GNS 430 training, Avionics West

Avionics West is offering a class in the operation of the GNS 430 at their Santa Maria facility. See www.avionicswest.com for details.

They indicate the class is limited to 18 persons and that an actual “live” GNS 430 will be shared by 3 persons at a table. The class is offered on Saturday 9-22-01 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. They are charging $159 for the course.

Since the most common observation about transition to the SR20/22 is the operation of the GNS 430, a day of training at about $20 per hour seems better than learning the box during dual instruction in the aircraft.

However, I’m in Claremont, CA, currently planeless. The drive to Santa Maria in Friday afternoon traffic out of LA and the return either Saturday evening or Sunday in the same traffic doesen’t seem like my idea of a good time.

Is there anybody out there wanting to learn the GNS 430 willing to share expenses in their a/c from Southern California to SMX on 9-22-01?