Additional Instrumentation

Guest Discussion
1

Following up on the earlier thread of 12-22-00 from Larry Reinstein, below, there is an article in Aviation Safety January 2001, page 14 by Jeff Schweitzer “Beyond See and Avoid; Collision avoidance technology is advancing, but the high cost takes it off the list for most owners” that should spark some discussion here.

After a review of the Ryan International, BF Goodrich and the Monroy products, Larry offers some thoughts about priorities for safety gear on the panel as follows:

"Accident reports clearly weigh in favor of using collision avoidance equipment, but still the original question about priorities in selecting new avionics remains on the table. Ten pilots in a room will offer 12 opinions about what is important in the panel, and I’ll add my opinion here. My overriding priority is safety in making the following choices, in order of priority: a panel mount IFR GPS, lightning detection, radar, an electrically driven backup AI and collision avoidance equipment.

"The arguement about lightning detection and radar is long-standing and each has its proponents. Personally, I need and use both to avoid weather, and would not fly in many circumstances if both were not on board. I believe that these units have clear priority over collision avoidance.

“The backup AH has a higher priority because I have had many personal experiences with mechanical and electrical failures in spite of obsessive maintenaqnce. The bottom line is that if your panel is already a poster child for avionics, and you have money burning a hole, then Skywatch or TCAD would be a great addition”

With Cirrus already having the Garmin 430 and offering the Stormscope option, #'s 1 & 2 are already in place.

If Arnav gets the data transmission in place, Cirrus will then have both weather radar and surface observation graphic data available, so # 3 should be in place. With the combination of NEXRAD and graphic METAR you should be able to get a pretty good idea of where the storms are and what the surface weather looks like keyed into the moving map of the Arnav.

The backup AH is # 4 in the list of priorities. My plan here is to install an Insight TAS 1000 air data computer, hopefully above the airspeed indicator, which will display a number of calculated air data items indluding winds aloft and endurance. It will also display both indicated and corrected outside air temperature (corrected for airspeed) and battery voltage.

See www.stirkefinder.com for data on the Insight TAS 1000.

This would take care of 2 of the 3 items currently displayed on the Davtron clock/OPT/voltmeter taking up a 2" instrument mounting at the top left of the left side of the panel. Since the SR22 does not have a suction gague on the right hand side of the panel, there should be enough room to mount an aircraft clock there so that the FAA requirement for the clock is met.

In the 2" opening remaining, I would mount a BFGoodrich AIM series 2" backup AH. According to Mid Continent Avionics the backup AH can be installed with a separate gel cell battery charged by the avionics bus. This instrument would then have a switch below it similar to the switch below the turn and bank indicator. The backup AH would then be on the checklist to make sure it will erect on the backup battery before the engine start and before the avionics master is turned on.

This is basically the arrangement with transport catagory aircraft, in fact I recall an airline captain pointing out the 2" backup AH and its separate backup battery on a 757.

See http//bfgavionics.com/ and click on “products” then “standby instrumentation” then “AIM” for information on the 2" electric AH.

I don’t want to stir up the old discussion about perceived merits of having vacuum instrument power. Suffice it to say that you won’t find a vacuum pump on the 757, and with the very rare exception of the Swissair crash some while ago that electrical failure aboard transport aircraft is not something that happens.

Insight Avionics is looking at the possibility of making the TAS 1000 as a factory option on Cirrus. There is actually a fair amount of panel space on both the SR20 and SR22 above the flight instruments if the annuciator panel were moved to the bottom of the glare shield instead of in the panel as Cirrus has mounted it. I don’t know the manufacturer’s name for that annuciator panel, but I suspect that the manufacturer makes a glare shield mount in addition to the panel mount for the same 6 lamp annuciator panel.

There should then be 3 spaces for the small rectangular mount avionics package (3.55" wide x 1.4" high), one above the altimeter, one above the AH, and one above the airspeed indicator.

