modern full-color flat-panel display screens called a glass cockpit pricelist

Cheap glass-not the kind you look through but the stuff that occupies the high-rent district in the panel of modern bizjets-is the recurring dream of many an airplane owner.

Unfortunately, if youve spent your way to avionics nirvana with affordable navigators, comms and instruments, the path to true EFIS enlightenment is likely to cost several times the value of your entire airframe, if you can even find a suitable system for a tight panel.

Sooner or later, that had to change and a modest start-up California company-Sandel Avionics-appears to have crossed the boundary into truly affordable glass with a terrific electronic HSI/multifunction display called the Sandel SN3308, which was recently TSOd and is now shipping.

The big breakthrough: Unlike traditional big iron systems which use heavy, multi-tube CRTs-hence the term glass-the Sandel instrument uses a clever and compact light projection design that allows it to fit into a chassis not much larger than a conventional HSI and to sell for $7895, a price tag thats competitive with a conventional electromechanical HSI

We had a look at the Sandel instrument in a Bonanza used as a test bed. Although we werent able to fly the unit, Sandels marketing manager, Steve Bennett, demod the unit in full. Here are our impressions.

In a sense, Sandel is playing Monopoly with the standard T-panel, focusing on two hot properties, Broadway and Park Place. Broadway is the top of the T in your scan-the attitude indicator or the flight director. Park Place is where youll find a DG in most airplanes and an HSI in high-performance aircraft. Sandel aims to fill that space with SN3308s.

In a nutshell, the SN3308 combines data from various sources into one highly customizable screen. Its not really an HSI because instead of relying on a gyro floating in gimbals, the display is electronically projected based on data from remote sources. Many remote sources.

Nor is it like supplemental systems from Argus and Avidyne, because the Sandel was specifically designed to fit into the main panel and to legally replace a required DG or HSI.

The SN3308 accepts heading data from a flux gate or DG, nav data from VOR, GPS, loran, ADF, RMI, DME and marker beacons, message flags from GPS and if you want, it will even display weather data from a remote Stormscope WX-500 sensor and radar altimeter data.

Thats a lot of stuff and its all combined on a tiny color LCD at the back of the unit, then projected-using a small but very bright halogen bulb-towards a flat black screen through a prism and a series of mirrors and color splitters. The principle is similar to one of those large projection televisions. What you see from the front is a full nine square inches of multi-color display-twice the display area of an Argus 3000 but with the graphics quality of an Argus CE color map.

Whats behind the screen? Nothing. At least not in the middle. Since this thing is like a little rear projection movie screen in your panel, Sandel had to keep the light path clear, thus the circuit boards that process the data line the perimeter of the unit. The two control knobs connect viauniversal joints and metal rods to pots at the back of the box. Just as on an HSI, the left knob adjusts the D-bar/course line and the right sets the heading bug.

But unlike a conventional HSI, there are nine control pushbuttons that line the perimeter and connect via translucent tubes to microswitches on the sides of the circuit boards.

The daytime white-on-green letters automatically reverse to black-on-white at night. Theres also a separate brightness control that mounts on the panel near the instrument.

The brightness control may be every bit as important as all those buttons. Reducing the brightness dramatically extends the life of the projector bulb and therein lies this instruments potential Achilles heel.

Other than the knobs and buttons, the only other moving part is a cooling fan and it had better keep moving because its there to keep the bulb from frying. Lose the bulb and there goes your HSI and everything else youve tied into the gadget. Theres no redundancy.

Sandel has gone to extraordinary lengths to protect the bulb from premature burn out. Sandels Bennett told us that most bulbs fail at power up because of the thermal shock of instant filament heating.

Sandel designed the SN3308s power system to slowly ramp up the voltage on the bulb to full brightness. (Slowly is a relative term here. It still happens in the blink of an eye, but its slow to a cold filament.)

Sandel expects bulbs to last more than 400 hours at full brightness. But just to give the pilot a heads up, the instrument monitors its bulb life with a little gauge, like a battery-life-remaining gauge on a laptop computer which indicates how much is left. So if you were planning to leave for a two-week trip, you could replace it before you departed. How hard is that? Not a major operation but the device does have to be removed from the panel to get at the bulb through a small topside access panel. Not a two-hour job, but not five minutes, either.

If the fan fails, the SN3308 would know it and would ration the bulbs brightness to keep it from overheating. Sandel says they know of only one bulb failure incident and they attribute it to a botched installation in a helicopter. The unit was re-installed properly and has worked fine since.

Even though they expect to get 400 hours at full brightness, Sandel is initially recommending bulb replacement at 200 hours or annually, whichever comes first. And, like an engine TBO, favorable operation experience may increase the TBO as units in the field establish a service history. Initially, Sandel pledges to provide free bulbs for TBO-replacement but the bulbs themselves are cheap.

Sandel has managed to combine an astonishing amount of data onto a single screen that still serves as a basic HSI. That said, our impression is that its both well organized and selectable in such a way that the instrument face can be de-cluttered at will. Data from each source has its own color and display area. VOR 1, for example, is always green and shows up on the bottom left of the instrument while VOR 2 and ADF is always yellow and shows up on the bottom right. (What you see is the navaid ident and bearing TO or FROM.) GPS information is blue and displays across the top, to include the basics such as bearing, track, distance-to-go and groundspeed.

DME and ADF info is yellow and appears at bottom right. Bearing pointers from each source are color-coded to match. The heading bug is orange and like any bug, it shows up where you put it. The instrument offers several views. The so-called 360 view puts the airplane icon in the center of the screen and lets you see whats behind you. Its the view were most accustomed to on GPS moving maps.

Jabbing the VUE key switches to what Sandel calls the ARC view, sliding the airplane to the bottom of the screen with a 90-degree-wide window looking ahead. Turn the airplane and the 90-degree window turns with it, repositioning the moving map features-navaids, airports, weather display-as it goes.

The HSI compass card is superimposed over the map features. This is the view youd be used to if you wear shirts with stripes when you fly, since its very similar to a typical airliner glass cockpit display.

A dedicated A-B key swaps between two of the SN3308s snapshot memories. This is a convenient way to switch between two complete sets of display settings. Any changes in VUE setting, map range, or bearing pointer selection are automatically saved when A-B is pressed and are restored when A-B is pressed again, meaning you can set-up and toggle between your favorite configurations.

