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Unofficial New Advanced Fight Systems Pricing (5/29/2013)

R

Randle

Well Known Member
OK, so I am almost done with my wings and have been spending a little too much time at work researching EFIS feature and pricing changes and updating my ?spreadsheet? of choices when all of a sudden, none of the info on my spreadsheet matched what Advanced Flight had listed on their Price List. I started to look at it and noticed the prices on all of the 5500 Series EFISs had dropped a few hundred bucks, and then I noticed the price of the Autopilot dropped a GRAND, that?s no chump change. Getting gitty about what I noticed, I realized they also dropped their pricing a couple hundred bucks on their EMS add-on, their AHARS, AOA A and B kits and the list goes on. The total dropped the price of a complete 2 Screen system a little over 3 grand!! :eek: I always drool over the RV10?s out there sporting the full AFS decks and their capabilities as well as their convenient included extras from the user checklists, weight & balance page, and maintenance page. Their pricing has always been a little too far off for my reach (Building Dave Ramsey Style), but now instead of the ?Big G? angel on one shoulder fighting with the GRT angel on the other shoulder; Advanced Flight just threw the ?Big G? off and jumped in the fight. Whatever am I supposed to do?

I am sure Rob Hickman is going to jump in here eventually and sort everything out or begin his own post announcing the new lower prices, but I just couldn?t let this go.
 
I believe the prices were lowered at SnF and have just remained there. :)
Seems all the companies offering the most popular EFIS systems (AFS, Dynon, Garmin, GRT) are all pretty close in price now.

Cheers,
Stein
 
Randle said:
OK, so I am almost done with my wings
8< snip...
Whatever am I supposed to do?
Click to expand...

I'm at roughly the same stage you are, and I'll tell you what I'm doing... I'm completely and totally NOT committing to any vendor until I've got the fuselage done to the point where I have to install avionics! Considering the huge changes in the EFIS landscape just since I've been watching (less than a year) I can only imagine any decisions now could be completely wrong by the time I actually need the gear.

I'm told there is a builder around here somewhere with a complete Blue Mountain EFIS setup, still in the boxes, ready to go into his yet-to-be-completed plane. I'm sure it seemed like a great idea at the time.

And FWIW, I really like Garmin's prices and gear, but the cost of keeping it up to date? That money would pay for a lot of avgas.
 
Ah, I see that now -- I was looking at the PilotPak at $499, but apples-to-apples the mini would be more in line with Dynon's features. OK, so only 17 gallons. :)
 
Brantel said:
$99 a year...page 11 here: http://download.garmin.com/avdb/Garmin_Aviation_Database_Price_List.pdf
Click to expand...

That may be true for the bare bones G3x updates, but throw in the GNS or GTN updates along with the SL40 or GTR updates and if you have an aera series GPS as a backup, then what is the bare bones cost? And who is going to run a G3x suite without a Big G navigator? All the costs add up very quickly once the whole panel maintenance costs come together. I do hope to be able to add a GTN once the time comes, but the "$99" a year I would be saving by going with AFS is still a hundred bucks I didn't have yesterday. Advanced Flight, Dynon, and GRT has had their mapping updates free for as long as I have been paying attention the the expirimental world, how long will Garmin have those "minimal updates" available for $99? They may have dropped the prices of their G3x suite to be competitive with the current market, but I won't put any money down saying the updates will ever get any cheaper.
 
Randle said:
That may be true for the bare bones G3x updates, but throw in the GNS or GTN updates along with the SL40 or GTR updates and if you have an aera series GPS as a backup, then what is the bare bones cost?
Click to expand...

You can't make this comparison due to the fact that you could replace the G3X in the above statement with any EFIS System. Dynon, MGL, GRT, AFS. The SL40/30 does not have any database to update. GTR's are so new who knows if they will become popular or not in the experimental world. Also the backup handheld GPS is optional and could be any make or model.

Randle said:
And who is going to run a G3x suite without a Big G navigator?
Click to expand...

Same question back at you...who is going to run an AFS, Dynon, GRT or MGL system without an IFR Navigator? The answer: Tons of people including owners of the G3X platform. There are many G3X systems in use out there that are VFR only. The G3X is an amazing VFR platform and does not need any IFR Navigator unless you plan to fly IFR. By the way, if you fly IFR with any of the other brands, guess what.....your going to need an IFR Navigator sooner than later. No matter what brand IFR Navigator you buy, it is going to have a hefty database subscription cost. It is the cost of participating in the IFR system.

