying an upgrade for as long as this configuration is working.
Note: This article makes a good argument that the old AutoControl III's (and newer) are worth overhauling vs. buying new: http://piperowner.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-piper-legacy/
Ease Of Use: I'm not a fan of the single knob interface. I understand this is meant to save $$, but the click, spin, click interface does take some getting used to.
Display: In general, very sharp and easy to read.
Some information, like the Vertical Speed Indicator tape, I find to be completely unreadable for aging eyes. I'm glad I kept my old analog VSI for that purpose (see pic).
Compatibility: I'm VERY pleased that everything plays well together (G5's, IFD 550 gps/nav/com, AutoControl III autopilot).
Why Not The Aspen Evolution E5? The Aspen Evolution E5 was not available when I chose the G5's.
I chatted with Aspen reps at the AOPA Santa Fe, NM fly-in and was disappointed to hear them bad-mouthing the Garmin G5 display quality (I disagree).
I do like the additional buttons on the Aspen E5 and they claim to support most legacy autopilots with their optional analog converter unit (ACU), which is $1,000 extra.
It seems like there's some bad blood brewing between Aspen and Garmin and this doesn't bode well for the Pilots looking for displays, nav/coms and autopilots to all play nice!
Side Note: OK. I AM considering the Garmin GFC 500 autopilot in the future (Since I already have required G5's installed, this reduces the overall cost of this option once the planned PA-32 certification is complete).
Flying IFR: I'm very comfortable flying in the clouds and shooting approaches with the G5's. The vertical/horizontal guidance is easy to read and the integration with my legacy autopilot greatly decreases workload.
Despite what you might think, I'm not a Garmin Fan Boy. This is evidenced by my decision to go with an Avidyne IFD 550 vs. the GTN 750 gps/nav/com.
That said, I'm confident I would choose the G5's if I had to do it all over again.
Cheers,
Buck
My experience includes completing a 10-day accelerated IFR training course (PIC), plus flying a 24-hour mission from Boulder, CO to Teterboro, NJ to Baltimore, MD and back that included actual IFR and 4 night landings.
I had quite a bit of work done, including an engine overhaul and a panel upgrade, but this will focus on my experience with the dual Garmin G5's.
Cost Of Install (Parts & Labor): $8,424
This included the Garmin GAD 29B interface and a Garmin GMU 11 magnetometer.
Vacuum System: I KEPT my vacuum system and old AI for two reasons: 1) As a backup for IFR and 2) because my Piper AutoControl III autopilot requires the old AI (per the Garmin G5 install docs).
I'll include a pic so you can see how everything is arranged.
Interface with Avidyne IFD 550 nav/com: The G5's work perfectly with my IFD 550 nav/com. I've flown several solid IFR missions and everything works as I expected.
Piper AutoControl III AutoPilot: The heading mode and GPSS steering of my old Piper AutoControl III is amazing.
Sure, I'm not able to do fully coupled approaches with my single-axis autopilot, but this config takes A LOT of work off my shoulders on long cross countries, flying procedure turns, and getting initially setup for approaches.
I know a lot of folks are talking about GFC 500, TruTrak and Trio autopilots, but I'll have a hard time justifying an upgrade for as long as this configuration is working.
Note: This article makes a good argument that the old AutoControl III's (and newer) are worth overhauling vs. buying new: http://piperowner.org/everything-you-need-to-know-about-piper-legacy/
Ease Of Use: I'm not a fan of the single knob interface. I understand this is meant to save $$, but the click, spin, click interface does take some getting used to.
Display: In general, very sharp and easy to read.
Some information, like the Vertical Speed Indicator tape, I find to be completely unreadable for aging eyes. I'm glad I kept my old analog VSI for that purpose (see pic).
Compatibility: I'm VERY pleased that everything plays well together (G5's, IFD 550 gps/nav/com, AutoControl III autopilot).
Why Not The Aspen Evolution E5? The Aspen Evolution E5 was not available when I chose the G5's.
I chatted with Aspen reps at the AOPA Santa Fe, NM fly-in and was disappointed to hear them bad-mouthing the Garmin G5 display quality (I disagree).
I do like the additional buttons on the Aspen E5 and they claim to support most legacy autopilots with their optional analog converter unit (ACU), which is $1,000 extra.
It seems like there's some bad blood brewing between Aspen and Garmin and this doesn't bode well for the Pilots looking for displays, nav/coms and autopilots to all play nice!
Side Note: OK. I AM considering the Garmin GFC 500 autopilot in the future (Since I already have required G5's installed, this reduces the overall cost of this option once the planned PA-32 certification is complete).
Flying IFR: I'm very comfortable flying in the clouds and shooting approaches with the G5's. The vertical/horizontal guidance is easy to read and the integration with my legacy autopilot greatly decreases workload.
Despite what you might think, I'm not a Garmin Fan Boy. This is evidenced by my decision to go with an Avidyne IFD 550 vs. the GTN 750 gps/nav/com.
That said, I'm confident I would choose the G5's if I had to do it all over again.
Cheers,
Buck
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