A pair of UP-DOWN arrow keys toggle the map scale from 1 mile to 1000 miles, with a dozen discrete values in between, plus an auto-scale. The unit is customizable in flight by pressing the SHFT button and accessing a set of sub-menus, to include soft keys for setting up GPS functions, to name a few additional capabilities. Operationally, we found it no more difficult to use and set-up than any panel-mount GPS and probably a little simpler, since the A-B function allows storing and quick retrieval of often-used displays.

Sandel included a DME hold feature to accommodate the fact that many high-end DMEs let you channel from the nav receiver, then change nav frequencies while still showing the first DME. The SN3308 receives that signal from the DME and depicts the H when the DME is in hold.

For typical en route flying, youd probably use a blue (cyan) display of your course line, imposed over a white-on-black moving map containing your flightplan waypoints, with lightning strikes showing up as green plus symbols on the map. (Sandel thought crosses registered better than dots so the crosses will remain. We wouldnt be surprised to see other weather display features, such as color coding for strike intensity.)

One other neat feature: The marker beacon uses the same space-just above the right knob-for all three signals. Why not? The software can make it flash whichever color and letters are appropriate for the location. Pretty slick.

Source selection can be done in two ways. The 3308 can function in master or slave mode. In master mode, pressing the NAV button cycles through NAV 1, NAV 2, GPS (or loran), depending on whats installed. You describe the installed equipment in the set-up pages. The SN3308 outputs a discrete logic signal for each source when its selected. These outputs are used to control an external relay or a series of cascaded relays if switching between more than two sources.

In slave mode, the NAV button does nothing. An external switch (usually pre-existing) does the source selection and the SN3308 reads the state of that switch to depict the correct source label. So if you switch externally between VOR 1 and VOR 2, the SN3308 will annunciate the source and change colors correctly.

Interesting technical issues arise when combining data from sources that were never designed to handshake. For instance, depicting a VOR radial on a GPS-generated map means correcting for the magnetic variation of one and the station declination of the other. Theyre working on solutions for such idiosyncrasies.

With all this data available, its easy to clutter the screen to a state of uselessness, so Sandel includes some filters. These buttons let you select which data you want to appear on the screen. There are four basic map settings for data gathered from the GPS: Current waypoint only, current waypoint, flightplan and nearby waypoints, current waypoint, flightplan, nearby waypoints and fixes and everything off, in which case the instrument functions as a plain HSI, but with basic numerical nav data in digital form.

There are two levels of detail for GPS outputs: All GPSs with an RS-232 output send the current waypoint and flightplan data at 9600 baud. GPSs with ARINC 429 output (King KLN 90B, Trimble 2101 and the entire Garmin family) use a high speed datalink that adds additional nearby waypoint information which can be displayed, if desired.

Its at this juncture that the type of equipment you already have begins to matter. Especially with regard to current database information. Like every other piece of new gear it seems, the Sandel has an appetite for data. If youre flying a GPS with RS-232 output, the moving map detail will be limited by the GPS output. If you want additional detail, youll have to buy a database from Sandel. (Current models are shipping without databases and no prices have yet been established for data revisions.)

Owners with ARINC 429 output might prefer to let the SN3308 repeat that nearby waypoint information and not buy yet another database, which would otherwise be required. Owners who file IFR often and who dont care about special use airspace, might prefer to buy NOS data, when and if it becomes available for the Sandel instrument. But if you want the unit to display SUA, youll have to buy Sandels database.

Since removal of the unit every 60 days is impractical, the Sandel installation kit includes a phonejack dataport in the panel to allow data revisions from the pilot seat.

To get the most out of the Sandel, you have to be able to send it all that data in the first place. Lets start with the SN3308, which lists for $7895. Expect to pay another $1500 to $2000 for installation and field approval. (Lots of wiring involved here.) Call it under $10,000 for many installations.

With new electromechanical HSIs installing for about $7000 and up-way up for the Bendix/King system-we have to say that a five-color EFIS system in a 3-inch box for under ten grand is highly competitive. And this one will be able to add new features through software, which no HSI can match.

Sandel designed the SN3308 as a direct replacement for the Bendix/King KCS 55A, but it accepts remote gyro and flux gate compass info from any source. If you dont already have an HSI or compass info to send to the SN3308, add another $4000 for a remote gyro and another $500 for the flux gate to keep the HSI snuffed up and on course. In that case, the total nut will run close to $15,000.

The Sandel will display whatever data the GPS can send it, so ARINC 429 models (listed above) will give you more to look at on the moving map. But even the lowly RS-232 models will send enough data to be useful when blended with the other inputs. That little GPS message flag can tend to get lost during a busy approach, so having the repeater light on the SN3308 is a plus.

Owners who have already plunked down the dough for a big-screen Stormscope might be unwilling to duplicate that screen only inches away. But the ability to overlay lightning dots against waypoints and course lines might be too enticing to resist so switching to a WX-500 may be both economical and smart. It will also open up some panel space.

The radar altimeter wasnt implemented in the unit we examined but heres how it will be integrated: When the altimeter becomes active-usually below 2500 AGL-a sliding tape display will appear on the left side of the HSI, opposite the glide-slope with a DH annunciation on the screen. The DH will be set using the SHFT function.

The unit operates on 11 to 33 volts and with no gyros or gimbals, it weighs a scant two pounds. It draws less than 5 amps and needs 10.65 inches of clearance behind the panel.

Frankly, we found the Sandel SN3308 to be one of the most well-designed pieces of equipment weve seen in quite some time and at around $10,000 installed, its a fair value. Not bargain basement, but very competitive with a new HSI installation, yet offering considerably more capability and upgradeability as new software becomes available.

The fact that its certified to replace a legally required instrument gives it a real leg up, value wise, over pricey systems such as the Avidyne, Argus or ARNAV multi-function display.

Our only reservation is durability. Only a year or two of operational experience will confirm whether the bulb/projector design is suitable for the rigors of the average GA cockpit. This is by no means a showstopper, but we are somewhat concerned about surprise failures that would darken the instrument in the blink of an eye. A back-up conventional DG wouldnt be a bad idea.