Randle said:
All the costs add up very quickly once the whole panel maintenance costs come together. I do hope to be able to add a GTN once the time comes, but the "$99" a year I would be saving by going with AFS is still a hundred bucks I didn't have yesterday. Advanced Flight, Dynon, and GRT has had their mapping updates free for as long as I have been paying attention the the expirimental world, how long will Garmin have those "minimal updates" available for $99?
Click to expand...

I would ask you the same question except in reverse. How long do you think all those guys will be able to provide their updates for free when more and more free sources for this data are drying up? Keep in mind that not all database updates are free for some of the manufacturers you mentioned.

Randle said:
They may have dropped the prices of their G3x suite to be competitive with the current market, but I won't put any money down saying the updates will ever get any cheaper.
Click to expand...

A bunch of people (including me) never thought they would ever compete in this market yet here they are.....competition is what is driving those price reductions you are planning to enjoy.

Look I don't really care what system people buy into. I have been helping to support most of em for the last 10 years. I am just a guy that has a passion for experimental avionics. I have manuals for all of em on my Iphone and Ipad and read em just in case someone needs some assistance while I am at a flyin, some airport or their garage. There are things I like and dislike about all the systems. There is no such thing as a perfect solution for everyone. I just like to see fair comparisons on this forum. Of course we would all love everything to be free or next to it but history has proven that is not a good long term business model.
 
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Brantel said:
No matter what brand IFR Navigator you buy, it is going to have a hefty database subscription cost. It is the cost of participating in the IFR .
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Umm, exactly what brands does one have to choose from?

It doesn't matter if you are talking about ifr TSO'd GPS, or a crankshaft for your engine. When there is only one source you can count on paying thru the nose.
 
Misinterpret my intentions as you may, but I do hope to one day be able to add a navigator to mine. Apples to apples, if there was a hundred dollar bill sitting on the ground, I would pick it up. :rolleyes: trying to avoid the too-often thread drift that is known on this site.

Has anyone recently installed the 5500 series setup that could give a little RELATED input into ths thread for possibles such as myself?
 
Randle said:
Misinterpret my intentions as you may, but I do hope to one day be able to add a navigator to mine. Apples to apples, if there was a hundred dollar bill sitting on the ground, I would pick it up. :rolleyes: trying to avoid the too-often thread drift that is known on this site.

Has anyone recently installed the 5500 series setup that could give a little RELATED input into ths thread for possibles such as myself?
Click to expand...

Nobody misinterpreted you. Your assertion that anyone buying a g3x system would automatically feel compelled to buy an IFR navigator while buyers of other systems would not is seriously flawed at the best. Brantel was simply saying that in a nice way. The fact of the matter is the assertion that Garmin's updates are expensive while implying that others give equal data for free is an outright lie that frankly is getting old. All of Garmin's data is DO200A qualified, FAA and EASA audited. This is not the case with the free data to my knowledge...correct me if I am wrong. Garmin has safe taxi, flight charts and AOPA directory which is not even available elsewhere.

Truth be told, if I'm spending well north ten thousand dollars like these panels cost... limiting my future capability based on a hundred dollars seems incredibly short sighted. It costs more than that to fill my truck fuel tank and the 'free' data is neither equal nor guaranteed to remain free. If I later want to go IFR, having all of those things on the large screen rather than the smaller navigator will make my life easier.

Garmin is even cheaper now and make no mistake, when Garmin dropped their prices this year the rest had to follow suit. That's the only reason we are finally seeing a price break on these overpriced systems (all of them).
 
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Randle said:
Misinterpret my intentions as you may, but I do hope to one day be able to add a navigator to mine. Apples to apples, if there was a hundred dollar bill sitting on the ground, I would pick it up. :rolleyes: trying to avoid the too-often thread drift that is known on this site.

Has anyone recently installed the 5500 series setup that could give a little RELATED input into ths thread for possibles such as myself?
Click to expand...

Just to add some apples to apples on the initial outlay, have you looked at the cost of some features on the AFS that are included with ?Big G?

AOA: AFS $ 599.00 / Garmin $0.00 (Included on the new GSU-25)
VPX Interface: AFS $275.00 / Garmin $0.00
Moving Map: AFS $500.00 / Garmin $0.00

So by my apples to apples calculation if you want the AOA and Moving Map features Garmin just paid for 11 years of the VFR data updates for the G3X. If you are planning to use the VP-X system Garmin just paid for 2.75 more years of the VFR data updates. Plus I tend to agree with ColoRV that I am not convinced that the free updates are going to remain free.

