We asked members to share their best advice for upgrading Cessna avionics. Many said that research is the most important first step and others named matching mission to equipment as their top tip. From specific product suggestions to tips on what not to do, this article will help you prep for your next panel upgrade.
Carlton Stidsen
Cessna 152
What are your three top tips for someone who’s preparing to upgrade their avionics?
Find a radio that works. Buy new, if you can afford it.
Stay away from fancy whistles and bells unless you really need them.
Don’t let your ego overcome your checkbook.
If you could change one thing about your avionics upgrade, what would it be?
Buy a new transceiver. I’m a VFR 152 driver and tired of 40-year-old, well-used radios crapping out when I need them. For navigation, ForeFlight on an iPad works fine for me for VFR when matched with printed sectionals and looking out the windshield.
What’s your favorite part about your avionics upgrade?
Giggling over all the goodies available before reality about price and mission sets in. It’s kind of like a kid at Christmas drooling over the window displays.
Frank Jungman
Cessna 172
What are your three top tips for someone who’s preparing to upgrade their avionics?
It will cost twice as much and take twice as long as you think it will.
Really look at what you need, what your mission is, and what is available to meet that need.
Elimination of the vacuum system, if in-reach, is worthwhile as you remove a lot of moving parts and weight.
If you could change one thing about your avionics upgrade, what would it be?
I would have dedicated more time to getting it done quickly. I severely underestimated the work.
What’s your favorite part about your avionics upgrade?
The uAvionix AV-30-C. That is a really easy-to-
install, beautiful device with AOA audio output.
Norman Clark
Cessna 182
What are your top tips for someone who’s preparing to upgrade their avionics?
Get several bids: cheaper doesn’t mean better. Ask each one what they are going to do and compare their responses. You will be surprised by the differences and what’s included/excluded in the price.
If you could change one thing about your avionics upgrade, what would it be?
I would have upgraded the engine monitor to a JP Instruments 930. At some point you just have to stop spending money. Right?
What’s your favorite part about your avionics upgrade?
Upgraded to get better situational awareness for single pilot IFR. The GFC 500 is awesome.
John Brain
Cessna P210
What are your three top tips for someone who’s preparing to upgrade their avionics?
Get a written estimate.
Get a written timeline.
When changes happen, get a change order with a cost breakdown.
If you could change one thing about your avionics upgrade, what would it be?
I would not change a thing about the panel, but I would have insisted on a timeline.
What’s your favorite part about your avionics upgrade?
The ease of use: touchscreens are so much easier than twisting knobs.
Rob Garrett
Cessna 182
What are your three top tips for someone who’s preparing to upgrade their avionics?
Research, research, research.
Understand your mission — VFR day/night, light IFR, or true IFR.
You might pay a little more but will forget the difference shortly after the install and enjoying the benefits.
What’s your favorite part about your avionics upgrade?
The preciseness of the glass avionics. You’re not reliant on a spinning vacuum pump. It has calculated TAS, ground speed, and wind direction. It also has ETA to destination displayed for passengers, ADS-B traffic notifications, and weather display. It has airport runway and frequency information, extended runway centerlines to locate the airport in weather or at night, and glideslope calculations even when no IFR approach exists.
Norbert Cooley
Cessna 177RG
What are your three top tips for someone who’s preparing to upgrade their avionics?
Do your research.
Analyze both short-term and long-term plans with upgrades particularly if you’re not doing a complete upgrade.
Once a decision is made, understand what you will have and what you will not have.
If you could change one thing about your avionics upgrade, what would it be?
Although everything is compatible, I would have installed a system from one manufacturer.
What’s your favorite part about your avionics upgrade?
The weight reduction and decluttering of the panel.
Paul Koehler
Cessna 182
What are your three top tips for someone who’s preparing to upgrade their avionics?
Do your homework and research potential shops — you need to trust the shop you choose and that relationship, once started, can last a long time so make your choice carefully and intentionally. Use social media, other pilots, and the shop website. Call the avionics manufacturer and ask about the shop to see if they are certified installers for your products. Visit the shop, see who they are and what type of planes they have in the shop — if you’re in a Skylane and their shop is full of Citations maybe you want a different shop. If you want Garmin and they have Dynon on every wall, you need to ask more questions: Is the shop clean? What is the backlog to get in? What is the estimated downtime? How much added money will you need for unforeseen “while the panel is open” issues? It’s really a marriage between you and the shop once they open the panel — choose your mate carefully.
Once you settle on your avionics wish list and narrow things down to a few shops, sit down for an hour with the shop manager and review what you want and the associated cost keeping your post-upgrade goal (heavy, light IFR, etc.) centered in the conversation. Open your ears and your mind and listen to what they say carefully. A good shop will give you solid advice that balances the practical and cost-effective while also seeing what you already know. Also, don’t think because you got a firm quote from a good shop that you will write a check for that amount and go home happy — far from it. And the older your airplane, the worse this gets — new GPS unit but keep old non-pullable breaker? Probably not. Replace five of 12 breakers and leave the rest? Probably not. Prepare yourself for unforeseen costs up to 50%.
Do your homework again and ask yourself what the purpose of the avionics upgrade is when it’s done. Is it heavy IFR where you need to be somewhere in all but the worst weather? Is it light IFR where you want a bigger options toolbox to get yourself out of a bad situation with weather? Or is it just to satisfy FAA requirements? Let that answer lead you to the best (not perfect, just best) avionics choices — remember also when you mix manufacturers of the different panel units you create an entirely new, and perhaps one-off, set of challenges for yourself and the shop. Be prepared to manage bugs, bugs, and more bugs, which may never end as each manufacturers’ later upgrades to their software will bring in a new set of bugs for you to enjoy.
If you could change one thing about your avionics upgrade, what would it be?
I failed on a detail — I added a “starter engaged” light after the upgrade and the labels don’t match the custom panel. Other than that, I got great advice and a great install, and I am still thrilled with my avionics suite every time I power it up three years later. And I am still learning about all the capabilities of each unit three years later — the pilot remains the most improvable part of the airplane.
What’s your favorite part about your avionics upgrade?
The integration and lack of “bugs” — it’s all Garmin except the JP Instruments EDM so they played well together from the day I picked the plane up. It hasn’t been perfect but it’s as close to perfect as I think we can get especially after hearing some horror stories from other guys who used a Dynon unit with a Garmin unit with another unit and they are still swatting bugs five years later as each unit software gets upgraded — yes it was more expensive but it was worth it to me.
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