The bottom line here may just be the bottom line. Is $10,000 a reasonable expenditure for a glass HSI? We think it is. Compared to developing display options for the small GA cockpit, the Sandel is available now and is TSOd for replacement of required instruments. Unlike the multi-function displays, its not wait-and-see technonology

It turns out that aircraft owners who upgrade their cockpits with the latest glass-panel avionics share some interesting similarities with shoppers for smartphones, flat-screen TVs, laptops or just about any other broadly adopted consumer electronics product.When the first smartphones hit the market several years ago they were cumbersome to use, lacked capabilities and cost a small fortune. Early adopters had to have them, of course, but most people held onto their old phones, at least for a while. Over time, smartphone technology improved dramatically and prices dropped, the two ingredients necessary to attract a mass audience.The market for retrofit avionics has followed a similar trajectory. The first retrofit EFIS products to reach the market a couple of decades ago couldn’t do much beyond replacing a blue-over-brown electromechanical attitude indicator with a color screen. Despite the astronomical prices for these rudimentary early products, some aircraft owners just had to have them. Most aircraft owners said thanks but no thanks.

Next came active-matrix LCD displays and early versions of synthetic vision, which represented an important technological leap but still were priced out of the reach of most buyers. Again, early adopters couldn’t reach for their checkbooks fast enough, while the majority of pilots watched the market with curiosity but without any overwhelming compulsion to upgrade their old but serviceable six-pack instrument clusters with the shiny new glass displays.

Fast-forward to 2018 and that’s all changing. Suddenly, prices for retrofit avionics have come way down and functionalities have exploded. After the FAA relaxed avionics certification rules a couple of years ago, products originally destined for the Experimental market, such as the Garmin G5 display and Dynon D10A EFIS, were made available to owners of Part 23 piston airplanes for enticingly low prices. Those who faced expensive repair bills to fix or replace older electromechanical instruments realized they could make the relics in their panels magically disappear forever by purchasing a new solid-state EFIS with built-in inertial sensors and backup battery for about the same price as a replacement mechanical ADI.

The FAA sweetened the pot last year by allowing approval of non-TSO’d autopilots in Part 23 airplanes. Suddenly, an owner of an aging piston airplane like a Cessna Skylane or Piper Archer could upgrade to state-of-the-art glass displays and autopilots from a half-dozen manufacturers for prices that make sound economic sense.

While this revolutionary change was occurring at the low end of the market, several avionics-makers began introducing highly capable retrofit avionics systems for high-performance piston airplanes, turboprops and light jets that could transform dinosaurs into technological beasts boasting the same capabilities, or in some cases better capabilities, than new airplanes rolling out of the factory.

Clearly, the market for retrofit avionics has matured beyond the early adopter stage. According to the Aircraft Electronics Association, retrofit avionics sales exploded last year, surging more than 20 percent over the previous year. So far this year the trend is continuing, with retrofit avionics sales rising another 12.6 percent versus last year. We’re well into the “early majority” stage that product marketers so covet, soon to be followed by the “late majority” of buyers and finally the “laggards” who will upgrade their crusty old Skyhawks only after everyone else on the field is already flying with upgraded avionics.

Of course, there will always be those pilots who prefer flying with round instruments to glass, and that’s OK — but let’s face it: They haven’t made it this far in the article to know we’re talking about them.

For the rest of us — the “majority” of pilots, who understand the value of the latest cockpit technology — we want to know what the newest products to hit the market can do for us and what they cost. On the next pages we’ll take a look at what’s new in the retrofit avionics market today.

When the FAA a couple of years ago relaxed approval standards for certain avionics in certified Part 23 airplanes, it opened a pathway for manufacturers to skip the lengthy and expensive TSO certification pathway and create new products for general aviation based on ASTM standards rather than the cumbersome DO-178 standards for software, in the process sometimes slashing millions of dollars from the development costs of a single product. By achieving parts manufacturing approval (PMA) and supplemental type certification (STC) for products more typical of Experimental-category avionics, manufacturers were able to bring prices down considerably for hundreds of types through the approved model list (AML) process. Even the avionics manufacturers themselves say they did not anticipate how quickly aircraft owners would adopt these products, but it turns out that the combination of lower prices and additional capabilities makes for a winning formula.

Touchscreens are going mainstream, and why not? As long as an alternative means of entering information in turbulence is offered, touch interfaces clearly are superior, as we all learned the first time we picked up an iPad. Garmin’s new touch-series cockpits, the G500 TXi and G600 TXi, incorporate touchscreens and superfast computer processors that support lightning-quick map and chart rendering, fast panning and single-finger zoom and pinch-to-zoom capabilities.

Three TXi display sizes are available, offering flexibility for panel configurations. Our favorite is the large 10.6-inch display, which just looks right in the panel of an airplane like a Beech Bonanza. There are also two versions of 7-inch displays, in portrait and landscape orientations. The 10.6-inch display can operate as a PFD, MFD or optional integrated engine indication display. The 7-inch portrait display can be dedicated to any one of those functions, while the 7-inch landscape unit is available exclusively as an engine display. The G500 TXi system is intended for Part 23 Class I/II aircraft under 6,000 pounds, and the G600 TXi for Class III aircraft weighing up to 12,500 pounds.

When the TXi series is paired with a GTN 650/750 touch-screen navigator, Connext wireless connectivity offers additional capabilities. Flight Stream 510 is an option with the GTN 650/750, which enables Database Concierge, the wireless transfer of aviation databases from the Garmin Pilot app on a mobile device to a GTN and the TXi system. Flight Stream 510 can also share information with compatible mobile devices running Garmin Pilot or ForeFlight Mobile, including two-way flight-plan transfer, traffic, weather, GPS information and backup attitude information.

BendixKing has been on a roll lately, introducing several new products that are turning heads and giving competitors reason to believe the storied brand is back in a big way.

The new AeroVue Touch cockpit introduced this spring is a single-box PFD retrofit option for certified general aviation aircraft that will be available for installation on 353 different aircraft types through an AML STC. AeroVue Touch features a 10.1-inch touchscreen and a “near-4K” high-resolution display offering the choice of a full-screen PFD or a split-screen shared with a moving map and other flight information. Large display buttons and infrared scanning allow easy use even by gloved hands, BendixKing says, and shallow menus provide access to all system functions with a maximum of four touches.

Additional features of the cockpit include Honeywell’s SmartView synthetic-vision system, 2D and 3D moving maps and taxi diagrams, and VFR sectional charts and IFR high- and low-altitude charts. Pilots can update databases via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth or through a dedicated USB-C port.

Dynon Avionics made its mark in aviation with a highly capable portfolio of products for the Experimental market. Now, the company is beginning to seriously encroach on the market for certified avionics. It has received its first supplemental type certificate for the SkyView HDX avionics system aimed initially at older Cessna Skyhawks. Cessna owners can now replace the vast majority of their legacy instruments with a SkyView HDX system offering complete primary flight instrumentation and a whole lot more.