The “poster child for avionics” would then consist of a Trimble radar altimeter above the altimeter, the STec altitude selector/alerter above the AH and the Insight TAS 1000 above the airspeed indicator, the AIM backup AH with separate battery, Stormscope and whichever collision avoidance system would display on as many of the displays on the Garmin, Arnav and Sandal units as possible, either the Ryan 9900B or the BFGoodrich Skywatch.

One model of the Trimble radar altimeter has the ARINC data output that will interface with the BFGoodrich Skywatch to reduce the range of the Skywatch when the radar altimeter reports AGL of below 2000’.

In addition, there are altimeters that in addition to providing mode C data to the transponder that will also output the barometric setting to the air data computer, so that it will not have to be entered into both the altimeter and the air data computer.

I don’t know whether the STec will or will not accept barometric settings from an appropriate altimeter. Anybody know?

The annunciator panel would have to be on the bottom side of the glare shield and the clock on the upper right portion of the right hand panel, where the suction gague is on the SR20.

Any thoughts?

2

Informative. Keep us posted on you panel and research.

3

Following up on the earlier thread of 12-22-00 from Larry Reinstein, below, there is an article in Aviation Safety January 2001, page 14 by Jeff Schweitzer “Beyond See and Avoid; Collision avoidance technology is advancing, but the high cost takes it off the list for most owners” that should spark some discussion here.

After a review of the Ryan International, BF Goodrich and the Monroy products, Larry offers some thoughts about priorities for safety gear on the panel as follows:

"Accident reports clearly weigh in favor of using collision avoidance equipment, but still the original question about priorities in selecting new avionics remains on the table. Ten pilots in a room will offer 12 opinions about what is important in the panel, and I’ll add my opinion here. My overriding priority is safety in making the following choices, in order of priority: a panel mount IFR GPS, lightning detection, radar, an electrically driven backup AI and collision avoidance equipment.

"The arguement about lightning detection and radar is long-standing and each has its proponents. Personally, I need and use both to avoid weather, and would not fly in many circumstances if both were not on board. I believe that these units have clear priority over collision avoidance.

“The backup AH has a higher priority because I have had many personal experiences with mechanical and electrical failures in spite of obsessive maintenaqnce. The bottom line is that if your panel is already a poster child for avionics, and you have money burning a hole, then Skywatch or TCAD would be a great addition”

With Cirrus already having the Garmin 430 and offering the Stormscope option, #'s 1 & 2 are already in place.

If Arnav gets the data transmission in place, Cirrus will then have both weather radar and surface observation graphic data available, so # 3 should be in place. With the combination of NEXRAD and graphic METAR you should be able to get a pretty good idea of where the storms are and what the surface weather looks like keyed into the moving map of the Arnav.

The backup AH is # 4 in the list of priorities. My plan here is to install an Insight TAS 1000 air data computer, hopefully above the airspeed indicator, which will display a number of calculated air data items indluding winds aloft and endurance. It will also display both indicated and corrected outside air temperature (corrected for airspeed) and battery voltage.

See www.stirkefinder.com for data on the Insight TAS 1000.

This would take care of 2 of the 3 items currently displayed on the Davtron clock/OPT/voltmeter taking up a 2" instrument mounting at the top left of the left side of the panel. Since the SR22 does not have a suction gague on the right hand side of the panel, there should be enough room to mount an aircraft clock there so that the FAA requirement for the clock is met.

In the 2" opening remaining, I would mount a BFGoodrich AIM series 2" backup AH. According to Mid Continent Avionics the backup AH can be installed with a separate gel cell battery charged by the avionics bus. This instrument would then have a switch below it similar to the switch below the turn and bank indicator. The backup AH would then be on the checklist to make sure it will erect on the backup battery before the engine start and before the avionics master is turned on.

This is basically the arrangement with transport catagory aircraft, in fact I recall an airline captain pointing out the 2" backup AH and its separate backup battery on a 757.

