Page 21 - February 2015 Volume 19 Number 2

The ID540 is a plug-and-play replacement for Garmin’s GNS 530. (The IFD440 upgrade for Garmin’s GNS 430 should have FAA clearance this spring.) Avidyne’s goal was to produce a modern GPS/NAV/COM that can be installed in a Garmin 530 or 430 tray in less than a minute. It does everything the old Garmins do – and lots more – thanks to Avidyne’s powerful Flight Management System, built-in WAAS, terrain awareness, WiFi and Bluetooth integration, and aural warnings. It has a full- featured touch screen that can be zoomed in and out, plus a compliment of buttons for easy use in turbulence.Elliot compared the IFD540 with Garmin’s GTN650 and GTN750 units, which would have required costly new installations, assuming they could even fit in his center console. He also didn’t like that the interface on those units is nearly 100-percent touch screen. That’s a nightmare in turbulence, said Elliot.“I wanted more than a Direct To button. Garmin makes good boxes but they really don’t have flight management systems, or Victor airways. Inputting every intersection in a 530 or 430 takes lots of time since you’re scrolling to each one. If the airway’s straight, it’s easiest to string VORs together. Butyou’ve got to really pay attention and pray you don’t have a dogleg with an intersection.“I fly a lot up and down the East Coast, and it’s work putting in all your intersections. It seems you get rerouted four or five times every flight. I’ve loaded many flight plans into my box, blasted off and then gotten a new flight plan issued before my gear is barely up. You need to make changes quickly easily and accurately, especially single-pilot IFR. The 540 has made my flying a lot more relaxed and safer.”Although Elliott could have sold his Garmin 530 to offset a lot of the IFD540’s cost, he kept it for a homebuilt sitting in the corner of his large hanger. When the IFD440 is available this spring, he’ll pop out the Conquest’s 430 and find another use for that older GPS.After 50 hours with the new system, he’s shared some feedback with Avidyne’s SteveFEBRUARY 2015TWIN & TURBINE • 19