The SkyView HDX cockpit includes synthetic vision angle of attack indication and engine monitoring with CHTs, EGTs, fuel flow, fuel computer and lean assist. Dynon’s integrated two-axis autopilot also earns approval for IFR-approach capability when SkyView is integrated with a compatible GPS navigator. The approved installation includes a Mode S transponder with 2020-compliant ADS-B Out capability and moving map with ADS-B traffic and weather overlay. The backup flight instrument is the Dynon D10A, which has a built-in backup battery.

Aspen Avionics has followed the path forged by Dynon and Garmin by introducing its own non-TSO’d electronic flight instruments for owners of Part 23-certified airplanes. Aspen’s new Evolution E5 flight instrument, unveiled this spring, is essentially the same unit as the latest certified Aspen products but with features geared toward buyers looking to keep costs in check.

The Evolution E5 display consolidates traditional attitude indicator, directional gyro and course deviation indicator instruments into a single display that retails for just under $5,000. The E5 unit also includes global positioning system steering (GPSS) and air-data computer and attitude heading reference system (ADAHRS), as well as a backup battery. Aircraft owners can also upgrade to the Evolution E5 display and a compatible TruTrak Vizion autopilot for less than $10,000, Aspen says.

What we like best about the E5 6-inch active-matrix LCD is that it’s brighter and more vibrant than previous Evolution displays, while retaining Aspen’s ingenious form factor intended to keep installation costs down by slotting into the panel space of electro­mechanical attitude and heading indicators.

BendixKing’s AeroVue cockpit is the latest to receive FAA certification in the Beechcraft King Air 200, bringing “business jet technology and functionality” to the twin turboprop’s cockpit. We visited BendixKing’s test center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to put that claim to the test and came away impressed. The AeroVue cockpit for the King Air is a worthy competitor from a company that’s clearly focused on regaining a leadership position in the market.

The AeroVue integrated avionics package is similar in form and function to the Apex glass cockpit in the Pilatus PC-12 NG turboprop single, which pilots have been raving about since its introduction.

The AeroVue system incorporates three high-resolution 12-inch LCDs featuring Honeywell’s SmartView synthetic-vision system. AeroVue also includes a full flight management system and HUD-like symbology on the primary flight display. The flight deck includes an excellent cursor control device mounted on the center console next to an alphanumeric keypad.

Garmin’s G1000 NXi is a faster, modernized successor to the original G1000 cockpit now available in the King Air 200 and 300/350 models. Thanks to its improved computer processors, the system supports faster map rendering and smoother panning throughout the displays, which now initialize within seconds after start-up.

Garmin’s Connext wireless connectivity can optionally transfer aviation databases from the Garmin Pilot app on a mobile device to the G1000 NXi, as well as support two-way flight plan transfer, the sharing of traffic, weather, GPS information and backup attitude data with compatible mobile devices running Garmin Pilot or ForeFlight mobile.

G1000 NXi also supports geographical map overlays within the HSI of the PFD, as well as animated Nexrad graphics, FIS-B weather, weather radar, SafeTaxi airport diagrams, traffic and terrain information, and a whole lot more.

Sandel is attacking the King Air retrofit market with a retrofit cockpit called Avilon that is unusual for a few reasons, most notably its “guaranteed” installed price of $175,000, well below the price of cockpits from Garmin, Rockwell Collins and BendixKing.

The Avilon avionics system includes four large LCD flight displays, two smaller data-entry touchscreens, radios, flight management computers, dual AHRS, audio panel, ADS-B-compliant Mode S transponder, and flight director/autopilot (minus the autopilot servos, which are retained).

That’s a lot of features for not a lot of dough. The price is piquing the interest of King Air 200 owners who have been quoted prices of close to $100,000 just for the labor to install competing systems.

Sandel Avionics president and CEO Gerry Block explains that the installation cost is predicted to be so low because the entire Avilon instrument panel is shipped to dealers as essentially one piece.

The system is currently flying in a company King Air 200 certification test bed, with certification expected by this fall. Sandel says it has partnered with three dealers in the United States (Stevens Aviation, Cutter Aviation and Landmark Aviation) and one in Canada (Rocky Mountain Aircraft), which have all agreed to honor the guaranteed $175,000 fly-away price.

“There are a lot of King Air cockpit retrofit choices, but very few people have been buying them because they are just too expensive to justify,” Block says. “We think this price and the capability our cockpit offers will get a lot of King Air operators off the fence.”

The glass cockpit is one of those technological advancements that sneaks up on you. Many pilots treat the Garmin G1000 and other such systems as if they are some passing fad, even though they have been standard equipment on new airplanes for more than a decade. In fact, glass cockpits have been around longer than the iPhone, but while Apple’s smartphone is considered an essential part of daily life, Garmin’s avionics suite is viewed with suspicion by those who’ve never flown it.

Part of the reason glass cockpits are still relatively rare in general aviation is obviously cost – $30,000 is a lot to spend on avionics when the airplane is only worth $40,000. But that is beginning to change, with new products from Garmin and Dynon pushing the price down below $10,000. As this new generation of retrofit glass cockpits makes its way into the general aviation fleet, it’s a good time to elevate the discussion about the relative merits and safety record of such equipment. Right now, the subject is defined more by hangar flying wisdom than hard data.

For example, theoft-cited NTSB study showing that glass cockpit airplanes are no safer (and perhaps even less safe) than traditional analog cockpit airplanes is now more than ten years old. The accident rate for Cirrus Aircraft’s SR series, the most common glass cockpit airplanes, has changed dramatically in that time. By mostobjective measures, these technologically advanced airplanes now have a better safety record than the general aviation fleet average (see chart below). Such a trend doesn’t square with the idea that primary flight displays (PFDs) are bad for safety.

More importantly, hardly any of these safety studies control for exposure – the fact that higher priced, more capable airplanes are often flown on longer cross country trips and in worse weather. Quantifying this difference in exposure is difficult, but it’s likely that, compared to a steam gauge Cessna 150, the owner of a brand new Cessna 206 with a glass cockpit might fly the airplane more often, frequently single pilot, and in IMC. Without considering this critical difference, most of the accident rates are just statistical noise.

