What products do think can or should be ?certified??

[N941WR]

A comment on another tread had me thinking about all the technology we have in our planes and it got me thinking about what products we are using that can or should be ?certified? for use on factory built planes and why?

My first thoughts are:
1. P-mags: Powered by an internal generator (P-114's), no external brain box to mount and cool, no need to modify mags, vacuum advance which returns to standard timing should there be a vacuum leak, and more.

2. Integrated EFIS technology: Dynon, GRT, and the others are proving their reliability and accuracy. Why not allow the spam can drivers to use the same technology we enjoy for much less than the price of a G900?

[Greg Arehart]

I think a lot of this stuff certainly "can" be certified and certainly "would" be useful in certified planes. The real issue that has stifled aviation innovation is the cost associated with certification. Perhaps a reasonable compromise would be "if it has worked well on x airplanes for y years, the certification process can be shortened in both time and cost. But, whether the FAA would ever do such a thing is questionable in my mind. Too much of a CYA mentality in America these days....

greg

[osxuser]

The certification would bring the price up to the price of the G600. (The G900 isn't certified)

P-mags would have like 3 AD's on them by now with the teething problems they've had.

I the whirlwind propeller should be certified myself.

[Jamie]

FWIW, a lot of our instruments can be used in type certificated aircraft without FAA certification. There is a process for doing it, but the instrument can't replace any existing required instrument in the panel. A friend of mine and RV driver has a Dynon D-10A and Airgizmo dock in his C-210P.

As for engine stuff, well, they're just out of luck.

[SteinAir]

Originally Posted by osxuser

The certification would bring the price up to the price of the G600. (The G900 isn't certified)

P-mags would have like 3 AD's on them by now with the teething problems they've had.

I the whirlwind propeller should be certified myself.

Who told you the G900X isn't certified? It carries over 50 TSO's and both (2) GPS's are WAAS certified, components are certified, AHRS is certified, etc....

Just wondering where you got that information or if it was just assumed that the G900X was "non certified". No flame intended, just trying to keep the record straight!

Their certification is part of the reason these things are more popular than people may realize.

Regarding certification of these EFISes, it's so much more complex than most of us can realize. Most of our affordable EFISes wouldn't pass even some of the basic requirements for certification. Some would pass some of the test, but as a whole there is a HUGE difference. That's part of the beauty of what we get to fly behind, but realize it's a double edged sword. What we deem as "working ok for a certain time period" isn't necessarily the only thing that dictates a particular product as worth of certification, nor would I want it to be. I would like to see some loosing of arcane paperwork rules, replacement of many dumb spec's and see the FAA move into the modern age, but I'd also like to see some of the stuff kept in there. Take a very quick but important example. Certified EFISes have to know when they are sick, or if their data stream misses a byte or two, etc.. and then alert the pilot to that sickness IMMEDIATELY. This is not an easy task and one that hardly any of our lower cost systems do. Some do to some extent, but not nearly enough to come close to passing a certification.

Anyway, I digress. Certainly some of the stuff we get to play with is better than what is available to the certified crowd. That I would never debate. Also, the FAA needs to modernize their certification requirements and "ahem" some of their people. But, that doesn't mean the current specifications are without merit. I think it needs to be somewhere in the middle. There is NO reason that a 1946 staggerwing should be required to re-install stuff that was outdated 25 years ago....

Things like "PMags" will most certainly be certified at some point. Right now I think they are on their way, but there was wayyyy to many growing pains for me to jump on board as saying it's certification worthy just yet. Same with whirlwind. Both of those technologies promise a good future, and both may indeed end up being certified, but both have a ways to go before they are entirely proven - at least in my dumb opinion! Then again, I fly a plane full of NON certified stuff. Non certified engine with a non certified alternator, non certified switches, non certified spark plugs/ignition, non certified fuel pump, non certified prop, non certified EFISes, non certified autopilot, so on and so forth so I'm being a wee bit of a hypocrite too.....

My 2 cents as usual!

Cheers,
Stein

[osxuser]

Originally Posted by SteinAir

Who told you the G900X isn't certified? It carries over 50 TSO's and both (2) GPS's are WAAS certified, components are certified, AHRS is certified, etc....

Just wondering where you got that information or if it was just assumed that the G900X was "non certified". No flame intended, just trying to keep the record straight!

....

My 2 cents as usual!

Cheers,
Stein

Originally Posted by Garmin's Website

When you?re building the perfect plane, you want the best in ?big screen? avionics. For your new kitplane, the choice is as clear as glass: the G900X avionics suite, an all-glass panel designed for kitplane builders of the popular Lancair and Van?s RV-series aircraft*. Available through a select group of Garmin-trained aviation distributors, this fully integrated ?glass package? puts a wealth of safety-enhancing data at your fingertips.

The G900X isn't certified for use in standard category aircraft. That is what the thread is about. That the units may use all the same components as a certified G1000 unit isn't pertinent to this discussion really, since the G1000 IS already usable in a certified airplane.

[Greg Arehart]

Hey Stein, I hope at least you're a certified pilot in there....

cheers,
greg