VAL INS 429

Timbeck2

Timbeck2

Final Approach
Joined
Nov 4, 2015
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9,167
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Vail, Arizona
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Display name:
Timbeck2
Birthday is coming up. I think my decision is made however, I'd like to run it past the brain trust here who could possible explain a comment on the reviews. First a picture.

11-05592.jpg


Then the linkeroony

http://www.valavionics.com/ins-429.html

Then the comment:

"I wanted the ability to ride the ILS down for cloud breaks without going to the expense of a full IFR set up. This unit works great, been using it for 2 years and its never let me down. Value for money."

What do you think he means by "full IFR set up"?

I've read the FAR requirement list and besides the heading indicator, I already have all the requirements installed on my plane.
 
Banner day here on the forum folks; It would seem that nobody has an opinion.

:sigh:
 
Timbeck2 said:
.................What do you think he means by "full IFR set up"?..................
Click to expand...

Who knows. Maybe to him thats a full glass cockpit with all the bells and whistles. Maybe it just means 2 VOR's, one with a glideslope and maybe DME. Maybe add in a GPS. Who knows. Have ya looked into what instalation would run? Does it have an STC for your airplane or will they be piggybacking an STC for another. How's the FSDO near you about this stuff. I've heard some of them are so paranoid about any modifications it can be a hassle. Don't forget to budget in the installation. Oh yeah. Happy Birthday.
 
I can get it from Spruce for $1535. Before I bought my plane I flew a school's Arrow a couple of times which had the VAL. It includes the STC for my plane and the mechanic that installed the VAL in the Arrow is the same one who will be working the 337 for mine. My goal is to get my airplane IFR certified so I can continue on with my rating. It obviously was before according to the logs and the GPS antenna already installed on top. I don't know why it isn't now. One thing in addition to the heading indicator, I will have to get a used DME because nobody makes them anymore.

Unless they're pilots, tower controllers don't reference the FARs all that much.
 
*Equipment necessary to navigate the route*

The ILS near my usual destination is unusable since I don't have a DME or ADF. In fact, there are a high majority of them that are that way in my area.

So to me "full IFR panel" = includes a WAAS/LPV GPS
 
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OK, it's not about your unit, but the website made me laugh when I saw this:

"When developing the COM 2000, we designed for the future. Therefore, all COM 2000's have a RS-232 serial port built in."

o_O
 
It's okay, my unit has been laughed at before.

But I have no idea what makes you laugh about your quoted sentence above. I'm not a technical kind of guy.
 
Timbeck2 said:
But I have no idea what makes you laugh about your quoted sentence above. I'm not a technical kind of guy.
Click to expand...

RS-232 has been around for a long, long time - since the 60s I believe. It's just kind of funny to talk about it in the same breath as 'designing for the future'.
 
RS-232 is rather old standard. USB is more current, and I'm sure there is something even better around the corner.

It was more of an IT joke than a commentary on the VAL devices. @SixPapaCharlie and @denverpilot can splain it to ya. Just be ready for a nap!
 
Okay. It would fit right in with my late 60's early 70's technology that is in my airplane now.
 
@Timbeck2 , it wasn't aimed at your plane or your intended device. This was for their COM radio.

And for reference, RS-232 was born in 1962. RS-232-C, the actual version of the standard used: 1969. That was the joke. It was designed for teletypewriters.

EDIT: Unit. Got it. Laughing. Got it. I'm slow on the uptake.
 
Think how old Ethernet is, it now just recently hit the GA radio market
 
bnt83 said:
*Equipment necessary to navigate the route*

The ILS near my usual destination is unusable since I don't have a DME or ADF. In fact, there are a high majority of them that are that way in my area.

So to me "full IFR panel" = includes a WAAS/LPV GPS
Click to expand...