To get a feel for the accident trends, I read every Cirrus fatal accident report for three years before the Avidyne Entegra was introduced in 2003, then compared it to a three-year period after glass cockpits were standard. Again, the exposure is dramatically different (partially because Cirrus built a lot more airplanes between 2004 and 2007), so calculating a glass vs. steam accident rate is almost impossible, but the individual accidents still offer lots of lessons. Here’s a representative sample of NTSB probable causes before the introduction of glass cockpits: spatial disorientation, poor IFR technique on approach, VFR-into-IMC (more than one), stall/spin (one after takeoff on a hot day, one by a pilot very new to the airplane).

And after glass cockpits became the norm? The causes are depressingly similar: stall/spin, low pass leading to a stall, low level formation with glider in the mountains leading to controlled flight into terrain, in-flight icing, and of course VFR-into-IMC. Buzzing a friend at 50 feet or continuing into worsening weather are bad ideas no matter what the avionics – a fancy panel should neither tempt you to make these mistakes nor be expected to save you if you do.

I did the same exercise for Cessna 172s, where the G1000 became an option in 2005. Once again, glass cockpits have not invented new ways to crash airplanes: stalls and VFR-into-IMC were common causes. With one exception (a Cirrus crashed after the primary flight display failed and the pilot could not maintain control on the backup instruments), the move to digital flight instruments does seem to have slightly reduced the frequency of accidents caused by partial panel flying since there are no vacuum pumps to fail in a G1000.

As the avionics market evolves, another question becomes hard to answer: what is a glass cockpit, anyway? A steam gauge Cirrus with a large moving map, dual WAAS GPSs, TAWS, and an autopilot is pretty well equipped, but it’s not technically “glass.” Similarly, the Pilatus PC-12 began life with 4″ EFIS tubes for the attitude indicator and HSI, plus a GPS and autopilot; the latest models include a 4-screen, flat panel Honeywell Apex system. Is the old version “analog” simply because the airspeed indicator and altimeter are dials instead of screens? How about a 1965 Bonanza with a single screen Aspen Evolution display – is it a completely different airplane with the mechanical gyro replaced?

If all this discussion proves anything, it’s that we are overthinking the whole glass vs. analog issue. After all, glass cockpits were created to make flying easier and safer, not as some conspiracy to kill pilots. The changes simply aren’t that dramatic. The wings are the same on that Bonanza no matter what the avionics are, and so are the flight controls, approach speeds, fuel endurance, and stall characteristics.

Sure, there are large multi-function displays, but this is not really new – Garmin 530s were around for many years before the G1000, and early Cirrus models had a large Avidyne map screen without a PFD. Glass cockpits also have HSIs, but those have been around for decades (and are a major upgrade over precessing gyros anyway).

The key place to start is mindset: relax. It may be slightly intimidating the first time you sit in the left seat of a glass cockpit airplane, but that’s mostly because a big PFD can present much more information, including winds aloft, nearest airports, and the active flight plan. Remember that information is there to help, and you can turn most of it off if it’s distracting. In fact, you should probably start your glass cockpit flying with most of those extras turned off.

One criticism is valid: there isn’t a lot of “glance value” on an integrated glass cockpit. With a standard six pack, you can get a lot of information from the instruments without reading every specific number. If the airspeed indicator is pointing straight down and the altimeter is pointing straight up, you can assume that your airspeed is somewhere in the middle of the green arc and you’re level. Not so with a G1000 – you’ll be tempted to pause and read the exact numbers on the airspeed and altitude tapes.

Some will call this a fatal flaw, but to me it’s just a difference – one whose inconvenience is outweighed by some real benefits. If you find yourself chasing the tapes as they bounce around in flight, consider three more useful habits.

First, set the bugs on the primary flight display whenever possible. Most glass cockpits have knobs that allow the pilot to set bugs for the altitude and heading, and some even have one for the airspeed and vertical speed. These are used to drive the autopilot, but they can be great reminders for hand-flying too. If your clearance is to fly heading 270 and maintain 3,000 feet, set the bugs for those values and follow them. You’ll find it much easier to monitor heading and altitude by taking a quick glance at the bug than continuously reading the numbers on the screen.

Second, get to know how the trend lines work. These are usually magenta lines next to the tapes on the primary flight display, showing what the airspeed or altitude will be six seconds in the future. The taller the trend line, the faster the tapes will be moving, which is your clue that the airplane is not stabilized. This might be OK in a climb, but not if you’re trying to fly straight and level. Many HSIs also include a track vector, a little diamond above the HSI that shows the actual course your airplane is flying over the ground; match this to your desired course and keeping the needle centered becomes much easier. Again, the glance value is more important than the specific numbers here.

Finally, learn the most common profiles for the airplane you fly. For example, if you know that 1700 RPM and 10 degrees of flaps equals 90 knots and a 600 foot-per-minute descent, you can configure the airplane at the final approach fix and then make small adjustments to keep the needles centered. You’ll spend less time chasing tapes and adjusting power if you start out with a ballpark configuration.

Don’t make the mistake of treating all glass cockpits the same. They can vary significantly between manufacturers and even models, so you’ll want to spend some time reading the manual for the system you fly. In particular, focus on the different failure modes and the emergency checklists. For example, what does an AHRS failure look like compared to a screen failure? Are there backup options for the AHRS or the primary flight display? How long can the glass cockpit run on the backup battery? PFD failures are very rare, but a good pilot prepares for even the rare emergencies.

Understanding such nuances is especially important since not all glass cockpits are fully-integrated systems like the Garmin G1000. Many newer options, like the Garmin G5, replace a single instrument with a digital display. These hybrid glass-steam cockpits are more affordable than complete cockpits and more reliable than vacuum pumps, but it’s critical you understand which instruments are driven by which sensors.

Too many pilots exaggerate the difference between analog instruments and glass cockpits, as if it requires a completely new pilot certificate to make the transition. That’s simply not the case – the basics of flying are the same no matter what avionics you use. Focus on basic attitude flying, which, if anything, is easier on glass cockpits with their full-screen attitude display. And don’t forget to enjoy the view outside once in awhile.

Coming from an aviation family, John grew up in the back of small airplanes and learned to fly as a teenager. Ever since, he has been hooked on anything with wings and regularly flies a Citabria, a Pilatus PC-12, and a Cirrus SR22. He is an ATP and also holds ratings for multiengine, seaplanes, gliders, and helicopters. In addition to being Editor-in-Chief of Air Facts, John is the President of Sporty’s Pilot Shop, responsible for new product development and marketing.

