Curt: Any explanation as to why Avidyne has the 500 MFD working with weather now but not the 5000C? As I understand it, the 500 display is currently working with weather display. Is this correct?
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Any explanation as to why Avidyne has the 500 MFD working with weather now but not the 5000C?
I believe the 500 systems are suffering the same performance issues as Garmin.
-Curt
In reply to:
Any explanation as to why Avidyne has the 500 MFD working with weather now but not the 5000C? As I understand it, the 500 display is currently working with weather display. Is this correct?
My understanding is that there are signal strength and/or signal to noise problems that are not always a problem but are not completely addressed yet. Think of the EX500 installations as test sites that will serve to iron out the problems so that the system we’ll get is solid.
As I’ve said before, we’ve waited 100 years for something like this to be available, so I don’t have a problem waiting a few more weeks for it to be perfected for our consumption.
I’ve been flying with an EX500 with the weather downlink. I don’t know of any particular throughput problems, but then again it would be hard to tell. (I note that the METARs are sometimes pretty old, but they’re only posted hourly and then you normally wait for the update cycle.)
They do seem to be beta testing it with the EX500s; on the other hand, they’re not charging for the service yet either, so the utility is definitely more valuable than the cost of the service!
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You can buy far better hardware at Circuit City at a tiny fraction of the cost for any of these units. If they had some sort of really rigorous process for getting them legal for installation there might be some justification. But they are all placarded “For Reference Only” and are not even on the mandatory equipment list (well, I don’t have my POH handy, I don’t think they are mandatory). Can anybody enlighten me with regard to the cost issue? Could it be that it is just because it is mountable in the panel and has inputs for the other avionics?
Consider that probably less than 300 ICDS2000 MFDs are in use. Let’s be generous and say that half of all owners go for the weather upgrade. That’s roughly 150 total people buying the weather system.
I bet more than 150 people buy a given computer from a single Circuit City on a single busy day!
While other systems have more potential market than the ICDS2000 upgrades, the point is still that the overall size of the market is very small compared to consumer electronics.
I’m not an economist but I would guess that to be the number one reason why avionics are so expensive. Certification, etc. plays a part but volume is king.
Steve
The principle applies as to why insurance is so volatile and expensive. The small numbers really hurt us overall.
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Consider that probably less than 300 ICDS2000 MFDs are in use. Let’s be generous and say that half of all owners go for the weather upgrade. That’s roughly 150 total people buying the weather system.
I bet more than 150 people buy a given computer from a single Circuit City on a single busy day!
While other systems have more potential market than the ICDS2000 upgrades, the point is still that the overall size of the market is very small compared to consumer electronics.
I’m not an economist but I would guess that to be the number one reason why avionics are so expensive. Certification, etc. plays a part but volume is king.
Your points are well taken, Steve. I work in the manufacturing field, so I know very well what kinds of efficiencies can be gained by volume production. However, there are thousands of small computer stores that will custom build you a PC with all of the components that you specify at a price that is very competitive with any PC on the shelf at the local Circuit City. The parts are just not that expensive. None of the MFDs I have seen have any high level processors in them. The computing power we are using is probably comparable to a 486 PC. The screens are not even close to the quality of the flat panel display that came with the PC I just bought a few months ago. My best guess is that the programming required to display the data from the Garmins, the HSI, and the Stormscope has to be written by the MFD maker and we are all paying for it.
I am still holding on to the dream that within 3-5 years we will be able to have a PFD and an MFD for less than $10,000 and they will do far more than we have capabilities for now. Fortunately, there are more participants being attracted to the market. Every month I read about another aircraft display of some type becoming available. Competition will drive the prices down to realistic levels, eventually.
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I am still holding on to the dream that within 3-5 years we will be able to have a PFD and an MFD for less than $10,000 and they will do far more than we have capabilities for now. Fortunately, there are more participants being attracted to the market.
And try to hold on to that optimistic feeling when you face the rapid depreciation of the avionics you own now!
-Curt
Does that differ from the depreciation of everyone else’s avionics, especially the antiques that are in most aircraft?
Technology moves on. . . it all depreciates rapidly… Just consider that the garmin you now have does not have WAAS and it will cost you at least $3,000 to get there.
Unlike the Avidyne people, at least we have a weather system option.
Dave: Does the NEXRAD data look the same as it does at the Avidyne displays that they have put on at the air shows? Have you seen any weather on the display that was helpful for a strategic deviation around the weather? Are you using it with a Garmin 400-500 series navigator? Does it deliver weather according to your flight plan?
Is it showing you the IFR/VFR areas?
Apparently from your post, there are no reception problems from the satellite. Can you get all the weather information on the ground before start up?