This month’s panel for planning comes from Jim Underhill. His 1976 Cessna 182P is we’ll cared for, and he’s invested in new paint, new interior and a fresh engine. While the current panel is capable for IFR flying (most of Underhill’s 100 yearly flight hours in this airplane is for going places under IFR), there are some avionics that are close to obsolescence. Long-term manufacturer support is high on the list of priorities. Spending huge amounts of money on the panel isn’t.
But spending some on newer Garmin gear makes sense. “I have a preference for Garmin products to preserve the knowledge that I have relative to the button-pushing protocols that they use,” he told us. Considering that, here’s a quick and dirty budget-minded upgrade plan.
Freshen it up
Any time prospective buyers say they don’t want long downtimes and invoices that equal more than half of the aircraft’s value, I think utilitarian. This means a retrofit that doesn’t involve cutting a new instrument panel or installing a flagship autopilot or a big-screen EFIS. The center radio stack in Underhill’s Skylane was cutting edge in the early 2000s and it’s still capable today, but the tech (processors and graphics) has certainly come a long way.
The audio panel at the top of the center radio stack is an Apollo SL15M (an older PS Engineering 7000 panel with built-in intercom). Sure, there are more modern choices, but it works and in PS Engineering tradition, offers reliable, clean audio. I say leave it alone and save some bucks. PS Engineering says it still supports the series after all these years, to which I applaud.
The Garmin GMX 200 MFD that sits below it is getting older, and the current Garmin flat-rate repair price list shows a GMX 200 with traffic display capability at $1335. Garmin announced last year that the GNS 430W, racked below the GMX 200, is at the end of its support life—a situation that has motivated Underhill to do an upgrade. “If Garmin weren’t going to end support for the 430W, I wouldn’t even be in the market to upgrade,” he told us.
The utilitarian approach might be to remove it and replace it with a current GTN 650Xi, priced at $13,595. It will fit in the spot occupied by the GNS 430W and it will drive the existing GMX 200 MFD and GI-106A CDI, but will require rewiring. I bet the removed GNS 430W would sell for around $5000 on the used market. Another option might be to remove the GMX 200 and the GNS 430W and install a new big-screen GTN 750Xi. It’s priced at $19,695.
That’s an Apollo SL30 serving as the second navcomm, which drives its own nav indicator. If it works (and these are reliable rigs), I say keep it. If there’s concern of future support, replace it with a Trig TX56A navcomm, priced around $4500. ADS-B Out (and weather and traffic In) is covered by a Garmin GTX 345 transponder, so there’s no money to be spent there. The same for the autopilot—a rate-based S-TEC 30 that serves double duty as a turn coordinator. I say keep it.
Last, that’s a pilot’s panel filled with mechanical round instruments, including vacuum-driven AI and DG, plus an electrically driven backup AI. There’s also a good Insight G1 engine monitor.
If entry into the world of small-screen glass is in the budget, two Garmin GI 275 instruments (one as the AI the other as the EHSI) is a smart plan, for around $9000. Add all of that up, and it’s a straightforward job with a $30K-ish invoice.