The scene was straight out of a science fiction movie. Thick coils of wire wound like serpents along the pale green walls. More wire slithered up from the floor in bundles as thick as rope. Part of an overhead instrument panel hung from the ceiling, suspended by yet more wires. The power levers and rudder pedals remained, but nearly everything else readily recognizable to a pilot–the control columns, seats, gauges, radios and annunciator lights–had been ripped from the cockpit to reveal the utter chaos behind the instrument panel.

Squeezed into a hangar at Duncan Aviation’s modification center in Lincoln, Neb., the lackluster 17-year-old Falcon 50 was undergoing a transformation that would shed years from its well worn façade, both inside the cockpit and throughout the rest of its now empty shell. From the nose to the tail, workers had finished gutting nearly all of the major equipment inside the airplane. Technicians crawled over the remains as preparations were made to bring on board a jigsaw puzzle of new furnishings and avionics.

The empty husk of the passenger compartment revealed more heavy wire bundles running along the walls and disappearing into the depths of the baggage area. Eerily devoid of the usual cascading wood veneer cabinets and stately leather seats, the cabin was now quite literally in hands of a small army of unseen craftsmen who were busily fabricating materials in Duncan’s wood and leather shops. Sitting alone on a simple workbench outside the airplane was the new instrument panel, milled from a piece of solid aluminum and ready to accept a modern suite of Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 flight displays.

The thought of putting a functional business airplane through the upheaval of a major cockpit retrofit probably gives most chief pilots and flight-department managers heart palpitations. Signing a check with so many zeros on it certainly stops some owners cold in their tracks. Confusion–and even a certain amount of misinformation–about available retrofit options makes for difficult choices when it comes time to decide which, if any, cockpit upgrade makes the most sense for a given airplane.

And let’s face it, the time it takes to perform even a relatively straightforward installation can be a deal breaker for many others. Two or three months of downtime usually isn’t an option unless the airplane will also be going in for fresh paint and interior or a major maintenance inspection–and those extras only add yet more downtime.

But for the unique subset of business airplanes with hull values high enough to justify the expense and production dates far enough in the past that they’re likely to be equipped with older electromechanical or early CRT instruments, an upgrade to glass displays can draw back the curtain on a world of possibility.

Merely recreating the blue-over-brown ADI presentation that’s been around since the 1930s with the original Sperry artificial horizon is one thing; transforming the flight deck into an information nerve center is quite another. Active-matrix LCD flight displays bring added capabilities for presentation of color weather maps delivered via satellite datalink. Cockpit file servers can hold dozens of binders worth of procedure charts within their hard drives, as well as interactive checklists and links to video from external cameras or an infrared enhanced-vision system.

Unless you’re flying a business jet manufactured less than seven years ago, chances are the newest technology at your disposal is round dials, CRT screens and maybe a handheld electronic flight bag (EFB) computer for storing digital approach charts. Still, the trend toward flat-panel glass displays in aging airplanes hasn’t caught on the way avionics manufacturers and installers thought it would when the first flight-deck upgrades arrived five or so years ago. Activity appears to be picking up as choices grow and prices start edging down, but there remains ample resistance to the idea of completely overhauling the instrument panel.

“We’ve taken a look at some of the upgrade options that are available,” said a captain for an East Coast flight department that operates a 13-year-old Falcon 900B. “But spending $500,000 or $750,000 for a glass cockpit just doesn’t make a lot of sense for us right now. What we’ve got up front works fine.”

That sentiment is shared by the scores of professional aviators who certainly wouldn’t mind flying with the latest hardware but who also realize the decision to upgrade the company airplane’s cockpit with the latest technology is connected with other factors. The big-three equipment manufacturers–Rockwell Collins, Honeywell and Universal Avionics–report that the vast majority of buyers of retrofit cockpit systems wait until it’s time for paint and interior or a C check before installing an upgraded LCD cockpit. “I would say that every single one of our customers lately has tied the panel upgrade with some other major installation or maintenance check,” said Chad Cundiff, vice president of crew interface products for Honeywell.

There aren’t any FAA mandates requiring the use of flat-panel displays, and there aren’t likely to be any in the near future. That can present challenges for avionics dealers and installers who have gone to the expense of developing STC programs or who have partnered with the manufacturers on certification but can’t find buyers willing to foot the bill for flight-deck makeovers.

Rockwell Collins’s first stab at the cockpit retrofit market, a comprehensive upgrade package named Pro Line 21 Continuum, called for a dramatic front-office renovation that involved upgrading the flight management systems, adding new-generation digital radios and replacing the autopilot. The trouble was, almost nobody was willing to pay the millions of dollars such a complete transformation required.

Forced to return to the drawing board, the company started anew with a concept called Pro Line 21 IDS (integrated display system). This option retained the original autopilot and many other big-ticket items but offered a pathway for replacing the gauges and CRT screens with 8- by 10-inch LCDs, the same displays that business jet manufacturers are installing at the factory today in brand-new models.

“We got to a point where we realized that if we could leave much of the existing avionics system alone and offer just the basic display upgrade, it would translate to a lot less money and a lot less downtime,” said Tim Rayl, senior director of business and regional systems marketing for Rockwell Collins. “Then the operators could have the choice of adding more functionality later.”

Since that time, the rest of the market has followed a similar path. Honeywell introduced Primus Epic CDS/R (control display system/ retrofit), an integrated system based on the Primus Epic platform flying in a number of the newest business airplanes. Like the Collins upgrade, the Honeywell package in most cases leaves the original autopilot and many other major components in place.

Universal Avionics, meanwhile, is the only manufacturer to offer synthetic-vision system (SVS) capability in Part 25 airplanes, a factor that has led to a flurry of activity as buyers race to add the company’s EFI-890R retrofit cockpit. The Vision 1 SVS portion of the Universal system recreates a view of the outside world on the flight displays, showing hills, mountains, obstacles and bodies of water. Honeywell and Gulfstream are developing a similar concept for the G300 through G550, but there has been no word on when an SVS upgrade might be made available to buyers of the Primus Epic CDS/R system.

Hardware prices from the various manufacturers can land all over the map depending on the airplane type, the amount of work required and the particular system that’s chosen. Just as important a consideration as which retrofit cockpit to purchase is the decision about which optional systems will interface with the new gear.

