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Installed an AFS 5500

Stu McCurdy

Well Known Member
After doing my annual condition inspection, I (with the help of Deene Ogden) updated my Instrument Panel by removing the RMI Engine Monitor, Blue Mountain EFIS G3 Lite, Turn Coordinator, and VVI and cutting a new panel, then relocated the Garmin 420 and Indicator, and then installing and calibrating an AFS 5500. Also installed a TruTrak Gemini ADI as a standby ADI. Now to train my eyes to look in the right location to get info. It has Synthetic Vision and Maps to include GPS, Sectionals, IFR Low, Airport Diagrams, and Approach Plates

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Stu, very nice upgrade! As for the training, it's like getting transition lens, in a few flights you won't even remember and it will be automatic!

Good luck with it!
 
You know it is a funny thing and I have a similar panel; Look all the stuff we have in these aircraft, all the beautiful panels, and almost all of them, mine included, have Garmin 496. What a easy to use, great tool. I wish my 430 was as easy to use as the 496.
 
Yep, me too.

....496. What a easy to use, great tool. I wish my 430 was as easy to use as the 496.

Just this week, I taught a friend how to use his 396 that came in his 182 he bought, with no owner's manual. 30 minutes on the phone and he was cross-country-ing.:)

Best,
 
You know it is a funny thing and I have a similar panel; Look all the stuff we have in these aircraft, all the beautiful panels, and almost all of them, mine included, have Garmin 496. What a easy to use, great tool. I wish my 430 was as easy to use as the 496.

I have a simillar setup in my 7A. I navigate off the 430W. It is tied into the autopilot and feeds the AFS-3500. I have a Garmin 696 off to the right. I installed it for the weather and XM radio. I like to just leave it on a wider range and use it for the big picture.
 
Information overload

Falcon, that's one good looking panel. I put a GRT system in mine and Slnky wonders if I ever look outside anymore. You will love it when you get comfortable with it.

I've got my 496 same place as yours but I'm using it less and less as my NAV tool.
 
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Gotta fly to get Comfortable

Thanks guys. Been cloudy around here with some rain for a week. Snuck in a .5 flight Wednesday, did some calibration, got another .2 on Thursday just before the front hit, more calibration. Monday looks good for a longer/higher flight to get some navigation and approaches in so I will feel comfortable headed to airshow next weekend. So far, so good. Hope to use the 496 for just Weather, TFRs, and XM Radio and a cross reference for rendezvous and transition to the 5500 magic box. The Garmin 420, SL30, G496 and G327 are all wired to the AFS 5500 so I can get info from all of them with a push of a button. But gotta keep the eyes out and just sneak a peek as required.

By the way, I should say Rob, Tricia, and Ken at AFS have been great to work with and patiently answers dumb questions as I pose them.

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Any thoughts about a comparison to a 2 screen G3X setup

Stu,

Your panel looks incredible. I was wondering if the 5500 would really fit in an 8 panel and you answered the question. Given the relative costs, I have been considering a 2 screen G3X setup and I was wondering if you had similar thoughts. I have also wondered if the 5500 is too large, given the relatively short distance between panel and face in the 8(A).

Could you give us your reasoning to choose a single screen setup over a 2 screen setup? I have seen your beautiful ship on several occasions at OSH and SNF and I would really value your opinion.

Thanks!
 
AFS

I have an AFS 4500 in my -8A single screen tied to a 496. I normally fly with the 3-view presentation: EFIS, Map and Enhine Monitor. Weighed doing dual screen, but turns out single screen works fine.

Gotta give a plug to AFS customer service. I had some "Life is a lot harder when you're stupid" issues with installation and operation. All the ffolks at AFS were very patient and did their best to resolve issues.
 
AF 5500

I'm still waiting for mine. It was forecasted to be ready to ship the last week of December or first week of January....OH! I just now thought...maybe that was 2012/2013. Still not ready to install it, but they did promptly send me a bezel to make my cutout. I'm sure if I called whining they would take care of me. Rob and company are still good people.
 
I'm still waiting for mine. It was forecasted to be ready to ship the last week of December or first week of January....OH! I just now thought...maybe that was 2012/2013. Still not ready to install it, but they did promptly send me a bezel to make my cutout. I'm sure if I called whining they would take care of me. Rob and company are still good people.

Rich,

I just checked on your unit, it just went through final calibration and will be ready to ship in the morning.

Rob Hickman
Advanced Flight Systems Inc.
 
Rich,

I just checked on your unit, it just went through final calibration and will be ready to ship in the morning.

Rob Hickman
Advanced Flight Systems Inc.

Wow! You don't get much better customer service than an unsolicited, personal response from the Company CEO! I'm not even considering putting any other unit in my -10. :)

Roger Pierce
Broken Arrow, OK
 
Stu,

Your panel looks incredible. I was wondering if the 5500 would really fit in an 8 panel and you answered the question. Given the relative costs, I have been considering a 2 screen G3X setup and I was wondering if you had similar thoughts. I have also wondered if the 5500 is too large, given the relatively short distance between panel and face in the 8(A).

Could you give us your reasoning to choose a single screen setup over a 2 screen setup? I have seen your beautiful ship on several occasions at OSH and SNF and I would really value your opinion.

Thanks!

Well, as I always do, I look at everything available, look at the capability presenting what I would like to see, "what if" in case it were to go out to make sure I have backups, think about it for too long, thought maybe the AFS3400 would be okay, but decided the AFS 5500 was the one to install because of multiple presentations (EFIS, Eng Monitor, and Maps) on the same screen and screen size for readability. The various other units had screens too small to read the small info stuff. Where I sit in the cockpit gives 19 to 20" from face to screen, just about what my glasses are set for and I find the screen very readable. And the various Map presentations (GPS, Sectional, IFR Low, Airport Diagrams, and Approach Plates) can all be panned and zoomed. So in the 3 hours I have behind it so far, I am impressed with overall capability and presentation, especially with the Garmin 420W, SL30, G496, and G327 all transferring info back and forth and being able to select one of 3 different nav sources as primary course and use one of the other two as a secondary bearing on the screen. And....if the 5500 were to go South, I still have my trusty G420W, SL30, and G496 independently with an Indicator to fall back on. So, this worked for me and so far I am happy with the result.

I learned another thing today while getting used to it. The 5500 has Terrain and Obstacle databases. While flying I saw a red triangle below the horizon line which started out small and then got larger to maybe an inch long, unlike anything described in the Manual. While trying to figure out what that was and what it was telling me both the G420 and the G496 finally soon after warned and reminded me about the 3100' tower. Sure enough, there it was in front of me. Now I will know what that is if I see it again. And I am reminded to keep my head out of the cockpit while I get used to this new toy.

Hope this answers your question.
 
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Wow!

Stu,

Nice upgrades! Welcome to the 21st century. Who says you can't teach an old dog to learn new tricks?

Looking forward to seeing you at the NC formation clinic.
 
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