Page 13 - TNTApril2018

Retrofit Revolution
Thanks to investment by avionics manufacturers, there are a plethora of new advanced autopilots that bring safety features and capabilities to older generation aircraft.
by Joe Casey
It’s all about to change. The future for general aviation, and especially for those that operate twin and turbine airplanes, is super bright. There are many reasons for my optimism: One of the best reasons is the huge advancements that have recently been made in autopilots.
For decades, operators of aircraft that carry six to 10 people have had to choose between buying an expensive new version of a particular airplane to get the latest avionics or accept the lesser avionics and lower price-point that come with an older version. It’s not just that the newer is nicer, the newer aircraft will assuredly have some serious upgrades that really do improve safety and functionality. For instance, you can now buy a new (or newer) Piper Meridian with the exceptional G1000 avionics suite and spend $1.5 million to $2.3 million. You could buy an earlier Meridian for $750,000 and accept a lethargic autopilot with virtually no safety features. Both Meridians will have identical performance, but the newer version comes from the Piper factory with a robust avionics suite. The same situation exists with the King Air 200: The avionics in a 2018 King Air 200 will do everything but cook breakfast, and a 1978 King Air 200 will have steam gauges and an autopilot that is questionable in the most serious of IFR conditions. But, things are about to change.
Just over the horizon are a bunch of very intuitive, actually affordable autopilots that pack a LOT of safety features. Plus, they will fly an approach like the airplane is on rails – incredibly exact. For the owner who operates an older airplane, options will soon be available.
The GFC600: A Game-Changer
Heretofore, avionics manufacturers have focused on supplying the OEMs. Want the best new avionics? You will have to buy new. Now, the autopilot manufacturers are investing real money in the upgrade market. And, this is all about to be available. For some aircraft, it is already available.
I was recently contacted by Garmin to test out their newest autopilot, the GFC600. Based on the fabulous GFC700 autopilot that is found in the G1000 installations, the GFC600 is singularly outstanding.
April 2018
TWIN & TURBINE • 11
PAUL BOWEN PHOTOGRAPHY