S

SteinAir

Well Known Member
Hi All,

Just a teaser for those of you heading to SnF. If you stop by the AFS booth you'll be in for a treat. A new EFIS from AFS - yes - I said new. Completely new. About the size of the AF-3500 (slightly larger). Details to follow soon on this site and at SnF. Don't despair if you've aleady ordered one, they will have an upgrade path for existing customers just like GRT does. Again, a product that's not yet shipping (like the GRT HX or the Dynon AP), but pretty exciting none-the-less. There are a couple of features in the new EFIS are truly unique in this price range of EFISes and I think some will be pleasantly surprised. Their booth is in the same row as GRT (if I remember correctly) so you should be able to spend some time looking at all the new goodies from both of these guys.

Anyway, the next couple of days will prove to give everyone in this community even more things to think about!

Cheers,
Stein
 
Amen! To that man!

There is a teaser on the the VAF front page....
 
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Does this help?!?!?

How about this....any better?!?!?!
Cheers,
Stein

afschart.jpg
 
THAT'S what I've been looking for! Can't wait to see it. I'll be at Sun-N-Fun Wednesday and Thursday. It looks like the rain on Tuesday will hold off until afternoon here in the Chicago area so we'll be able to leave in the -8 by 8 am. (8 x 8?)

Of course, I have to look at the new Dynon and GRT stuff too!
 
Upgrade Path

What is the upgrade path for existing AFS 3500 owners? Will the harness be the same? Will the panel cut-out need to be enlarged?
 
Changes

The way this stuff is changing in function, graphics, etc i am afraid to order anything. I think i will wait until 1 month from first flight to order. Maybe go back to steam...simple. Too many choices now. Those two AFS panels and the dynon with ap.....sweeeeeeet. I do feel for the folks who bought the boxes a year or two ago and are still a year or two from flying. I am interested in the AFS two panel price...dont want to fall off my chair.
 
Its not the features...

I think you can easily go nuts trying to buy an EFIS based on current features and capabilities. I think the way you buy is based on technical capability and reputation for customer service of the supplier. That way you get what you get now. And, you can bet that any new whiz-bang feature that one supplier adds and the market likes will be added by your supplier in a reasonable amount of time. Of course, under the customer service umbrella I am including the supplier's reputation for providing a resonable upgrade path.

The good news is that right now, we have some great choices in terms of technical capability and reputation for customer service. I hear many great things and few negative ones about all of the major suppliers. The biggest risk we all face is that no matter who you choose, you are sole-sourced. I sure hope there continues to be enough business out there to keep all these guys in the red. As this industry matures it will be more and more difficult for the suppliers to differentiate themselves with their products. Even service differentiation will be difficult (acutally it alread is). Competition will naturally shift towards price. As gross margins decline, suppliers will have to make some tough decisions. I am not trying to be pessimistic. This is just the normal business cycle. I have no idea how long all this will take. It is going to be a great ride. I can't believe the incredible array of choices we already have. I appreciate all the hard work these entrepreneurs pour into their work! They are indeed the backbone of our economy.
 
RickWoodall said:
The way this stuff is changing in function, graphics, etc i am afraid to order anything. I think i will wait until 1 month from first flight to order.
Click to expand...

You said that in semi-jest, but it is very good advice. The fancy stuff in the panel needs to be purchased as late as possible in the project. Builders who purchase instrumentation a couple years from flight are going to have a major dose of buyers remorse with the market evolving so quickly.
 
RickWoodall said:
The way this stuff is changing in function, graphics, etc i am afraid to order anything. I think i will wait until 1 month from first flight to order.
Click to expand...
I received my dual 3500's a week ago today. And this weekend I cut my panel. Now all work stops until I know more. :( :( :(
 
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orchidman said:
I received my dual 3500's a week ago today. And this weekend I cut my panel. Now all work stops until I know more. :( :( :(
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The new system looks nice, but I wouldn't dream of starting over. I'm very happy with the AF3500 in my 8A. I don't feel any need to upgrade at all. Avionics are moving so fast, that if you always have to have the latest thing, you'll never get to fly. You'll be too busy rebuilding your panel every 3 months. Just my opinion.

