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-   -   Unofficial New Advanced Fight Systems Pricing (5/29/2013) (https://vansairforce.net/community/showthread.php?t=100274)

N402RH 05-30-2013 02:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ColoRv (Post 775270)
You forgot a couple.

XM add for AFS - $999, Garmin - $400
ADSB for AFS - $799, Garmin - $699
Arinc adapter AFS - $500, Garmin - $0


From the Garmin Web site:

G3X ADSB is $799
G3X ARINC Adaptor is $425
SL40 Com Radio is $1849
AP ($1500 + $750) is $2,250 *no internal dedicated AHRS

Our ATS Com Radio (Intercom + Standby Monitoring) is $1250

AF-Pilot AP with dedicated internal AHRS is $2,500

The Sun-n-Fun price for an AF-5600 System (basic map, Engine Monitor, AHRS) is $6,400

A single screen AF-5600 EFIS has more screen area and pixels than two G3X screens combined.
A single screen AF-5800 EFIS has about the same screen area as three G3X screens.


Rob Hickman
Advanced Flight Systems Inc.

rattler 05-30-2013 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randle (Post 775211)
How can you consider it free from Garmin when you are required to keep it up to date that will cost you at a minimum $99 a year?

I am considering the basic function and am basing it off of the company websites and a conversation I had with one of AFS?s staff in their booth at Osh last year. Based on that, the AFS moving map is enable as a trial and then disables after the trial period unless you pay for the moving map enablement. The Garmin map is turned on and requires no enablement to keep it on. (I have not verified this with Garmin yet but my understanding is the VFR moving map in the G3X will keep displaying old data if you don?t update it.)



I am by no means saying that you should go buy Garmin, I have looked at them all and they all have their good and bad points and you have to do just what it sounds like all of us are doing analyze each one against our current mission, a possible planned future mission and our aircraft.

I just look at these kinds of threads as a chance for a good old fashion point - counter point debate to raise the awareness and knowledge level of everyone that reads the thread. Sometimes it is just this type of thread that will plant a seed of information that can help any one of us down the road.

Each system seems to find its own niche, the Dynon SkyView 7 inch, GRT Horizon HX and the Garmin G3X seem to work good as dual screen systems in the 3s, 4s and 8s (for the record my build partner and I are building an 8). When you start talking about the 6s, 7s, 9s, 10s and 14s the AFS 55/56/58, Dynon SV10 and GRT HXr look to me like a good way to put nice big screen real estate in bigger panels.

JennyH 05-30-2013 04:49 PM

Just to clarify.....AFS offers a free five-hour trial of our mapping software so that you if you'd like to, you can try it before you buy it.

Jenny Hickman
Advanced Flight Systems, Inc.

SteinAir 05-30-2013 05:19 PM

Below is a quick crummy pic I just took with my phone of a panel we just started to show what an AF-5600 looks like as a primary installed EFIS. Note that it's missing the little AFS that will be on the right side, but it's going to arrive before long! Also note the "big GTN navigators"....which aren't immune to being installed with this or any other brand EFIS! :)

Overall this is going to be a slick panel when we get done. As others have noted, there literally isn't one brand or specific make/model of EFIS that is a perfect fit for everyone. I sell them all (lots of them all) and can find nice things to say about each one of them. I can also find reasons to recommend specific ones to various customers based on their set of perspectives.

Anyway, this is for the OP who asked about the 5500 (which we've installed and sold many) so you could see what it's big brother looks like in a panel.

Cheers,
Stein


Randle 05-30-2013 05:58 PM

It took 3 pages of weeding to get to the first answer to my original post and to see that beauty sitting on the bench gives my the itch. The big thing I am waiting to here is what people who are and have been flying behind these systems have to say. With AFS almost completely getting rid of their previous menu structure and adding a bunch of buttons making the depth of the menus almost non existent interested me substantially, but I have yet to here how people like it in actual use. Any takers?

RVRC 05-30-2013 06:23 PM

Randle
 
Check your email. I sent a long note to you there.
:)

Brantel 05-30-2013 06:26 PM

Wesley,

Take a look here:

https://www.facebook.com/steinairinc/photos_albums

and here:

http://www.steinair.com/Panelcustomercomplete.cfm

Stein has many many pics of all kinds of complete AFS panels...and a few other brands as well :p

One trick is to use the N number on the panels you like to track down the owner so you can contact them and chat.

Roy Thoma 05-30-2013 07:18 PM

I love my AFS 5600
 
My RV-7A was the first customer plane to fly with an AFS-5600. I think the 5600 is GREAT. My 2013 Memorial Day weekend flying included 1.7 hours of IMC and a coupled ILS. The 5600 made this EASY and comfortable. (The current EFIS's provide a huge amount of information. Please be sure you are very familiar and current with your equipment before venturing into IMC.)

See http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...&postcount=690 for a picture of my panel and a link to more info about my plane.

Note: Rob and Jenny are friends of mine. I have done some contract work for AFS (AFTER my panel was built for the 5600 and my plane was flying).

Aerosport1 05-30-2013 08:24 PM

I have flown behind the AFS 4500 dual screens for over 200 hrs. I was one of the first to have these screens and loved them. I then upgraded to the
AFS 5500 screens in November 2011 and now have 185 hrs behind these.
I do love having more buttons and way less menu's. I really liked the 4500's but once I had about 20 hrs behind the 5500 I was hooked. These screens have so many features and information available to the pilot. I Fly my RV-10
all over for business and pleasure and I am very glad I picked AFS. The auto pilot interface is so simple and does a great job flying an ILS or RNAV approach in IMC or just flying VFR using the heading bug. There are some many more features to talk about. The biggest think about AFS is the service and customer support that comes with every screen or product they sell. Things are changing fast in the avionics arena, comparing all the suppliers out there AFS should be on the top of the list. The one thing that is really nice is the larger screens as Rob stated. If anyone would like to come fly behind AFS screens I would be glad to take you for a ride. I am located at KLHQ. Once you spend a little time behind these screens you will fall in with them.
And last but not least Rob and Jenny Hickman are some of the best people
you will ever meet. They really care about your success.

Randle 05-30-2013 08:48 PM

There won't be any IFR for me for quite some time. My current "plan" is to wire the panel for a navigator and 2nd PFD such as a gemini or D10 during the build but get the plane flying and through its phases (as well as mine) in a VFR platform utilizing the EFISs gps. Seeing all the different panel layouts on Steinair's webpage really show's how people prioritize their tools such as the A/P control head or switch and circuit breaker locations. Even with all of the remote transponders available, there aren't as many people going in that direction as I thought there would be. I do understand why, but is the frequency of an efis failure really common enough to worry about it? Any quarrels on the menu setup?


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