Just a little more food for thought.

(Disclaimer I know these are list prices and the actual prices would be less.)
 
ColoRv said:
The fact of the matter is the assertion that Garmin's updates are expensive while implying that others give equal data for free is an outright lie that frankly is getting old.
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Actually no it?s not, it is 100% true at this current time. If you want Nav data, Terrain, and Obstacles (US only), you have to pay $99 a year for it from Garmin. If you utilize Dynon, GRT or AFS, there is no recurring cost for the downloads, ?IT?S FREE?. I hope that is easier to interpret.

ColoRv said:
All of Garmin's data is DO200A qualified, FAA and EASA audited. This is not the case with the free data to my knowledge...correct me if I am wrong.
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I have found absolutely nothing to support this claim, it is kind of funny to say that it is audited by the FAA when Garmins Flitecharts are just the FAA?s FREE Terminal Procedures Publications grouped together and sold as a package in their format to take advantage of geo-referenced overlay, but to be fair and equal, AFS does this as well at a cheaper price. The Airport Diagrams are also available free from the FAA to include Approach plates and procedures and can be found here

ColoRv said:
Garmin has safe taxi, flight charts and AOPA directory which is not even available elsewhere.
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This is also another false claim, unless you want to be specific by name to their trademark licenses, almost all of it is available and can be found in the link previously provided for free, but if you want the Airport Directory from Garmin, it will cost you $50 an update or $195 for a yearly subscriptions on top of the ?$99? map data. If you have Advanced Flight for instance, they also offer this data without a recurring yearly cost. It includes the airport information with additional need to know items such as frequencies and services-at-airport information just like Garmin does.
Single download Airport Diagrams from Garmin- $50
Single download Airport Diagrams from Advanced- $25
Single download Airport Diagrams from FAA- FREE
Single download Geo-Referenced Approach Plates, IFR Charts, VFR Sectionals from Garmin- $75
Single download Geo-Referenced Approach Plates, IFR Charts, VFR Sectionals from Advanced- $50


ColoRv said:
Truth be told, if I'm spending well north ten thousand dollars like these panels cost... limiting my future capability based on a hundred dollars seems incredibly short sighted. It costs more than that to fill my truck fuel tank and the 'free' data is neither equal nor guaranteed to remain free.
Click to expand...

Nothing is guaranteed to remain free until the end of time, but the FAA has been distributing all of this information for Free download on the internet for years and is not only ?EQUAL? but is exactly what Garmin uses to build their Flitecharts they sell. Kahuna from Aerodynamix has been a huge advocate for GRT users in terms of making all of this free information available to other GRT users by doing almost all of the leg work on his own, then spelling out how to do it, making these forums invaluable in certain aspects to pilots trying to remain current in this ever more expensive hobby of ours, and for that I salute him and his dedication to this sport.

ColoRv said:
Garmin is even cheaper now and make no mistake, when Garmin dropped their prices this year the rest had to follow suit. That's the only reason we are finally seeing a price break on these overpriced systems (all of them)
Click to expand...

You will get no argument here from that statement. So to that I say, Thank you Garmin for coming in and driving down the prices on some of the avionics I have long dreamed about and can now afford, either Advanced Flight or GRT will soon be gaining my business due to their competitive reaction.
 
rattler said:
Moving Map: AFS $500.00 / Garmin $0.00
(Disclaimer I know these are list prices and the actual prices would be less.)
Click to expand...

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?
 
It also saddens me to say that I have received more emails and PM's than posts in this thread regarding support and info about the AFS and GRT EFISs with the common end statement "hope this helps, I just dont want to get involved in the crossfire from the G3x Mafia"
 
Guys keep it civil or this thread will disappear. Nothing wrong with good clean debate. This stuff just is not worth losing friends over. That's the problem with forum discussions, they always go South.
 
Brian, I appreciate that you are always willing to provide help with any system you are familiar with - and that's most of them!

NavData costs $. If you fly in the system (IFR) that's part of the cost. It would be nice if AeroNav/FAA would open-source the stuff but I doubt that will happen. The raw data needs work before it goes to devices anyway.

I've seen data costs start to come down, even at Jepp (gasp). I suspect the cost of massaging data each release is similar for most players so, eventually, the charges will start to even out due to competition if there are enough users to be statistically meaningful.