See http//bfgavionics.com/ and click on “products” then “standby instrumentation” then “AIM” for information on the 2" electric AH.

I don’t want to stir up the old discussion about perceived merits of having vacuum instrument power. Suffice it to say that you won’t find a vacuum pump on the 757, and with the very rare exception of the Swissair crash some while ago that electrical failure aboard transport aircraft is not something that happens.

Insight Avionics is looking at the possibility of making the TAS 1000 as a factory option on Cirrus. There is actually a fair amount of panel space on both the SR20 and SR22 above the flight instruments if the annuciator panel were moved to the bottom of the glare shield instead of in the panel as Cirrus has mounted it. I don’t know the manufacturer’s name for that annuciator panel, but I suspect that the manufacturer makes a glare shield mount in addition to the panel mount for the same 6 lamp annuciator panel.

There should then be 3 spaces for the small rectangular mount avionics package (3.55" wide x 1.4" high), one above the altimeter, one above the AH, and one above the airspeed indicator.

The “poster child for avionics” would then consist of a Trimble radar altimeter above the altimeter, the STec altitude selector/alerter above the AH and the Insight TAS 1000 above the airspeed indicator, the AIM backup AH with separate battery, Stormscope and whichever collision avoidance system would display on as many of the displays on the Garmin, Arnav and Sandal units as possible, either the Ryan 9900B or the BFGoodrich Skywatch.

One model of the Trimble radar altimeter has the ARINC data output that will interface with the BFGoodrich Skywatch to reduce the range of the Skywatch when the radar altimeter reports AGL of below 2000’.

In addition, there are altimeters that in addition to providing mode C data to the transponder that will also output the barometric setting to the air data computer, so that it will not have to be entered into both the altimeter and the air data computer.

I don’t know whether the STec will or will not accept barometric settings from an appropriate altimeter. Anybody know?

The annunciator panel would have to be on the bottom side of the glare shield and the clock on the upper right portion of the right hand panel, where the suction gague is on the SR20.

Any thoughts?

From Garmin’s website:

GARMIN International is introducing yet another interface capability that will allow pilots to get even more out of their multi-function avionics box. GARMIN is pleased to announce that it will offer satellite-based weather data-link technology through Echo Flight. The GNS 430 and GNS 530 will provide a display interface with the Echo Flight data-link system.

“GARMIN is pleased to offer pilots the kind of life-saving information that NEXRAD weather radar can provide,” said Gary Kelley, director of marketing, GARMIN International. "When we designed the GNS 430 and GNS 530, we wanted an expansive platform for flight-critical data. Weather information was a high priority for us. However, this is definitely just the beginning when it comes to GARMIN’s ability to deliver both text and graphic weather depiction data in the future.

“We are proud to be working with GARMIN,” said Robert Kalberer, president, Echo Flight. “The introduction of a satellite data-link in the cockpit provides a powerful tool, significantly increasing not only the safety, but efficiency of general aviation transportation.”

The weather data provided by Echo Flight is an alternative to other Flight Information Systems (FIS) that are currently in development. Unlike traditional broadcast FIS information, Echo Flight uses OBRCOMM’s network of low-earth orbit satellites to deliver weather information to the cockpit on a request/reply basis. With Echo Flight, there are no altitude restrictions and you can request weather data at your current location, your destination or anywhere in between. In order to access this data, pilots will need to purchase a transceiver or “subscriber communicator” from GARMIN that will interface with the GNS 430 and GNS 530. Users will then subscribe to a monthly service through Echo Flight. In addition to providing NEXRAD service, pilots will also be able to view graphical and textual weather information such as METAR and TAF. The service offered by Echo Flight will also make it possible for pilots to send and receive e-mail from the cockpit, as well as send position reports.

The subscriber communicator will be available from GARMIN at a suggested retail price of $3495. The subscription service from Echo Flight will cost around $40 a month. GARMIN will make this product available to pilots toward the end of 2000.

