If you have been following my articles, you know that we just discussed the state of the avionics marketplace. In the first part, I discussed five manufacturers with broad product lines that can fill just about all your panel needs, like Garmin or Avidyne. In the second part of the two-part article, I highlighted 10 manufacturers that offer “focused” solutions. In my opinion, these are the 15 manufacturers getting most of the discussion among general aviation aircraft owners.
uAvionix was the last manufacturer I discussed, and I made this statement in the article: “Frankly, of all the manufacturers we have discussed in these two articles, uAvionix is the company that I am most excited about.” I must admit, after I sent the article to my publisher, I questioned whether I should have included that in the article and in doing so, shown my bias. That’s until a little bell went off in my head and the reason became obvious to me.
We would likely all agree that Garmin has dominated the GA avionics market since about 2004 when the 430W came to market. Certainly, Garmin has been the most prolific. It’s great stuff! In the last five years, I’ve seen mostly high-end solutions coming from Garmin. Most have been in the form of software. You’ve got to admit that “AutoLand” is the most incredible technology we have ever seen for a GA aircraft.
Of course, it will never be an aftermarket option for any aircraft owner flying a legacy aircraft built between 1965 to 1990. With the exception of Garmin’s new GPS models (2017), like the GPS 175 and GNC 355, we are not used to seeing Garmin products that target the legacy aircraft owner. These GPS options certainly did. Garmin’s focus has been the higher end of the GA market and that’s okay! Then along comes uAvionix in 2018 with a real focus on the legacy aircraft owner. This is why I’m so excited about uAvionix. I’m an advocate for legacy aircraft owners!
uAvionix Corporation
I remember when I first heard about uAvionix. It was when they introduced the SkyBeacon ADS-B solution for certified GA aircraft owners in 2018. I saw uAvionix as a new start-up company with a great idea. What I found when I looked closer was a large international company with a focus on “small.” It turns out uAvionix was already a leader in microelectronics for the “uncrewed” aviation market. That would be drones.
In 2018, I thought it was going to cost the legacy aircraft owner about $5,000 to meet the ADS-B Out mandate. This was based on the technology that was currently available, Mode S ES/remote UAT’s for the legacy owner. uAvionix came to market with the skyBeacon and cut that figure in half. A legacy owner could now meet the ADS-B mandate for about $2,500 and the skyBeacon and tailBeacon became the most popular ADS-B Out solutions for many legacy owners. What I saw then was a new company focused on providing affordable avionics and at affordable installation costs. The skyBeacon was just the start. Here’s what uAvionix has to offer, if you are new to this.
uAvionix skyBeacon
The skyBeacon uses UAT (User Acceptance Testing) technology and works with a standard Mode A/C transponder to meet the ADS-B mandate. Priced today at $2,199, it mounts on your port wingtip and simply replaces your existing red position light and includes a strobe light. It utilizes the original wiring (in most cases) and installs quickly, often in just two to four hours.
tailBeacon
The tailBeacon was certified in 2019 and simply replaces your white tail-position light, again, using the aircraft’s original wiring. Like the skyBeacon, the tailBeacon has an internal WAAS GPS, encoder and position light (no strobe) and provides ADS-B Out via UAT on 978 MHz. It is also priced at $2,199 and is even easier to install.
skySensor
The skySensor is a recent addition to the uAvionix line. It matches the skyBeacon in appearance and replaces your existing green starboard position light and includes the strobe. But there’s more! It is also a receiver that captures ADS-B WX and traffic and sends it wirelessly to your smart tablet. It is priced at $750, which is competitive with other portable ADS-B receivers, but it also upgrades your position light to LED, adds a strobe light to the starboard side, and eliminates the portable device on the glareshield (which can often be a bit cumbersome).
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