Does Avidyne play with Garmin G5 and legacy AP?

Morgan3820

Morgan3820

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I am sure that this has been answered before but a 5 minute search did not come up with the answers.
To start: Piper Arrow II with Avidyne IFD440, Working single axis legacy AP. Wanting to go to some sort of electronic instrumentation without breaking the bank. Trying to sort out the options.

1. Garmin G5 STC does not list the Avidyne as an approved GPS. Does this really matter?
2. I find the idea of installing two G5's to rid myself of the vacuum system and get GPSS for less than $10K appealing. Does it make sense to spend the extra dollars to hook up the old AP?
3. Does going with the G5 lock me into a future GFC-500 and out of the Aerocruz 100?
4. What about the Aspen E5?
5. I looked briefly at the amazing DynonHDX. looks real expensive. All of the features make my head hurt plus, will it drive my legacy AP?

I am not looking to gut and rebuild the panel but I would like to make some thoughtful improvements with some of the new products available, working with the assets already in the plane, allowing for future improvements.

Thanks!
 
I have the Avidyne 540, dual garmin G5, STEC 50 autopilot. They all work well together. You would probably have to speak to the avionics shop about the autopilot options.
 
I have 2 G5’s, IFD 550/540 combo and the STEC3100 autopilot. It works amazingly together.

Not trying to force views here but if you look at my channel you’ll see plenty of video evidence if you want.

www.youtube.com/310pilot

Edit: 3 videos ago called icing concerns...shows a coupled approach in actual with it all.
 
Radar Contact said:
I have 2 G5’s, IFD 550/540 combo and the STEC3100 autopilot. It works amazingly together.

Not trying to force views here but if you look at my channel you’ll see plenty of video evidence if you want.

www.youtube.com/310pilot

Edit: 3 videos ago called icing concerns...shows a coupled approach in actual with it all.
Click to expand...
Great, I watch your channel fairly regularly. I will go look.
 
We have an IFD540, two G-5's and a Garmin GFC 500 autopilot. Has been a couple of issues but would do it again. The RNAV approaches are off horizontally left by 200 feet sometimes on autopilot. I understand it has to do with the algorithm Avidyne uses versus Garmin's technique. ILS approaches seem to be perfect.
 
1. Not really
2. Yes
3. No
4. Same, but more expensive hooked to a legacy AP
5. Surprisingly affordable and No
 
I have dual G5s, a GNS-430W, and a legacy STEC-20 AP. It is definitely worthwhile to interface the AP with the G5s to get GPSS functionality, especially for IFR. An IFD-440 will be in my future then the 430 fails, so I certainly hope that the Avidyne will work as well. Ditching the vac system is a real bonus.

Operating the AP in GPSS mode with a GPS navigator is a bit of a button pushing exercise on all three units, but it does work well.
 
I have flow behind a IFD440 coupled with dual G5's and it works great. I don't think the shop ever fully got all the bugs worked out. We sold that plane and kept the 440. In our twin we went with dual aspens. The aspens are a different class of product that the G5's. Far more information capabilities. Cleaner screens. The G5's are like toys compared to the Aspens but again not really comparing apples to apples here.

Both of them did work really well with the IFD440. In the twin we have a legacy KFC200 autopilot. The Avidyne and the aspen work flawlessly with the AP. I even have altitude pre select where I can dial in an altitude and set the climb/decent rate and the Aspens will capture that altitude on the autopilot. Works awesome.
 
chemgeek said:
I have dual G5s, a GNS-430W, and a legacy STEC-20 AP. It is definitely worthwhile to interface the AP with the G5s to get GPSS functionality, especially for IFR. An IFD-440 will be in my future then the 430 fails, so I certainly hope that the Avidyne will work as well. Ditching the vac system is a real bonus.

Operating the AP in GPSS mode with a GPS navigator is a bit of a button pushing exercise on all three units, but it does work well.
Click to expand...
I just recently got 2 G5s installed with the IFD-440. I have an STEC-50 AP. I have had a bit of confusion going from GPSS back to heading mode. I thought I had to go to either the Heading menu item -OR- the GPSS menu item on the G5 to switch modes. Obviously does not work that way. Can you confirm that if I switch to GPSS mode, if I want to revert back to heading mode, if I press the lower right button, assuming I haven't selected a different menu item since last selecting GPSS, that GPSS is still the selected item and all I would have to do is press the lower right button twice to toggle GPSS on and off?
 
I have 2 G5’s and a Century 2000. I leave the autopilot in Heading Mode the entire time unless I’m flying an approach.

I go back and forth from heading steering and GPSS steering by using the GPSS button on the G5. Works perfectly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Fracpilot said:
I have 2 G5’s and a Century 2000. I leave the autopilot in Heading Mode the entire time unless I’m flying an approach.

I go back and forth from heading steering and GPSS steering by using the GPSS button on the G5. Works perfectly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Thanks for confirming that Fracpilot!
 
I have 2 G5s, an IFD440 and an STEC50. The autopilot stays in heading mode all the time. You switch between heading mode and GPSS mode by toggling the GPSS menu item on the G5. (Not very intuitive, in my opinion but I finally figured it out since the G5 manual was useless in figuring out how an STEC autopilot works with the G5.)

it really is a lot more data entry flying with this configuration than I was expecting. Going from just a selection on the STEC, dialing in a radial on a CDI, and twirling a bug on the heading indicator (previous configuration), to now having to de/select the GPSS, set the IFD to VLOC, set the course on the G5, and then enter the heading on the G5 is a lot more work when using my new setup to intercept radials, etc. Of course, when the IFD is in GPS mode, it’s much simpler.

My CFI finds it hard to believe that I no longer have NAV capability with the STEC. And I thought that, when flying a localizer, I could put the STEC into approach mode, but every time I do, the plane veers off to the left.

Just seeking confirmation that what I laid out above in the bold part is the way it is when flying with my new setup.
 
The STEC should still have nav mode unless somebody changed the wiring. The G5 would be out of the loop in this case. The G5 won't send radio navigation (VLOC) data to the STEC, only GPS, I think. Just like the old GPSS converters for the STEC, the auto pilot stays in heading mode all the time and the HDG/GPSS button will choose whether you are using the heading bug or the GPSS, which sends data in a HDG format somehow. Nav move on the STEC should still work the way it always would.
 
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