December 13 , 1999 (revised 8/10/2000)

GARMIN International, the aviation industry’s leading manufacturer of electronic navigation and communication equipment, has announced an exciting new interface with BFGoodrich Avionics Systems, Inc. GARMIN’s legendary GNS 430 multi-function avionics system will provide the display interface for both the BFGoodrich Stormscope® WX 500 Weather Mapping Sensor and the SKYWATCH™ Traffic Advisory System. The interface will allow Stormscope and SKYWATCH data to be shown on the GNS 430’s color display.

GARMIN GNS 430 with
Stormscope data shown “This idea of bringing valuable weather and traffic information to the GNS 430 really makes a lot of sense,” said Gary Kelley, director of marketing, GARMIN International. “The ability to look at one piece of navigation equipment and instantly identify weather and traffic hazards relative to your current position and heading will be a huge benefit to pilots.”

Stormscope enables pilots to avoid threatening weather by detecting electrical discharges associated with thunderstorms. The weather mapping sensor can determine storm activity within a 200 nm radius of the airplane. SKYWATCH is an active airborne traffic advisory system that helps pilots avoid potential collisions with other aircraft. The system monitors the airspace around the airplane and advises the pilot to look for transponder-equipped airplanes in the area.

GARMIN will offer a software upgrade option on the GNS 430 for users of the BFGoodrich Stormscope and SKYWATCH systems. The software interface will also be available in the future on GARMIN’s soon-to-be-released GNS 530. The GARMIN GNS 430 software upgrade will be available to customers beginning September 1999.

July 30, 1999

4

Following up on the earlier thread of 12-22-00 from Larry Reinstein, below, there is an article in Aviation Safety January 2001, page 14 by Jeff Schweitzer “Beyond See and Avoid; Collision avoidance technology is advancing, but the high cost takes it off the list for most owners” that should spark some discussion here.

After a review of the Ryan International, BF Goodrich and the Monroy products, Larry offers some thoughts about priorities for safety gear on the panel as follows:

"Accident reports clearly weigh in favor of using collision avoidance equipment, but still the original question about priorities in selecting new avionics remains on the table. Ten pilots in a room will offer 12 opinions about what is important in the panel, and I’ll add my opinion here. My overriding priority is safety in making the following choices, in order of priority: a panel mount IFR GPS, lightning detection, radar, an electrically driven backup AI and collision avoidance equipment.

"The arguement about lightning detection and radar is long-standing and each has its proponents. Personally, I need and use both to avoid weather, and would not fly in many circumstances if both were not on board. I believe that these units have clear priority over collision avoidance.

“The backup AH has a higher priority because I have had many personal experiences with mechanical and electrical failures in spite of obsessive maintenaqnce. The bottom line is that if your panel is already a poster child for avionics, and you have money burning a hole, then Skywatch or TCAD would be a great addition”

With Cirrus already having the Garmin 430 and offering the Stormscope option, #'s 1 & 2 are already in place.

If Arnav gets the data transmission in place, Cirrus will then have both weather radar and surface observation graphic data available, so # 3 should be in place. With the combination of NEXRAD and graphic METAR you should be able to get a pretty good idea of where the storms are and what the surface weather looks like keyed into the moving map of the Arnav.

The backup AH is # 4 in the list of priorities. My plan here is to install an Insight TAS 1000 air data computer, hopefully above the airspeed indicator, which will display a number of calculated air data items indluding winds aloft and endurance. It will also display both indicated and corrected outside air temperature (corrected for airspeed) and battery voltage.

See www.stirkefinder.com for data on the Insight TAS 1000.

This would take care of 2 of the 3 items currently displayed on the Davtron clock/OPT/voltmeter taking up a 2" instrument mounting at the top left of the left side of the panel. Since the SR22 does not have a suction gague on the right hand side of the panel, there should be enough room to mount an aircraft clock there so that the FAA requirement for the clock is met.

