If youre committed to the account-draining task of a major avionics upgrade, your sights are likely set on either of the two most sought-after systems for the aftermarket: Garmins G500 and the Aspen EFD1000-series. We think buyers go into the decision-making process smitten by the G500s bigger size, and for bigger, more valuable airplanes, its easy to label the G500 a logical fit. But our experience is that Aspen wins the install bid more often than Garmin. Why? Its the install complexity that ultimately rules the decision even when a buyers heart is set on the G500 from the get-go. That said, keep in mind that to compare apples to apples, you need two Aspens to equal a single G500.

What whirring sound coming from the depths of your instrument panel is the sound of your checkbook being spared expensive repair bills. Dont hear the soothing hum of an avionics blower motor? You might think of installing one. Todays avionics live in a harsh environment where high-end temperature is the destructive enemy. Part of the TSO process includes temperature threshold testing. Garmins popular GNS430 navigator and G1000 GDU displays reveal a published high-end operating temperature of 55 degrees C. These units meet the TSO spec without external cooling, yet Garmins technical advice is that reducing the operating temperature by 15-20 degrees C doubles the mean time between failures (MTBF). And thats for new avionics that produce less heat than some old gear.

Portable gadget freaks will love the idea of a handheld and battery-operated attitude display that you can plop on top of the glareshield. We hate portables for the cockpit and even we were intrigued by the $1495 Wingman EFIS. Former NASA engineer William Steele founded VirtualHUD in 2006 around his ForwardVU Virtual heads-up display (HUD). The ForwardVU projects heads-up flight data on the backside of the spinning propeller while eliminating the pricey optical gear required of high-end HUD systems. The Wingman was later engineered as a stand-alone EFIS to compliment the HUD system.

There may not be widespread midairs out there, but we wiggle in our seats in busy airspace and non-controlled fields. If you fly a glider, rental or don’t have 10 grand in your budget for a traffic alerting system (TAS) install, a portable traffic system can fill the gap. But these arent active systems like TAS. Portable systems are passive, simply listening for 1090 MHz transponder transmissions of other aircraft. Some designs suffer from pulse suppression issues. The result is nuisance alerts that might have you reaching for the power switch in busy airspace. In a traffic-rich environment position accuracy is also a concern. Interpreting the data on a small screen-especially when its on top of the glareshield in a sun-splashed cockpit-is tough. Tying it to a portable GPS map screen solves this issue, but with added wiring clutter.

When planning major avionics upgrades, autopilots rank near the top. A panel full of integrated glass or even a single-screen Aspen will be lacking without autopilot integration. But adding a new autopilot could be a budget-blowing proposition. For most go-places aircraft the investment is worth it, especially with modern AHRS-driven interfaces upping the ante on automation and long-term reliability. Heres an overview of market offerings for retrofit autopilots. One size wont fit all, and thats without covering systems for LSAs or Experimentals. Well look at those in a future article.

Reviewing sunglasses is like reviewing clothing: Its grossly subjective and one size never fits all. But there are some important qualities to look for when choosing sunglasses for the cockpit. Special-purpose sunglasses arent cheap but the price tag isn’t a reliable predictor for performance. While sunglasses are an important part of pilot ego, we think theyre also a critical tool. In addition to protection from both visibly blinding and damaging UV sunlight, they should reduce eye fatigue, aid the eyes in transitioning from daylight to darkness and add clarity for effectively spotting traffic. They must also be comfortable under headsets for hours at a time and work we’ll with modern cockpit glass displays. And they have to look good.

Weres the common scenario: An owner plans to finally make the plunge to a glass PFD as soon as the aircrafts Jurassic-age analog heading system finally quits. Then it does quit and the dream of adding glass to the six-pack shrivels to budget-stressed reality.Even bottom-line pricing for even entry-level flight display retrofits is far more than it will cost to overhaul or even replace the existing 30-year-old mechanical HSI. While its likely not how you want to spend upgrade money, in some cases it does make sense to repair the dinosaur or upgrade to newer-but still analog-system.

When the FAA launched the LSA category a few years ago, the stated goal was to create a new level of simplicity, with lower acquisition and operating costs. Instead, pilots with a drivers license in pocket get wooed by gee-whiz panels and creating a feeding frenzy of upgrades that manufacturers are all too happy to provide. Does all that fancy integration represent real-world benefits and value? We think so, but only if you can match the avionics to the mission.

In all the years weve been covering avionics, no piece of technology has been more confusing, uncertain and changeable as ADS-B. While NextGen may be the epitome of force-fed government technology, you’ll eventually need to comply with an ADS-B mandate.The equipage mandate is still on schedule for the year 2020. Thats a long time given the rapidly changing nature of avionics. Buying equipment now is risky, yet the race for affordable ADS-B solutions has begun. Some are even introducing low-cost portable ADS-B products, an idea thats putting consumers at ease. Which low-cost products will withstand the scrutiny of the FAA and the test of time? We don’t know. But here are some contenders.

Nearly every proposal for a new autopilot installations-which these days means S-TEC upgrades-should include a GPSS option. And optional is the key word because unless you buy a flagship S-TEC 55X autopilot, GPSS wont be included with the base system. For most customers looking to upgrade GPS and autopilot equipment, GPSS hardware is grossly misunderstood. Although hardly a major system, GPSS is considered an accessory that plays a huge part in total autopilot automation. Impressively, it emulates the tight performance found with big-airplane inertial navigational systems.

Modern aircraft audio systems are self-contained control boxes and can handle nearly every aspect of cockpit and cabin communications. They command the radios in the avionics stack, provide seat-to-seat intercom function and even offer high-fidelity music and telephone capability. But for basic aircraft, like the many LSAs and older tailwheel tandems on the ramps, a basic standalone intercom might get the job done for a lower cost while still providing high-quality audio and a decent level of functionality. These systems don’t control the radios, so if you have a couple of coms and navs in the stack, you’ll need an audio switching panel.

Despite the ridiculous backup common to modern cockpits, the portable radio is the last resort when all other options fail. But not all are created equal, and add-ons, such as an external antenna connection, can play seriously into performance and cost. Heres our hard-nosed report. Our criteria: Portables must have a high-end transmitter with a modulator that can reach reasonable distances at altitude. They must offer a headset interface. They must be small enough to stow in a map pocket but large enough for easy use in high-workload emergencies.