Some installers compare the process of installing LCD displays in the airplane with hooking up cable television at home. In the early days of cable tv there were only a few dozen channels. Today, there are hundreds of channels to choose from, including access to pay-per-view movies, sporting events, specialized programming packages and, in many homes, high-speed Internet access through a cable modem. Likewise, upgrading to glass displays alone offers crisper images, but not until buyers start adding advanced functionality can the full potential of the retrofit be realized.

“A major cockpit retrofit brings a host of capabilities to the table,” said Paul Deherrera, vice president of marketing and product support for Universal Avionics. “The ability to overlay TCAS and weather on the flight plan, some of those core elements are things that many pilots still don’t have. When you’re flying with an electromechanical-based cockpit, you don’t realize what you’re missing out on until you start digging deeper and begin learning what capabilities are offered.” Adding just a moving map to the cockpit can greatly enhance situational awareness, he said. Begin layering terrain, weather and traffic information on that picture and it’s easy to see why more business jet operators are signing up for display upgrades.

Of course, all this capability comes at a price. Sticking with figures that include the cost for installation, here are some ballpark numbers: A full upgrade to Pro Line 21 in a Falcon 50 including a new autopilot, weather radar, radios, TCAS and Collins’s integrated flight information system (IFIS) onboard file server will run about $2.3 million on average, according to installers. That’s about as close as you’ll get to the top echelon for a cockpit retrofit. A less involved display upgrade built around the Pro Line 21 IDS glass in a Hawker 800, while retaining the original autopilot, will run between $700,000 and $850,000. A similar installation of the Primus Epic CDS/R system, this time in a Falcon 900, will cost about $835,000, installers report.

Universal’s EFI-890R cockpit, meanwhile, comes in a bit lower, setting buyers back about $580,000 for a four-display installation in a Challenger 600, plus another $45,000 for SVS on the pilot’s PFD and $80,000 for SVS on both of the PFDs.

Considering what a brand-new airplane costs and the array of new capabilities avionics manufacturers are offering, it’s easy to understand why these sub-million-dollar prices are starting to pique the interest of would-be buyers.

Weighing on the minds of business jet operators is the worry that the installation will hit snags and delay the airplane’s return to service. The upgrade might have been performed by a competent installer with technical support from a major avionics manufacturer, but the FAA still needs to sign off on the work. If the inspector has questions about the installation–or worse, demands that certain elements of the job be redone–the airplane can end up remaining in the shop for far longer than anybody anticipated.

And price and downtime aren’t the only considerations when weighing the pros and cons of a major cockpit retrofit. Buyers should ask themselves how long they plan to keep the airplane and how long, realistically, they anticipate the airplane will remain in service before it needs another front-office makeover. Manufacturers and installers generally agree a display upgrade purchased today will have a lifespan of about 10 years. Beyond that, new technologies and mandates will probably require changing out the displays and the computer and graphics processors that drive them.

“In many ways, avionics mirrors the personal computer industry as far as obsolescence is concerned,” said Andy Biller, director of avionics sales and marketing for Duncan Aviation. “You used to able to keep your FMS for 15 years, but that’s not the case any more. The same holds true for this new breed of major display retrofit.”

The FAA issues only a five-year strategic plan spelling out its vision for the future. That makes it difficult for avionics manufacturers to predict what technology might be required in the long term or to educate buyers. The latest integrated avionics systems rely heavily on software for many functions, but almost inevitably the FAA will develop requirements and mandates calling for installation of avionics that will necessitate additional advanced hardware–some of which has yet to be devised and developed.

It’s impossible to say what avionics might be required a decade from now, but a whole host of technologies are receiving consideration and could eventually emerge as the next major avionics retrofit, similar to the situations with reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM) and terrain awareness and warning systems (TAWS).

The RVSM and TAWS mandates required many operators to install expensive equipment in the name of efficiency and safety. The FAA is now considering mandates that would require installation of advanced equipment for automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) traffic surveillance and required navigation performance (RNP) that will allow aircraft to fly new procedures with much tighter lateral and vertical tolerances than exist today. Avionics makers are also busy developing the next generation of synthetic- and enhanced-vision system capabilities, which eventually might be fused to create new flight display layouts and symbology showing a computer-generated view of the world ahead, overlaid with a scene from a forward-looking infrared camera. All of this new technology will create a need for even more advanced graphics capabilities than exist in the most capable retrofit cockpit available today.

Another factor influencing the decision about whether to upgrade the cockpit deals with how a major retrofit will affect the airplane’s resale value. Installing a suite of glass displays is a little like adding a gourmet kitchen to your house, experts say. In both cases you’ll unlock possibilities for new creations or capabilities while impressing your neighbors (even if they’re hangar neighbors), but whether it’s a kitchen or cockpit you’ll likely never recoup the full value of the work when it’s time to sell.

Paul Wyatt, editor of the Aircraft Bluebook price digest, said it’s difficult to gauge the effect a cockpit retrofit will have on resale value because so few airplanes that have undergone these major transformations have sold on the open market. But anecdotal evidence suggests a major cockpit retrofit will hold its value better than some other avionics upgrades.

“From what I see, this type of mod does not depreciate nearly as rapidly as individual instruments do,” he said. A complete cockpit makeover including a new autopilot would likely be worth 75 percent of the installed price for at least five years, he predicted. “We don’t have anything concrete, however,” he added. “When we research price trends, we always make note of the level of equipment as we scan our reported sold prices from dealers and brokers. These extensive panel modifications certainly add value.”

Avionics dealers on the front lines of customer negotiations are faced with this question each time they give a sales presentation. Rather than quoting hard numbers, installers such as Duncan Aviation merely try to show that even if a cockpit retrofit holds only between 50 and 75 percent of its value, the customer comes out even when it’s time to sell the airplane. “There is little if any good data about residual value” after completing major avionics upgrade, said Duncan’s Biller. “Aircraft depreciate and so do avionics. This is a new phenomenon and so far it has involved a little bit of a guessing process. Customers understand that.”

Business airplanes ripe for major avionics retrofits include some of the most popular models built in the last 30 years. The so-called market “sweet spots” include the Dassault Falcon 20, 50 and 900; Gulfstream II and III; Challenger 600 and 601; Learjet 35A; Hawker 700 and 800; Cessna 500 and 650; Astra; the King Air line; Pilatus PC-12; and Piaggio Avanti.

Each of the business jets on this list was built with avionics that are now showing their age. But these airplanes are still valuable enough to justify the expense of a fairly extensive cockpit makeover. The turboprops listed here might not fit as neatly into the formula for value versus upgrade cost, but many of these airplanes are flown by owner-pilots who seem more willing to pay a premium to fly with the latest avionics.