In the 2" opening remaining, I would mount a BFGoodrich AIM series 2" backup AH. According to Mid Continent Avionics the backup AH can be installed with a separate gel cell battery charged by the avionics bus. This instrument would then have a switch below it similar to the switch below the turn and bank indicator. The backup AH would then be on the checklist to make sure it will erect on the backup battery before the engine start and before the avionics master is turned on.

This is basically the arrangement with transport catagory aircraft, in fact I recall an airline captain pointing out the 2" backup AH and its separate backup battery on a 757.

See http//bfgavionics.com/ and click on “products” then “standby instrumentation” then “AIM” for information on the 2" electric AH.

I don’t want to stir up the old discussion about perceived merits of having vacuum instrument power. Suffice it to say that you won’t find a vacuum pump on the 757, and with the very rare exception of the Swissair crash some while ago that electrical failure aboard transport aircraft is not something that happens.

Insight Avionics is looking at the possibility of making the TAS 1000 as a factory option on Cirrus. There is actually a fair amount of panel space on both the SR20 and SR22 above the flight instruments if the annuciator panel were moved to the bottom of the glare shield instead of in the panel as Cirrus has mounted it. I don’t know the manufacturer’s name for that annuciator panel, but I suspect that the manufacturer makes a glare shield mount in addition to the panel mount for the same 6 lamp annuciator panel.

There should then be 3 spaces for the small rectangular mount avionics package (3.55" wide x 1.4" high), one above the altimeter, one above the AH, and one above the airspeed indicator.

The “poster child for avionics” would then consist of a Trimble radar altimeter above the altimeter, the STec altitude selector/alerter above the AH and the Insight TAS 1000 above the airspeed indicator, the AIM backup AH with separate battery, Stormscope and whichever collision avoidance system would display on as many of the displays on the Garmin, Arnav and Sandal units as possible, either the Ryan 9900B or the BFGoodrich Skywatch.

One model of the Trimble radar altimeter has the ARINC data output that will interface with the BFGoodrich Skywatch to reduce the range of the Skywatch when the radar altimeter reports AGL of below 2000’.

In addition, there are altimeters that in addition to providing mode C data to the transponder that will also output the barometric setting to the air data computer, so that it will not have to be entered into both the altimeter and the air data computer.

I don’t know whether the STec will or will not accept barometric settings from an appropriate altimeter. Anybody know?

The annunciator panel would have to be on the bottom side of the glare shield and the clock on the upper right portion of the right hand panel, where the suction gague is on the SR20.

Any thoughts?

From Garmin’s website:

GARMIN International is introducing yet another interface capability that will allow pilots to get even more out of their multi-function avionics box. GARMIN is pleased to announce that it will offer satellite-based weather data-link technology through Echo Flight. The GNS 430 and GNS 530 will provide a display interface with the Echo Flight data-link system.

“GARMIN is pleased to offer pilots the kind of life-saving information that NEXRAD weather radar can provide,” said Gary Kelley, director of marketing, GARMIN International. "When we designed the GNS 430 and GNS 530, we wanted an expansive platform for flight-critical data. Weather information was a high priority for us. However, this is definitely just the beginning when it comes to GARMIN’s ability to deliver both text and graphic weather depiction data in the future.

“We are proud to be working with GARMIN,” said Robert Kalberer, president, Echo Flight. “The introduction of a satellite data-link in the cockpit provides a powerful tool, significantly increasing not only the safety, but efficiency of general aviation transportation.”

