G5 and GFC 600 (and GI 275 and G500 TXi)

iamtheari

iamtheari

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I am considering the autopilot options for the 310. The Garmin GFC 600 should be certified for it soon. (They apparently had a mechanical problem with the testbed airplane but it’s back in the air now.) I wouldn’t want to put in that nice of an autopilot and not get things like altitude preselect.

But I don’t want to spend G600 Txi money solely to get altitude preselect. Can a G5 talk to the GFC 600 for altitude preselect? What about autopilot mode display? The G5 in my RV-14 can do both of those, but it’s talking to a G3X autopilot system.
 
My understanding of the GFC600 is that it’s stand-alone and doesn’t need any Garmin EFIS to work.
 
Jesse Saint said:
My understanding of the GFC600 is that it’s stand-alone and doesn’t need any Garmin EFIS to work.
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It doesn’t need an EFIS, but the product page on Garmin’s website has a footnote on altitude preselect that says “Requires compatible flight display.”
 
iamtheari said:
I am considering the autopilot options for the 310. The Garmin GFC 600 should be certified for it soon. (They apparently had a mechanical problem with the testbed airplane but it’s back in the air now.) I wouldn’t want to put in that nice of an autopilot and not get things like altitude preselect.

But I don’t want to spend G600 Txi money solely to get altitude preselect. Can a G5 talk to the GFC 600 for altitude preselect? What about autopilot mode display? The G5 in my RV-14 can do both of those, but it’s talking to a G3X autopilot system.
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The G5 will not show autopilot status when paired with a GFC 600, only when paired with a GFC 500.

The G5/GFC 600 combo does provide altitude preselect and flight director display.

The 275/GFC 600 combo will show autopilot mode along with fight directors and also offer altitude preselect from the 275 (no alt preselect on the GFC 600) if the 275 is an option for you.

Also the STEC 3100/275 combo is very good too and highly compelling if you happen to have an existing STEC autopilot, but altitude preselect is not bidirectional, only from 275 to the 3100 display. The 3100 has an altitude select right on the autopilot control head which is nice but it won't update the altitude in the 275. Flight directors work but not sure about autopilot mode display on the 275. (It is of course on the autopilot panel display which might be preferrable compared to squeezing it onto the 275).

Watch a "310 pilot" youtube video to check out the 3100/G5 combo in action. I think the latest 3100 software update allows altitude preselect from the G5 but still no flight director or autopilot status on the G5.

The GFC 600 can remain engaged during a missed approach procedure. The 3100 disengages when the TOGA button is pressed and must be re-engaged - at least that is how it worked when the 3100 was initially released, could be different now.

More info than you wanted I'm sure, going through the same evaluation process for my B55.
 
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ROBERT DAVISON said:
More info than you wanted I'm sure, going through the same evaluation process for my B55.
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Thanks. I have the original Cessna autopilot, which is inop. I don’t know how much time I want to spend chasing that when there are modern autopilots available. I’ve thought about the STEC 3100, but when the AI decided to start dying on me I got to thinking about an even more insane panel upgrade.
 
G5s will work fine with the GFC600. That said, if you intend to keep round dials, you really are better off with the more advanced GI275s that do not cost much more money and integrate even better with the GFC. They are literally like mini G600TXis.
 
N1120A said:
G5s will work fine with the GFC600. That said, if you intend to keep round dials, you really are better off with the more advanced GI275s that do not cost much more money and integrate even better with the GFC. They are literally like mini G600TXis.
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I've actually been messing with the TXi trainer app on my iPad. One thing I noticed is that the 7" vertical screen next to my GTN 750 seems to do 100% of what the 10" screen can do. I don't have onboard radar so it's not as important to have multiple MFD displays at the same time.

So then I get your post this morning and think that maybe two GI 275's would do everything that the TXi with a GI 275 backup can do except for having to dial in the altimeter setting twice. At much, much lower expense.
 
iamtheari said:
I've actually been messing with the TXi trainer app on my iPad. One thing I noticed is that the 7" vertical screen next to my GTN 750 seems to do 100% of what the 10" screen can do. I don't have onboard radar so it's not as important to have multiple MFD displays at the same time.

So then I get your post this morning and think that maybe two GI 275's would do everything that the TXi with a GI 275 backup can do except for having to dial in the altimeter setting twice. At much, much lower expense.
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And if you did add radar, it might be sufficient for you to either get a dedicated display or perhaps a 650 to handle GPS functions when using the 750 overlay radar. Or you could get another 750 if you wanted to spend more.
 
I haven’t had a chance to show the new 3100 software update interface with the G5 but not only does it interface with the altitude selected on the G5, they were also able to use the G5 for altitude info now vs the ADC and it improved a great autopilot even more.

I’ve never flown with a GFC600 (considering how long it took them to get 310 certified), so can’t help with that. Either way, having an advanced digital autopilot vs the original Cessna one will be a huge game changer for you!
 
Radar Contact said:
I haven’t had a chance to show the new 3100 software update interface with the G5 but not only does it interface with the altitude selected on the G5, they were also able to use the G5 for altitude info now vs the ADC and it improved a great autopilot even more.

