GA is dead- yea, whatever...

brian]

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brian]
Took the old Bo in for annual and to buy a "W" for the 430 (dumb move, but doing it anyway).

Spent about an hour in the air and it was busy. RV flight of 4 turning and burning over by KPBF. They were parking aircraft everywhere over at KHOT - I mean everywhere ...

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just curious, but why do u think adding waas is dumb?
 
I'd say it's a good upgrade to add the W, a WAAS GNS box is a great tool, I'd sooner WAAS a 430 compared to paying for a touch screen.


It's great seeing a turnout like that, looks like a great field, there was a place in GA where they would have a free BBQ, all the ramp workers were good looking ladies, complete with matching uniforms, they always had quite a turn out, which was good because had it for been for the girls, BBQ and good fuel prices, it's a airport no one would bother with.
 
The avionics in that airplane are worth more than the airplane! But I like the old bird, so whacha gonna do?

KHOT has been hopping all horse racing season. I'm talking "I hope they don't go class D" kind of busy.

By the way, there will be a few of us funny tailed fliers eating BBQ during lunch on April 16. Y'all come!
http://www.beechtalk.com/forums/calendar.php?view=event&calEid=414
 
I'd say it's a good upgrade to add the W, a WAAS GNS box is a great tool, I'd sooner WAAS a 430 compared to paying for a touch screen...

Tell us more. Strictly cost/value or more than that?

I have a 530 and 430, neither WAAS. Thinking about upgrading the 530 but not the 430. Also have to replace the KT76A with something else for ADS-B.
Alternative is to remove 530 & 430 + intercom + xponder, sell them all (still a market out there it appears) and put the money to a 750 with goodies + new xponder upgrade.

From my ground-bound experience with tablet and phone I am not a fan of touchscreen. Not as reliable, nor as much tactile feedback as a good keypad. However, Garmin says the technology they use is different and more reliable than the consumer stuff I use on the ground now. I also like have a preference for the redundancy in the current set-up - with the 750 if that screen fails you lose a lot of capability very quickly.
 
Not sure about the other options, but upgrading the 430 to a 430W is about $4K installed give or take associated headaches.

I'm prepping for the ADDS-B mandate and that will likely be a GDL-88. Might as well add that flight stream stuff people are talking about. (Not sold on GPSS for the STEC30- yet.)

Yep, have a funny looking aluminum box I keep all my flight sim gaming equipment in. ......
 
Brian, I have a 430 and would like to upgrade to a 430W too, but am not sure how to go about it. I could buy a used 430W and sell mine, or get mine upgraded by Garmin, etc. My antenna will have to be swapped out along with the coax, but I could deliver the plane to Tomlinson in HOT without the headliner, so labor should be pretty cheap I would think. How did you go about doing the upgrade?
 
Tell us more. Strictly cost/value or more than that?

I have a 530 and 430, neither WAAS. Thinking about upgrading the 530 but not the 430. Also have to replace the KT76A with something else for ADS-B.
Alternative is to remove 530 & 430 + intercom + xponder, sell them all (still a market out there it appears) and put the money to a 750 with goodies + new xponder upgrade.

From my ground-bound experience with tablet and phone I am not a fan of touchscreen. Not as reliable, nor as much tactile feedback as a good keypad. However, Garmin says the technology they use is different and more reliable than the consumer stuff I use on the ground now. I also like have a preference for the redundancy in the current set-up - with the 750 if that screen fails you lose a lot of capability very quickly.

A WAAS upgrade is 3k and change, it will shoot every approach you can shoot with the GTN boxes, some folks like the knobs too, airways are easy with a iPad for reference, just have to enter in one or two more things, I fly behind two GNS boxes at work and two in my own plane , in and out of some of the most busy airspace and and some gnarly weather too, always been quite happy with them.

Just upgrading one of your boxes will work fine, you'll just be non WAAS on one and loose the cross fill.

I would NOT sell both GNS boxes for one GTN, you're loosing a ton of redundence and loosing a second nav com, in trade for basically touchscreen 530 with a different GUI, sounds like a bad deal.

Good news is many folks know both the GNS and GTN boxes do the same thing, so you'll have no probalen selling them if you want to go down that road.

As far as transponders go, WAIT prices are going down and features are going up, being a early adopter never is a good idea unless you need to blow money for taxes or something.
 
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Prefer the knobs,especially in the bumps,have both the 430 W and 530 W .just upgraded my transponder to the 33es. Can't be happier.
 
Took mine to Aerotech over in KHOT. I was using a 430 I borrowed from a friend today, and had already taken my 430 out for Aerotech to send to Garmin. (don't forget the data card.)

I timed it with the annual (Airborne at KHOT) so the plane is already being pulled apart for inspection. Aerotech said it was just a few hours for them to do the work and depends upon which coax you have as to whether they need to do any more than replace the antenna. (I'm saying "no"'to the used HSI they have for sale--- soooo tempting...)

I keep hearing the $4K price regardless of where you take it. (I think $3800 or so goes to Garmin.)
 
A WAAS upgrade is 3k and change, it will shoot every approach you can shoot with the GTN boxes, some folks like the knobs too, airways are easy with a iPad for reference, just have to enter in one or two more things, I fly behind two GNS boxes at work and two in my own plane , in and out of some of the most busy airspace and and some gnarly weather too, always been quite happy with them.

Just upgrading one of your boxes will work fine, you'll just be non WAAS on one and loose the cross fill.

I would NOT sell both GNS boxes for one GTN, you're loosing a ton of redundence and loosing a second nav com, in trade for basically touchscreen 530 with a different GUI, sounds like a bad deal.

Good news is many folks know both the GNS and GTN boxes do the same thing, so you'll have no probalen selling them if you want to go down that road.

As far as transponders go, WAIT prices are going down and features are going up, being a early adopter never is a good idea unless you need to blow money for taxes or something.

When you say "lose the cross fill", are you meaning the ability to synch flight plans from one to the other?
 
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