The weather data provided by Echo Flight is an alternative to other Flight Information Systems (FIS) that are currently in development. Unlike traditional broadcast FIS information, Echo Flight uses OBRCOMM’s network of low-earth orbit satellites to deliver weather information to the cockpit on a request/reply basis. With Echo Flight, there are no altitude restrictions and you can request weather data at your current location, your destination or anywhere in between. In order to access this data, pilots will need to purchase a transceiver or “subscriber communicator” from GARMIN that will interface with the GNS 430 and GNS 530. Users will then subscribe to a monthly service through Echo Flight. In addition to providing NEXRAD service, pilots will also be able to view graphical and textual weather information such as METAR and TAF. The service offered by Echo Flight will also make it possible for pilots to send and receive e-mail from the cockpit, as well as send position reports.

The subscriber communicator will be available from GARMIN at a suggested retail price of $3495. The subscription service from Echo Flight will cost around $40 a month. GARMIN will make this product available to pilots toward the end of 2000.

December 13 , 1999 (revised 8/10/2000)

GARMIN International, the aviation industry’s leading manufacturer of electronic navigation and communication equipment, has announced an exciting new interface with BFGoodrich Avionics Systems, Inc. GARMIN’s legendary GNS 430 multi-function avionics system will provide the display interface for both the BFGoodrich Stormscope® WX 500 Weather Mapping Sensor and the SKYWATCH™ Traffic Advisory System. The interface will allow Stormscope and SKYWATCH data to be shown on the GNS 430’s color display.

GARMIN GNS 430 with
Stormscope data shown “This idea of bringing valuable weather and traffic information to the GNS 430 really makes a lot of sense,” said Gary Kelley, director of marketing, GARMIN International. “The ability to look at one piece of navigation equipment and instantly identify weather and traffic hazards relative to your current position and heading will be a huge benefit to pilots.”

Stormscope enables pilots to avoid threatening weather by detecting electrical discharges associated with thunderstorms. The weather mapping sensor can determine storm activity within a 200 nm radius of the airplane. SKYWATCH is an active airborne traffic advisory system that helps pilots avoid potential collisions with other aircraft. The system monitors the airspace around the airplane and advises the pilot to look for transponder-equipped airplanes in the area.

GARMIN will offer a software upgrade option on the GNS 430 for users of the BFGoodrich Stormscope and SKYWATCH systems. The software interface will also be available in the future on GARMIN’s soon-to-be-released GNS 530. The GARMIN GNS 430 software upgrade will be available to customers beginning September 1999.

July 30, 1999

Michael:

I looked at Echo Flight and Garmin web sites re. this. What I’m waiting for is for Arnav to offer the service on their unit. The Garmin 430’s are a possibility, but the preferable way of seeing weather data is on the Arnav display. The Garmin units are going to be pretty busy with the nav. functions and with TCAS display, plus the Arnav screen is much larger. Arnav is reportedly working on getting the same data in their display, only question is when.

5

Following up on the earlier thread of 12-22-00 from Larry Reinstein, below, there is an article in Aviation Safety January 2001, page 14 by Jeff Schweitzer “Beyond See and Avoid; Collision avoidance technology is advancing, but the high cost takes it off the list for most owners” that should spark some discussion here.

After a review of the Ryan International, BF Goodrich and the Monroy products, Larry offers some thoughts about priorities for safety gear on the panel as follows:

"Accident reports clearly weigh in favor of using collision avoidance equipment, but still the original question about priorities in selecting new avionics remains on the table. Ten pilots in a room will offer 12 opinions about what is important in the panel, and I’ll add my opinion here. My overriding priority is safety in making the following choices, in order of priority: a panel mount IFR GPS, lightning detection, radar, an electrically driven backup AI and collision avoidance equipment.

"The arguement about lightning detection and radar is long-standing and each has its proponents. Personally, I need and use both to avoid weather, and would not fly in many circumstances if both were not on board. I believe that these units have clear priority over collision avoidance.

“The backup AH has a higher priority because I have had many personal experiences with mechanical and electrical failures in spite of obsessive maintenaqnce. The bottom line is that if your panel is already a poster child for avionics, and you have money burning a hole, then Skywatch or TCAD would be a great addition”

With Cirrus already having the Garmin 430 and offering the Stormscope option, #'s 1 & 2 are already in place.