I'd have to say that bnt83 is correct. A Full IFR panel today would have the WAAS/LPV GPS as the gold standard. You can usually find a decent options with a unit like the INS-429. bnt83 and I have both been flying to the same destination, and I found myself wondering what to do with the YKN approaches. No ILS without DME or ADF, however you can get into the same airport with the VOR RWY13 almost as easy. Unfortunately, that non precision approach only gets you down to 700agl vs 200agl. Barring that, you're headed to FSD as your alternate... But you may end up there anyway if the wx is that bad ;-)

The INS429 isn't useless, but it isn't a nice GPS either. If you are looking for a plain VOR/ILS nav solution, it's about the cheapest new install you'll find... I've been all over the country in the last two years with just two VORs and basic 6-pack. It's not as easy, but it is possible. It'll get harder in the future as they decommission more VORs.

V/r,

-Dana
 
Always thought the VAL was a cool solution. Go for it!
 
Just waiting for the fine folks in Corona, CA to box it up and send it to me.
 
Timbeck2 said:
Birthday is coming up. I think my decision is made however, I'd like to run it past the brain trust here who could possible explain a comment on the reviews. First a picture.

11-05592.jpg


Then the linkeroony

http://www.valavionics.com/ins-429.html

Then the comment:

"I wanted the ability to ride the ILS down for cloud breaks without going to the expense of a full IFR set up. This unit works great, been using it for 2 years and its never let me down. Value for money."

What do you think he means by "full IFR set up"?

I've read the FAR requirement list and besides the heading indicator, I already have all the requirements installed on my plane.
Click to expand...
VAL products are top of the line in new era electronics
 
I had a flight to do the other day and I thought to myself, in my non-GPS airplane, that even though it was a lovely VFR afternoon that I would file just to have some time "in the system".

Then I realized that while I wasn't looking the flight check folks have essentially made one of the VORs completely unusable (and the IFR low chart even says so, not just buried in FDC Notams somewhere) between the two airports.

The only way to file it is to file to an intersection way out of the way, which technically you could only navigate to by dead reckoning (or request radar vectors) and then fly many miles out of the way of the direct course just to have a usable IFR allowed VOR signal.

And that's with a VOR that's not being decommissioned.

To file it legally with something you could navigate to, you'd have to go the wrong direction completely up to FQF which is smack dab in the middle of DEN's way, and then reverse course at the VOR so you'd have enough altitude to follow the only usable airway.

Now the reality is, all along that route you'd simply get radar vectored anyway ... but the reality is there's no good way to get from "here" to "there" between a lot of places, unless you have an IFR certified GPS.

Check it out if you like. Try figuring out how you'd file to go from KAPA to KCOS with a flyable lost Comm route for a VOR equipped aircraft.

Bonus points, the wind is out of the north. You'll want the ILS to 35L or 35R. You'll be filing and flying all the way to PUB if you're a /U or all the way at least to DRAKE intersection if you're /A so if you go lost-Comm you have a routing that works.

It's becoming a challenge to figure out how to do a "proper" route and file that with a non-GPS aircraft.
 
Nate said: (some stuff)

So what you're sayin' is that I need GPS instead of the VAL ILS?

That will be on the RV-7. I'm keeping the Cherokee steamy.
 
Timbeck2 said:
Nate said: (some stuff)

So what you're sayin' is that I need GPS instead of the VAL ILS?

That will be on the RV-7. I'm keeping the Cherokee steamy.
Click to expand...

Hmm, you'll want both but the GPS can do more for you enroute and many approaches don't have traditional VOR based transition routes to get to them anymore.

As a bonus the GPS can also provide vertical guidance on many approaches.

Basically the problem is this: There's plenty of airports with ILS and no way to get to the ILS when you're lost comm. The plates say RADAR Required.

You really have to look at the approaches in the area you think you'd really be doing/needing them and think about how you'd get from "somewhere" to them. The world is slowly sliding into essentially "GPS Required". Especially with more VOR shutdowns coming.

So it's literally airport by airport to figure out what you'll need/want.
 
Noted. I'll be okay around my local flying area until I get the RV-7 built. I just have to add DME.
 
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