I’ve never flown with a GFC600 (considering how long it took them to get 310 certified), so can’t help with that. Either way, having an advanced digital autopilot vs the original Cessna one will be a huge game changer for you!
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So, STEC was able to make the 3100 take attitude from the G5? How did they do that?
 
N1120A said:
So, STEC was able to make the 3100 take attitude from the G5? How did they do that?
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Yes and it really tightened it up. How, I have no idea. My avionics guy talked to them during the software upgrade/new bezel, he ran a wire and bam…magic. :)
 
Radar Contact said:
Yes and it really tightened it up. How, I have no idea. My avionics guy talked to them during the software upgrade/new bezel, he ran a wire and bam…magic. :)
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That is pretty slick. Maybe you'll quit flying so much VFR now :p
 
Radar Contact said:
I haven’t had a chance to show the new 3100 software update interface with the G5 but not only does it interface with the altitude selected on the G5, they were also able to use the G5 for altitude info now vs the ADC and it improved a great autopilot even more.

I’ve never flown with a GFC600 (considering how long it took them to get 310 certified), so can’t help with that. Either way, having an advanced digital autopilot vs the original Cessna one will be a huge game changer for you!
Click to expand...
The GFC 600 is still listed as in-progress for the 310. Evidently the plane they were using had mechanical problems and just got back into the air in the past couple months. Maybe they’ll finish it up soon and I can choose between that and the 3100.

I’ve never even flown with the original Cessna autopilot. It was inop when I bought the plane. That can be your “When I was your age…” story for the next generation of pilots. The broken 400B is probably why I even passed the AMEL check ride to begin with, as I’m sure it’s harder to fly with the 400B than by hand. The prior owners were waiting for the GFC 600 instead of getting the 400B fixed. I think they got tired of waiting for the autopilot to catch up with their plane and just bought a model that was already supported instead. :)

The upgrades to the 3100/G5 setup sound really nice. I’ll keep that option open. It all depends on the lay of the land when my wallet is ready to decide.
 
N1120A said:
That is pretty slick. Maybe you'll quit flying so much VFR now :p
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Ha ha. It’s just that VFR is so darn efficient. Takeoff on course. :)

Of course it helps I’m really confident on getting pop ups when needed.
 
N1120A said:
That said, if you intend to keep round dials, you really are better off with the more advanced GI275s that do not cost much more money and integrate even better with the GFC. They are literally like mini G600TXis.
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+1

The GI-275 is a thing of beauty. The display is razor sharp and very bright; I find it easier to read than the G5 despite there being more information on it.

- Martin
 
The GFC 600 is finally approved for the 310R. Time to spend some money!

I am considering a few options for the rest of the panel:
  1. Dual GI 275
  2. GI 275 plus G500TXi 10” PFD
  3. Option 2 plus EIS, but no additional screen
  4. Option 3 plus a 10” MFD in front of copilot
I can also see replacing the radio stack (currently a GTN 750, GNS 430W, GMA 340, and GTX 345) with dual GTN 750Xi units, a GMA 35c remote audio panel, and GTX 345R remote transponder to make a really sleek glass panel. I would do that plus option 4 tomorrow if I could snap my fingers and have it for free and no installation delay.

But that’s a fantasy. So the question for reality is basically, if I go for the dual GI 275, is there anything from the G500TXi that I would really miss? The EIS TXi would be really cool and give me Smart Rudder Bias, but I think the practical reality is that I’m better spending the money for it on flight training.

Has anyone flown with the GI 275 and wished he had spent a lot more money to have a TXi?
 
iamtheari said:
Has anyone flown with the GI 275 and wished he had spent a lot more money to have a TXi?
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Well, I haven't flown with them but I went through this exact decision late last year, and I wound up going with your option 3. When I was shopping for 182s I looked for something with outdated avionics because I wanted to redo the panel myself. (See attached.)

The plan started out with 2 GI 275s. Then I got to thinking that a third one could be nice as a small MFD. And, well, if I had a fourth that could be dedicated to the EIS display... So while I was turning all this over in my head I saw a post from @AggieMike88 of his 182 with the G3X and I thought, WTH am I doing with all these little screens??

A big driver was that I don't plan on selling this plane, so let me make it the best I can now and enjoy it for a long time. I'm going with the G500TXi, GI275, GTN750Xi, GFC600, plus new Garmin audio panel, transponder, and second nav/com. Ordered last December, install is planned to start in June. Just waiting for Garmin to ship everything.
 

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ServoB17 said:
Well, I haven't flown with them but I went through this exact decision late last year, and I wound up going with your option 3. When I was shopping for 182s I looked for something with outdated avionics because I wanted to redo the panel myself. (See attached.) underground airport?

Anyway how many hours to install a 275?

The plan started out with 2 GI 275s. Then I got to thinking that a third one could be nice as a small MFD. And, well, if I had a fourth that could be dedicated to the EIS display... So while I was turning all this over in my head I saw a post from @AggieMike88 of his 182 with the G3X and I thought, WTH am I doing with all these little screens??

A big driver was that I don't plan on selling this plane, so let me make it the best I can now and enjoy it for a long time. I'm going with the G500TXi, GI275, GTN750Xi, GFC600, plus new Garmin audio panel, transponder, and second nav/com. Ordered last December, install is planned to start in June. Just waiting for Garmin to ship everything.
Click to expand...

do you remember how many hours to install a 275?
 
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