Life of Avionics

C

ComplexHiAv8r

Well-Known Member
I know in aircraft ownership depreciation of avionics is one thing, but in reality what is the life expectation of avioncs?

Avidyne PFD/MFD
Garmin G1000
Garmin 430 (NOT WAAS)
AP
Transponders
Audio Panels

Yep, tax season....
 
ComplexHiAv8r said:
I know in aircraft ownership depreciation of avionics is one thing, but in reality what is the life expectation of avioncs?

Avidyne PFD/MFD
Garmin G1000
Garmin 430 (NOT WAAS)
AP
Transponders
Audio Panels

Yep, tax season....
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If the past is any indicator of the future, I'd expect those things to be alive and kicking 60 years from now.
 
From what I've seen in my limited experience with aircraft sales, the value of avionics is not found in their reliability as much as their utility.

In other words, the issue isn't that they break, it's that they become obsolete. Sometimes the whole system goes the way of the dinosaur (Loran-C, ADF) while other times the equipment simply becomes so un-sexy that nobody wants it (KLN89 GPS).

It's impossible to predict the future, but I'd budget based on calendar time rather than flight hours. Probably do a panel makeover every 15-20 years. Even then, it depends on the type of aircraft...planning upgrades/refurbs for an SR22 is going to be totally different from my Cessna 140.

To complicate matters further, we have no idea what technologies are coming down the pipe in the future to force down prices on today's avionics. Touch screen displays are the hot new thing at the moment. What will be the wave of the future? Voice-command systems? Heads up displays? Nobody knows.

The bottom line is, it's easy to place a value on current avionics but impossible to predict the future.
 
The G1000 has seemed to be a huge hit in the glass cockpit avionics market. I don't see it leaving the scene anytime soon.
 
Juts flew a 99 with "cranky coms" the other day. You know the kind that make you feel like you're manipulating something deep within the loins of the earth? So, FOREVER is my guess! :)
394831_10100444027607205_869818404_n.jpg
 
UAL747400 said:
Juts flew a 99 with "cranky coms" the other day. You know the kind that make you feel like you're manipulating something deep within the loins of the earth? So, FOREVER is my guess! :)
394831_10100444027607205_869818404_n.jpg
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Awesome, two comm/nav #1's. Shocked they didn't at least use one of those old Dymo label makers and cover the #1 with a #2.
 
UAL747400 said:
Juts flew a 99 with "cranky coms" the other day. You know the kind that make you feel like you're manipulating something deep within the loins of the earth? So, FOREVER is my guess! :)
394831_10100444027607205_869818404_n.jpg
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It might be sad that I see this and am immediately more comfortable with it than jumping into a Garmin 1000 plane....
 
We've had to replace four separate aircraft G1000 AHRS units that were built in 2004 or newer.
 
PeanuckleCRJ said:
It might be sad that I see this and am immediately more comfortable with it than jumping into a Garmin 1000 plane....
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There's A LOT less to set up, that's for sure! I can show up to an airplane, do all the things we're supposed to do(an actual preflight/originating check, set up coms/navs for the departure, study the departure/route, brief the FO if I have one, fill out paperwork, ect.), and block out in 20 minutes with our planes that have 430s and 750s. This thing, 10 minutes at most, but is a lot more interesting once you get in the air. :D

I'll take the situational awareness of glass over being a /U or /A any day though. I don't have enough hair on my head to be losing anymore! :) These things will probably survive an EMP blast from a nuclear bomb though!
 
UAL747400 said:
Juts flew a 99 with "cranky coms" the other day. You know the kind that make you feel like you're manipulating something deep within the loins of the earth? So, FOREVER is my guess! :)
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Hardest thing about those coms is not immediately dialing in the frequency the controller gives you. You end up changing them on yourself mid sentence.
 
z987k said:
Hardest thing about those coms is not immediately dialing in the frequency the controller gives you. You end up changing them on yourself mid sentence.
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So true! I remember when radios with standby frequencies came out. That was higher tech than RNAV.
 
One of our Navajos has a pair of KX155s I'm it now. First thing that came to mind the first time I flew it was "Dang that's a lot of numbers!"
 
An entire G1000 isn't going to go bad at the same time. The most likely things to fail are probably the screens and those can be replaced without replacing the entire system. I don't see them being obsolete in the next 40 years either.
 
Without paying some high prices for upgrades I don't see avionics life as that long. Yes you can keep using it but it's almost like computers. Garmin 430 good but then WAAS. Want to cross-fill to another 430 both need to be done. Want the PFD to upgrade to R7 and both Garmins and you are looking at $15,000 plus. Not sure cost to upgrade a G1000 to WAAS.

I still have a Win95 box and a Dos3.11 laptop running. Each have their uses but really past their life span.
 
z987k said:
Hardest thing about those coms is not immediately dialing in the frequency the controller gives you. You end up changing them on yourself mid sentence.
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Or changing it, forgetting what it was AND forgetting what you were on before! "Well... $%^#!" :D 121.5 is great and all in the middle of no where, not so much in socal. haha
 
My school has a fleet of G1000 Skyhawks and it seems that as they all hit 5000 hours hobbs the systems are dying. Most often I see GIA failures.
 
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