If Arnav gets the data transmission in place, Cirrus will then have both weather radar and surface observation graphic data available, so # 3 should be in place. With the combination of NEXRAD and graphic METAR you should be able to get a pretty good idea of where the storms are and what the surface weather looks like keyed into the moving map of the Arnav.

The backup AH is # 4 in the list of priorities. My plan here is to install an Insight TAS 1000 air data computer, hopefully above the airspeed indicator, which will display a number of calculated air data items indluding winds aloft and endurance. It will also display both indicated and corrected outside air temperature (corrected for airspeed) and battery voltage.

See www.stirkefinder.com for data on the Insight TAS 1000.

This would take care of 2 of the 3 items currently displayed on the Davtron clock/OPT/voltmeter taking up a 2" instrument mounting at the top left of the left side of the panel. Since the SR22 does not have a suction gague on the right hand side of the panel, there should be enough room to mount an aircraft clock there so that the FAA requirement for the clock is met.

In the 2" opening remaining, I would mount a BFGoodrich AIM series 2" backup AH. According to Mid Continent Avionics the backup AH can be installed with a separate gel cell battery charged by the avionics bus. This instrument would then have a switch below it similar to the switch below the turn and bank indicator. The backup AH would then be on the checklist to make sure it will erect on the backup battery before the engine start and before the avionics master is turned on.

This is basically the arrangement with transport catagory aircraft, in fact I recall an airline captain pointing out the 2" backup AH and its separate backup battery on a 757.

See http//bfgavionics.com/ and click on “products” then “standby instrumentation” then “AIM” for information on the 2" electric AH.

I don’t want to stir up the old discussion about perceived merits of having vacuum instrument power. Suffice it to say that you won’t find a vacuum pump on the 757, and with the very rare exception of the Swissair crash some while ago that electrical failure aboard transport aircraft is not something that happens.

Insight Avionics is looking at the possibility of making the TAS 1000 as a factory option on Cirrus. There is actually a fair amount of panel space on both the SR20 and SR22 above the flight instruments if the annuciator panel were moved to the bottom of the glare shield instead of in the panel as Cirrus has mounted it. I don’t know the manufacturer’s name for that annuciator panel, but I suspect that the manufacturer makes a glare shield mount in addition to the panel mount for the same 6 lamp annuciator panel.

There should then be 3 spaces for the small rectangular mount avionics package (3.55" wide x 1.4" high), one above the altimeter, one above the AH, and one above the airspeed indicator.

The “poster child for avionics” would then consist of a Trimble radar altimeter above the altimeter, the STec altitude selector/alerter above the AH and the Insight TAS 1000 above the airspeed indicator, the AIM backup AH with separate battery, Stormscope and whichever collision avoidance system would display on as many of the displays on the Garmin, Arnav and Sandal units as possible, either the Ryan 9900B or the BFGoodrich Skywatch.

One model of the Trimble radar altimeter has the ARINC data output that will interface with the BFGoodrich Skywatch to reduce the range of the Skywatch when the radar altimeter reports AGL of below 2000’.

In addition, there are altimeters that in addition to providing mode C data to the transponder that will also output the barometric setting to the air data computer, so that it will not have to be entered into both the altimeter and the air data computer.

I don’t know whether the STec will or will not accept barometric settings from an appropriate altimeter. Anybody know?

The annunciator panel would have to be on the bottom side of the glare shield and the clock on the upper right portion of the right hand panel, where the suction gague is on the SR20.

Any thoughts?

From Garmin’s website:

GARMIN International is introducing yet another interface capability that will allow pilots to get even more out of their multi-function avionics box. GARMIN is pleased to announce that it will offer satellite-based weather data-link technology through Echo Flight. The GNS 430 and GNS 530 will provide a display interface with the Echo Flight data-link system.