I fly with GNS 530W/430W (Toga) and with a 400W in the RV-6. I just did an IPC in the -6! I'm also on the early adopter list for the IFD series so I'll be happy to report on those once I get my finger prints all over them. I don't know what data on those will cost yet either.
 
rattler said:
Just to add some apples to apples on the initial outlay, have you looked at the cost of some features on the AFS that are included with “Big G”

AOA: AFS $ 599.00 / Garmin $0.00 (Included on the new GSU-25)
VPX Interface: AFS $275.00 / Garmin $0.00
Moving Map: AFS $500.00 / Garmin $0.00

So by my apples to apples calculation if you want the AOA and Moving Map features Garmin just paid for 11 years of the VFR data updates for the G3X. If you are planning to use the VP-X system Garmin just paid for 2.75 more years of the VFR data updates. Plus I tend to agree with ColoRV that I am not convinced that the free updates are going to remain free.

Just a little more food for thought.

(Disclaimer I know these are list prices and the actual prices would be less.)
Click to expand...

You forgot a couple.

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

Don't get me wrong I think the AFS stuff is top notch and easily the most intuitive out there. I really enjoyed playing with it at Oshkosh. Rob is also a really nice guy. But when I priced out a complete system, it was over $5k above the Garmin price. That's a lot of 'free' data. The screens are beautiful and I considered going that extra cost to get them, but there is the Blue Mountain/Chelton syndrome to consider and when spending this amount of money.....

When I went through all of this 6 months ago before deciding to buy the one company I was convinced (in the beginning) I would not buy, the frustrating part for me was digging though all of the apples to oranges comparisons. What I did was write down what I believe a $20k system should have as a minimum to even be considered for my panel. That list eliminated one manufacturer for me. My next criteria was is it ready to fly right now. Not promises for the future, as we have all seen those go on for years and then the company moves on to its next big thing...and the old promises are never kept. That eliminated another manufacturer. That left two and when I priced up both systems top to bottom.... It wasn't even close.

The odd thing is if I had believed (and I did) what I read in here....I wouldn't have even considered the system I ended up buying. I asked a LOT of questions of the company I bought my system through and ended up completely reversing my position once I was educated enough to make a decision.
 
ColoRv said:
You forgot a couple.

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

the frustrating part for me was digging though all of the apples to oranges comparisons.
Click to expand...

You can go with the Xplorer ADS-b receiver from spruce for $695 instead of the ridiculously expensive Navworx receiver to bring those numbers pretty much even.
Many people have been completely scrapping the XM subscriptions for ADS-b.
Garmin charges $425 for their Arinc adaptor, it is not included, I believe it is the GAD 29.
It is like you said earlier, not everyone is going to have a Navigator so it is more cost effective by the company and to the buyer to make it “available” by the smaller avionics companies. But it is like you say, Apples and Oranges. Things to take into consideration is included add-ons:

Garmin- AOA and VPX add-ons at no additional cost
Advanced- Weight & Balance and Maintenance cklists, screen size, recurring database maintenance, and the biggest one of all, the history proven dedication to provide the experimental category with some of the most advanced (no pun intended) avionics available.

You may be sick and tired of people talking down Garmin, but I am wondering why all of a sudden now that they have dropped their prices to jump into the market people think they need to advocate for them every time another EFIS company makes a new stride?
 
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Just a friendly clarification...:)

Garmin now has both options available for the ARINC interface. The original all inclusive GSU73 and the new products which split the ARINC, ADAHRS and EIS interfaces up into multiple components. It is the installers choice.

The G3X system has a dedicated Weight and Balance Page/Utility.

It also has customizable checklist (no maintenance timers however)

Thanks for keeping it civil guys, we are all folks with a common passion and face to face most of us would get along just fine. It is OK to have good debate. As long as history has been recorded it has been Ford vs Chevy or BMW vs Benz. or something like that. That's OK, lets just not lose sight of the big picture and keep this fun!
 
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ColoRv said:
You forgot a couple.

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


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.
 
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Randle said:
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?
Click to expand...

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.
 
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.
 
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

8895440049_418d705f0a_c.jpg
 
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?
 
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/community/showpost.php?p=621055&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).
 
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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.
0_0_00c82a3ab0b7786996dbe62bd577d910_1
 
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?
 
