Installation of Ryan TCAD

Guest Discussion
1

I am interested in installing a TCAD on the Cirrus Aircraft. Does anyone in this audience know if it is possible to do so?

Chris

2

I am interested in installing a TCAD on the Cirrus Aircraft. Does anyone in this audience know if it is possible to do so?

Chris

Hi Chris,

I have been itching to install a TCAD on my SR20. here’s what I’ve learned so far:

  • The Arnav does not currently support displaying the TCAD, although “at some point” it will, and probably will support the Ryan system before supporting BF Goodrich’s. (although I’ve heard conflicting reports about that last part).

  • The TCAD can be displayed on the Garmin 430/420 though, which is what I plan to do until Arnav supports the TCAD interface.

  • It’s pretty tricky installing the TCAD in the SR20. There’s a guy who posted on this board a couple times, “Scott”, who is currently getting TCAD installed in his plane. But it’s taking a LONG time and I understand they are still trying to get the FAA to sign off on it. I guess the main issue is how and where to mount the antennas (both from a structural integrity viewpoint as well as a TCAD reception performance viewpoint).

  • It sounds like Scott and his avionics tech are pursuing an STC for the TCAD installation. If I understand this correctly, that means that once his installation is approved by the FAA, the rest of us will pretty much be able to follow what they did and have little hassles. (As opposed to if they had just installed it with a Form 337, in which case his approval wouldn’t necessarily have any bearing on my approval, since we’re in different FSDO areas). Maybe if someone has a better idea of how this STC/form 337 stuff works they can correct me.

  • So the current status is that I’m waiting to hear that Scott’s installation is approved, and I plan to start installed my TCAD system soon afterwards.

  • At some time in the future, Cirrus will also make TCAD available (presumably after Arnav supports it), and will then make retrofit kits available to the rest of us. No idea when this will be, though.

  • check out previous messages in this forum for more info.

Steve