So who decides which airplanes are good candidates for major cockpit retrofits? Generally, the avionics manufacturers determine which models to target with upgrades, but dealers and even airframe OEMs also have some input in the process. For example, if an installation center agrees to incur the majority of the cost for an STC program, an avionics maker is more likely to give a certain project the green light. By the same token, if an aircraft manufacturer is against supporting a specific retrofit program, avionics makers and dealers are apt to think twice.

One good example of an airplane that isn’t likely to be eligible for a cockpit upgrade anytime soon even though customers have expressed interest is the Challenger 604. This model came from the factory with a CRT-based avionics system and certainly has a value high enough to justify the expense of a display upgrade, but manufacturer Bombardier does not want one to become available because its sales people are busy promoting the new Challenger 605–essentially a 604 with a Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite and some other enhancements. Bombardier worries that sales of the 605 will suffer if current 604 owners can upgrade the cockpit for less than the cost of moving up to the new airplane.

Bombardier’s Global Express also flies with a CRT-based cockpit, the Primus 2000XP system from Honeywell. It is reasonable to assume that Global Express operators eventually will be clamoring for an LCD upgrade, but considering that brand-new Global Expresses and Global 5000s coming off the production line in Montreal are still equipped with the CRT cockpits, Bombardier is unlikely to give the go ahead for such a project. Also, given that the major avionics makers have such close ties to the OEMs on new (and future) airplane programs, there’s little chance of Collins or Honeywell launching an upgrade program for the Global series without Bombardier’s blessing.

A recent trend in the cockpit retrofit market has seen airframe manufacturers initiate upgrade programs on their own with the assistance of smaller avionics makers. These lesser known companies don’t have the track records of the established players, but they can offer hardware prices that are lower, sometimes by hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Cessna recently announced a Citation upgrade program through a partnership with Innovative Solutions & Support. Known for its low-cost RVSM hardware, IS&S has recently shifted its attention to the cockpit retrofit market with a panel upgrade for the Pilatus PC-12 that sells for less than $200,000 installed. Contrast that with the major panel makeovers from Rockwell Collins and it’s easy to see why the smaller players are beginning to gain traction in this market.

Cessna recently placed an order with IS&S for an undisclosed number of flat-panel displays that will be offered as part of the upgrade program for operators of older Citations. Installations will be performed at the 34 authorized Cessna Service Centers worldwide. About 4,000 Citations are candidates for the retrofit. Jim Riley, IS&S’s CFO, said an internal survey conducted by his company showed that around 2,500 Citations are “long overdue” for front-office makeovers.

The deal is a huge potential source of revenue for Exton, Pa.-based IS&S as it seeks to get its fledgling cockpit displays business off the ground. IS&S holds an STC for the retrofit in the Pilatus PC-12 and is installing glass cockpits in Boeing 767s for cargo airline ABX Air, but this is its first deal involving an aircraft manufacturer. More recently, Eclipse Aviation selected IS&S displays to replace the Avidyne equipment in the Eclipse 500 very light jet.

Gulfstream’s sister company, General Dynamics Aviation Services (GDAS), has partnered with Sagem Avionics on a glass-panel cockpit upgrade for Part 25 jets including the Gulfstream II and III, Challenger 600 and 601, Falcon 20 and 50 and Hawker 700 and 800. The upgrade comprises five 10.4-inch-diagonal displays, which include a PFD and MFD in front of each pilot with an eicas display in the center. The so-called Sagem integrated cockpit display system (ICDS) functions with the airplane’s existing digital radar and attitude heading reference system, or buyers can opt for new fiber-optic gyros.

Sagem Avionics and GDAS’s Dallas facility are installing the first system in a Gulfstream II, and it should receive FAA supplemental type certification soon. Once that happens, any GDAS facility will be able to install the Sagem ICDS retrofit. The upgrade costs less than $400,000 installed, said Ross Cairns, Sagem Avionics vice president for business development, adding that it offers practical enhancements including a weight reduction. “It’s too early to say how much weight the Sagem Avionics retrofit will save, but it’s going to be fairly significant,” Cairns said. Equipment removed includes primary flight and engine instruments, radar display, TCAS/traffic resolution display, navigation switching and engine instruments.

Despite the best efforts of the airframe OEMs, installers report that buyers, given the choice, are more inclined to stick with the names they know and trust. Here’s a rundown of the top-selling avionics retrofit options:

As noted earlier, Pro Line 21 for the retrofit market comes in two versions: the display-only upgrade called IDS and a “major retrofit” involving the replacement of big-ticket items such as the weather radar, autopilot and flight management systems. To date, Collins has completed nearly two dozen major retrofits, most of them in the King Air 200 and 350, Falcon 20 and 50 and Challenger 601. On the Pro Line 21 IDS side of its ledger, Collins has additional STCs covering the Astra, Hawker 700 and 800, Piaggio Avanti, Gulfstream III, Falcon 2000, Cessna 501 and 550, Falcon 200 and 50 and King Air 90, 200 and 350.

Fleet-wide upgrades have accounted for the majority of major Pro Line 21 retrofits, said Rayl. Transport Canada’s Aircraft Services Directorate is in the process of updating its fleet of nine Citation 550s with Pro Line 21 IDS at Mid-Canada Mod Center in Toronto. The Pro Line 21 IDS upgrades feature three eight- by 10-inch liquid crystal displays, turbulence weather radar and IFIS. Additionally, Transport Canada will be adding Collins FMS units, Pro Line 21 CNS radios and TCAS.

Installers have completed 15 or so IDS upgrades, with another six currently in the pipeline. The top installation centers for the Collins gear include Duncan Aviation, Landmark Aviation, Superior Air Center, Premier Air Center and JetWorks. Rayl noted that a surprising number of King Airs, including many military C-12s, have received the IDS upgrade. Perhaps helping to explain the popularity of the retrofit avionics in these models is the fact that new King Air 350s and B200s built by Hawker Beechcraft are also fitted with Pro Line 21 integrated avionics.

The Falcon 50 at Duncan Aviation’s Lincoln, Neb. mod center that looked as though it was part of a science project gone wrong was about to receive a major Pro Line 21 display upgrade when AIN visited the hangar in late April. The installation is one example of the success of the installer’s so-called Glass Box Project, a major effort aimed at developing the in-house expertise to reduce installation downtime while offerin