GI275 can now replace Century II/III vacuum AI and drive GFC500

asicer said:
I'm sure more than a few here will question keeping a Century II or III going versus replacing it with a GFC500.
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Since my aircraft is not on the AML for the GFC500 (nor the 600) and I have a perfectly functioning Century III, I'll keep the autopilot I have since I can now pair more than just the Aspen PFD with it. This truly is very good news.
 
BGF_Yankee said:
Since my aircraft is not on the AML for the GFC500 (nor the 600) and I have a perfectly functioning Century III, I'll keep the autopilot I have since I can now pair more than just the Aspen PFD with it. This truly is very good news.
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Today they expanded the GFC500 approvals to the Beech B36TC/N35/P35, Piper PA26-310P/350P and Cessna 210G-J/421C so maybe they'll eventually get to yours.
 
The company stock climbed above $100 a share because of the news.
 
asicer said:
I'm sure more than a few here will question keeping a Century II or III going versus replacing it with a GFC500.

https://newsroom.garmin.com/newsroo...-GFC-500-autopilot-compatibility/default.aspx
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Meh... This gives options. In my case, I've got a KFC-150 and there was no good option to replace the KI-256 AI/FD until this January when Garmin introduced the GI 275.

We've reached our limit on pouring money into the KFC. It's cost us more than a GFC 500 would cost, though all of that happened before the GFC 500 even came out. So for the last couple of years, the KFC quitting would have meant at least dual G5s and the GFC 500, or a G3X Touch/G5/GFC 500.

Now, with the GI 275 (which is sitting at the avionics shop waiting to be installed now), we can rip out the vacuum system, get a much better AI, and save our pennies for now on the GFC 500... And when the KFC 150 quits, we'll be ready to install the GFC 500 since the GI 275 can now be its brains.

Essentially, it lets us take a much more modular approach. Same as with someone that has a perfectly working Century autopilot. The GFC 500 is unquestionably a better autopilot, but when something is working it's harder to justify replacing it.
 
I have a CIII in the twin. There's a lot of them out there, they are well understood and a lot of techs know how to keep them running. I've only had one failure in 8 years of owning it, a blown transistor.
The GI275 looks interesting, but the vacuum system stays regardless to run the boots.
Pretty difficult to justify the cost of the Garmin autopilot though. If I owned a King Air, maybe. :cool:
 
flyingcheesehead said:
Now, with the GI 275 (which is sitting at the avionics shop waiting to be installed now), we can rip out the vacuum system, get a much better AI, and save our pennies for now on the GFC 500...
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What are you using for standby? A second GI275?
 
N1120A said:
To remove the vacuum for the G5, you have to get 2. I'd assume the GI275 is the same.
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Section 1.2 on page 7 of the GI275 AFMS says:
"Except for installations that are limited to VFR, GI 275 systems require standby attitude, altitude, and airspeed instruments. Several types of standby instruments might be installed, including a standby GI 275 ADI, other ADI, or individual analog instruments."

I didn't think "other ADI" necessarily meant it had to be vacuum driven.
 
asicer said:
Section 1.2 on page 7 of the GI275 AFMS says:
"Except for installations that are limited to VFR, GI 275 systems require standby attitude, altitude, and airspeed instruments. Several types of standby instruments might be installed, including a standby GI 275 ADI, other ADI, or individual analog instruments."

I didn't think "other ADI" necessarily meant it had to be vacuum driven.
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True. I assume an electric AI could work, but still
 
I did a Garmin Aviation Virtual Oshkosh session today with a Garmin sales rep to discuss installation of 2 GI-275 instruments in my Tiger. What he told me was that I did not need another AI in the panel as long as both of the GI-275 units were AI capable.
 
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asicer said:
What are you using for standby? A second GI275?
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N1120A said:
To remove the vacuum for the G5, you have to get 2. I'd assume the GI275 is the same.
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Nope. Here's what the limitations from the install manual state:

"The Primary ADI requires one of the following combinations of standby information:
  • Standby display of attitude, altitude, and airspeed
  • Standby display of altitude, airspeed, stabilized heading, and standard turn-rate coordination
    (existing instruments may be retained)"
So, you either need a 2nd AI, *or* you need to keep your altimeter, airspeed indicator, DG/HSI, and turn coordinator. That's what we're doing. If any of those go bad, maybe we'll throw in a second GI-275 (HSI w/backup AI).

EDIT: I just realized this may cause confusion without one important added detail: Our HSI is electrically driven. So, we will not have any vacuum-driven instruments after the upgrade.
 
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