Guy
 
Great to wait, but....

I've been holding off on my purchase until the last minute as well, however, I really don't want to have to stop my build to wait for my order to arrive. I try to purchase my stuff so that I have it when I need it so I don't have to stop my building to wait for it. A friend of mine had to wait 12 wks to get his 3500!

With this new product and the certainty that t will be in demand, you can bet you will be looking for long lead times to get it!

I have until Oshkosh 08 to put in my order based on past lead time in order to stay on my schedule to fly to Oshkosh in 09.
 
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Guy Prevost said:
Avionics are moving so fast, that if you always have to have the latest thing, you'll never get to fly. You'll be too busy rebuilding your panel every 3 months. Just my opinion.
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I agree. Just finish you the plane and if you still think after couple years that you are really missing something, why don't you redesign your panel then? At that time, there are much more new gadgets around to choose from you can't even dream today. ;)
 
Sam Buchanan said:
You said that in semi-jest, but it is very good advice. The fancy stuff in the panel needs to be purchased as late as possible in the project. Builders who purchase instrumentation a couple years from flight are going to have a major dose of buyers remorse with the market evolving so quickly.
Click to expand...

EFIS systems will continue to evolve rapidly now from all of the players until an equilibrium has been reached regarding functionality and then price will be the dominiant factor. Sub $1000 EFIS systems with advanced capabilities ***WILL*** be here soon. It's not "if" this is going to happen but "when".

I agree with comments that say that you should hold off purchase of a system as long as you can if you are building - you WILL benifit if you do this. That is a complete no-brainer.

Right now, competition is hotting up and the gloves are off. Great ! I love it...

Rainier
CEO MGL Avionics
 
I was all ready to commit to AFS but the $1500.00 per screen (I will be using two) increase has me now taking a second look at Grand Rapids, especially with their new terrain map and synthetic vision. Going to SNF on Thursday so a lot of questions will be asked of both companies.

Jim Kinsey
7A fuselage
Finish kit on order
 
The pricing page seems to imply that at least the Moving Map option is included in the Advanced Deck. IF (hint Rob!) the ARINC is also standard in the Advanced Deck, then it would be worth the extra $1500.

AF-MAP Moving map software for AF-3400/3500 $799
 
w1curtis said:
The pricing page seems to imply that at least the Moving Map option is included in the Advanced Deck. IF (hint Rob!) the ARINC is also standard in the Advanced Deck, then it would be worth the extra $1500.

AF-MAP Moving map software for AF-3400/3500 $799
Click to expand...

That would be great if the extra cost included some of the add-on options. If not, $1,500 price per screen is a lot to swallow for improving an already superior screen, faster processor and more memory. Would like to know what he has in mind for the future that would require the faster processor & memory. Maybe synthetic vision or flight director or both???
 
Sub $1000 EFIS systems with advanced capabilities ***WILL*** be here soon

Well, I sure hope that if that's the case, they are a quality, tested unit with stable software and architecture.

When you watch what the Garmins and Cheltons of the world do to their boxes in terms of testing and so forth, you start to realize that there are alot more important things than fancy capabilities, and LCD and a plastic Radio Shack box.

I have held off, because we as pilots come to depend on these things, and I want a track record. AFS and GRT so far seem to be the most robust and reliable in the lower cost options, but time will tell.
 
So much for getting AF-MAP included in the Adv Deck, they just updated their pricing page to include AF-MAP is an $799 option for the Advanced Deck. They also have the AF-WEATHER as well, not no where do they have an explanation on what that included. XM receiver or just the ability to display if you already have one?


w1curtis said:
The pricing page seems to imply that at least the Moving Map option is included in the Advanced Deck. IF (hint Rob!) the ARINC is also standard in the Advanced Deck, then it would be worth the extra $1500.

AF-MAP Moving map software for AF-3400/3500 $799
Click to expand...
 
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