Truth be told, most of those finished panel pics predate the availability of all these remote txpdrs. Now I'd say that about 85-90% of folks are using them. We just havent gotten the past 6+ months worth of finished panel pics out yet. If I may suggest, I'd recommend you sit back and watch developments of all these neat avionics, because by the time you'll be ready for them I can guarantee there will be some changes coming down the road. Also, if you get a chance, flying behind the units if you can will give you a whole different perspective as well as playing with them all before you buy.

Just my 2 centas as usual!

Cheers,
Stein
 
Bringing the topic somewhat back to the original post again, am I noticing a few new or changed options? The last I knew, the remote transponder that Rob was offering was a Mode C only. Now it's a Mode S? And it looks like there's now a specific AFS-branded ADSB receiver. A different EFIS AOA option option, in addition to the usual Pro/Sport.

Just noticing a few new things that don't seem to be mentioned in the product info pages themselves.

BTW, just out of curiosity, if one doesn't get the advanced map upgrade, what does show up on the map screens? Just a base map, no sectional, IFR low/hi, etc? There's no data of what the "basic map option" is.
 
sbalmos said:
The last I knew, the remote transponder that Rob was offering was a Mode C only.
Click to expand...
You can utilize Dynon’s SV-XPNDR-261 Remote Transponder that is a Mode S, I believe the Trig TT22 is also supported which is Mode S

sbalmos said:
And it looks like there's now a specific AFS-branded ADSB receiver.
Click to expand...

Like we said in earlier posts, you can go with the ADS-b receiver that they offer, which last I heard was a Navworx, or research and choose your own. Many of the Rx’s will work with Advanced flight like the $695 Xplorer that can be viewed on Aircraft Spruce’s website

sbalmos said:
A different EFIS AOA option, in addition to the usual Pro/Sport.
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You have the option of having the AOA displayed on your panel separate from the EFIS in the sport or Pro display, or you can have it displayed in the EFIS. Many users of other EFIS brands use AFS’s AOA display, so the latest option you noticed is for AFS’s Efis display.

sbalmos said:
BTW, just out of curiosity, if one doesn't get the advanced map upgrade, what does show up on the map screens? Just a base map, no sectional, IFR low/hi, etc? There's no data of what the "basic map option" is.
Click to expand...

Purchase the AF-MAP once, after trying it out and you like it, and you continue to have public and private airports, terrain, obstacles, airspaces, state lines, navigational beacons and intersections. Airport information is also displayed; including runways, frequencies, traffic patterns, elevation, pattern altitude and fuel availability. The IFR maps and sectionals are a separate purchase for those that would use them. As far as the Synthetic Vision and other items, I don’t know, the website is vague in the details.

sbalmos said:
Just noticing a few new things that don't seem to be mentioned in the product info pages themselves.
Click to expand...

This is just about one of the only gripes I have about Advanced Flight, Their website is not very well laid out or detailed. I have found myself calling them numerous times to get information about their products that “should” be detailed on their website. Most of the info I have comes from other users, calling them, or Google.
 
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sbalmos said:
Bringing the topic somewhat back to the original post again, am I noticing a few new or changed options? The last I knew, the remote transponder that Rob was offering was a Mode C only. Now it's a Mode S? And it looks like there's now a specific AFS-branded ADSB receiver. A different EFIS AOA option option, in addition to the usual Pro/Sport.

Just noticing a few new things that don't seem to be mentioned in the product info pages themselves.

BTW, just out of curiosity, if one doesn't get the advanced map upgrade, what does show up on the map screens? Just a base map, no sectional, IFR low/hi, etc? There's no data of what the "basic map option" is.
Click to expand...

Yes, transponder is now Mode S - I believe the Trig box controlled remotely.

AoA - as Randle said, either display it on the EFIS, using a Pro like graphic, or use a separate display (either Pro or Sport). I have a separate Sport display as it was fitted before the EFIS.

If the map key is not purchased there is no map page, its just not there. Its also not possible to split the main screen in 3. If an SD card with the terrain database is loaded the I'm told the Synthetic Vision will work.

I have an AF-4500 and have just flown behind it for 15 hours around France, Italy, Austria and Germany. Brilliant! Everything on one screen that is easily visible with sunglasses on. I like SV, especially as airfields ahead are shown with their identifier overhead. This was the first time I used in in mountains - certainly is accurate! For Europe the Pocket FMS nav database is far better and cheaper than Jepp. I am very happy with my choice. Installation was straight forward with no huge AHRS to mount (everything is behind the screen), wiring harnesses provided. Easy integration with other boxes. I have tried several moving maps, this is the only one I have been able to see easily with sunglasses on.

Pete
 
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