“GARMIN is pleased to offer pilots the kind of life-saving information that NEXRAD weather radar can provide,” said Gary Kelley, director of marketing, GARMIN International. "When we designed the GNS 430 and GNS 530, we wanted an expansive platform for flight-critical data. Weather information was a high priority for us. However, this is definitely just the beginning when it comes to GARMIN’s ability to deliver both text and graphic weather depiction data in the future.

“We are proud to be working with GARMIN,” said Robert Kalberer, president, Echo Flight. “The introduction of a satellite data-link in the cockpit provides a powerful tool, significantly increasing not only the safety, but efficiency of general aviation transportation.”

The weather data provided by Echo Flight is an alternative to other Flight Information Systems (FIS) that are currently in development. Unlike traditional broadcast FIS information, Echo Flight uses OBRCOMM’s network of low-earth orbit satellites to deliver weather information to the cockpit on a request/reply basis. With Echo Flight, there are no altitude restrictions and you can request weather data at your current location, your destination or anywhere in between. In order to access this data, pilots will need to purchase a transceiver or “subscriber communicator” from GARMIN that will interface with the GNS 430 and GNS 530. Users will then subscribe to a monthly service through Echo Flight. In addition to providing NEXRAD service, pilots will also be able to view graphical and textual weather information such as METAR and TAF. The service offered by Echo Flight will also make it possible for pilots to send and receive e-mail from the cockpit, as well as send position reports.

The subscriber communicator will be available from GARMIN at a suggested retail price of $3495. The subscription service from Echo Flight will cost around $40 a month. GARMIN will make this product available to pilots toward the end of 2000.

December 13 , 1999 (revised 8/10/2000)

GARMIN International, the aviation industry’s leading manufacturer of electronic navigation and communication equipment, has announced an exciting new interface with BFGoodrich Avionics Systems, Inc. GARMIN’s legendary GNS 430 multi-function avionics system will provide the display interface for both the BFGoodrich Stormscope® WX 500 Weather Mapping Sensor and the SKYWATCH™ Traffic Advisory System. The interface will allow Stormscope and SKYWATCH data to be shown on the GNS 430’s color display.

GARMIN GNS 430 with
Stormscope data shown “This idea of bringing valuable weather and traffic information to the GNS 430 really makes a lot of sense,” said Gary Kelley, director of marketing, GARMIN International. “The ability to look at one piece of navigation equipment and instantly identify weather and traffic hazards relative to your current position and heading will be a huge benefit to pilots.”

Stormscope enables pilots to avoid threatening weather by detecting electrical discharges associated with thunderstorms. The weather mapping sensor can determine storm activity within a 200 nm radius of the airplane. SKYWATCH is an active airborne traffic advisory system that helps pilots avoid potential collisions with other aircraft. The system monitors the airspace around the airplane and advises the pilot to look for transponder-equipped airplanes in the area.

GARMIN will offer a software upgrade option on the GNS 430 for users of the BFGoodrich Stormscope and SKYWATCH systems. The software interface will also be available in the future on GARMIN’s soon-to-be-released GNS 530. The GARMIN GNS 430 software upgrade will be available to customers beginning September 1999.

July 30, 1999

Michael:

I looked at Echo Flight and Garmin web sites re. this. What I’m waiting for is for Arnav to offer the service on their unit. The Garmin 430’s are a possibility, but the preferable way of seeing weather data is on the Arnav display. The Garmin units are going to be pretty busy with the nav. functions and with TCAS display, plus the Arnav screen is much larger. Arnav is reportedly working on getting the same data in their display, only question is when.

You are absolutely right. The Arnav will be the best place. My Sr22 will be ready Dec/01 and by that time they will work it out. I have seen an article that Arnav already decided to make the BF Goodrich unit connection first and they should have it in a couple of months. My SR22 is a B model, so I’ll have 2 GNS 430s to work with.

Best regards,

Michael