Here’s what a $250,000 avionics upgrade looks like! [Cessna 414A + Garmin] Low IFR to KBGR

[@ChaseAviation]

Correction: This is a 1981 model 414A, not a 1978 as I said in the VoiceOver.

[@lee.schulz]

Wow! That is decent increase in useful load.

[@ChaseAviation]

Yep. I believe it was like a 200lb weight loss.

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Looking very nice. Thank you for sharing life in our industry.😊

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Sharing the results of the upgrade looks very nice!😊 The upgrade was what the owner wanted to have!!😊

[@LCRider13]

We just did a major Garmin complete panel upgrade to our 1994 Saratoga II HP. We had to make several trips back to the shop to get everything working correctly. Garmin has to work with the shop on each individual installation on these older airplanes. It is NOT plug and play. If you're not prepared for a little work after the initial istallation, best to just buy a new airplane with 1000Nxi from the factory.

[@ChaseAviation]

Couldn’t agree more. Being a part of this upgrade proved that when I do my own Cirrus, I’m going to do it with a more local-ish shop even if it’s a bit more expensive.

[@salcrocker894]

Mine was $130K, but well worth it! I have about half of what is in this one. It really makes single pilot IFR in my 421C safer!

[@ChaseAviation]

So much safer! It feels a little like cheating but in reality you just have a fighting chance now. Haha.

[@petermitchell7607]

Magnificent avionics👍

[@virapongching5988]

Great👍👍

[@N98858]

Nice Ride Guys... Thanks ';-)

[@dgtal2926]

Nice avionics setup. Do you know what grey color is that on your instrument panel. Maybe a prismatic powders color by any chance?

[@ChaseAviation]

Good question. I’ll ask and report back.

[@FlyingNDriving]

Looks nice, ipad is a bit too big for the yoke tho. I can feel the frustration of having to have a flight stream and chart for every unit... Classic Garmin nickel and diming

[@ChaseAviation]

Totally. An iPad mini would be best. There's some unit that's in there that will allow him to update just one, and then it will spit it out to all the others that need it. But that connectivity is currently experiencing technical difficulties.

[@lee.schulz]

How long did the upgrade take?

[@ChaseAviation]

It was like 8 or 9 months. It was huge. Lost like 100lbs in wiring alone.

[@Ttwister]

Offering a friends & family discount on the hats? J/k, fun video, thanks for sharing!

[@ChaseAviation]

Definitely! In person pickup though. Hey maybe we’ll swing by Kelowna on our way out west this summer.

[@Ttwister]

@@ChaseAviation We would like that, welcome anytime (just bring a hat). FYI, I pm'd you in Facebook.

[@DanteSwimsWithSharks]

Any chance this is for sale? Looking for cabin class twin Cessna

[@ChaseAviation]

I already called dibs! If you want to reach out via our contact page I’ll let you know if anything changes. chaseaviation.com/contact

[@frankplaayer8221]

I dunno.., in ‘92 I ferried a Mooney from San Diego to Hawaii with an ADF, only. But, if you’re a gazillonaire, why not?

[@ChaseAviation]

Goddang that’s awesome. Terrifying. But awesome.

[@frankplaayer8221]

@@ChaseAviation not that big a deal…you could do it tomorrow. Guaranteed.

[@edmoser5594]

You don’t see dual transponders often…

[@ChaseAviation]

Nope, not until you get into jets.

[@paulisapilot5916]

What is the advantage? Just redundancy?@@ChaseAviation

[@ChaseAviation]

@@paulisapilot5916 Yes. Not that losing a transponder is a crisis but if one ever fails (insanely rare) no need to change plans.

[@ChaseAviation]

For the fun of it, I asked the owner why he has two and essentially it's because the plane came with the second one (the GTX330ES on the right) so he kept it as a backup. Also, if he didn't do that, he would have had an ugly uneven stack.

[@PA30Crewchief]

iPad on the yoke is not ideal. A bit of forethought and it could have been located on a ram mount off of the panel itself. ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot integration with the Garmin navigators is transformational though and I use ForeFlight for all departure, enroute, arrival and approach planning. The only input I make on the GTNs themselves is vertical navigation for descent control.

[@ChaseAviation]

Yeah, I really want a FlightStream 510 or whatever GDL unit they’re using now to connect ForeFlight to the navigators. I’m still rocking G430A’s in my Cirrus.

[@cannon440]

$250,000.00 for an all-glass panel & you still need an IPAD?!

[@airloo]

250,000 upgrade stuff that is damn lot of money i cant afford...

[@ChaseAviation]

Ha! Same! I think it was a good investment though.

[@tobberfutooagain2628]

No.

[@ChaseAviation]

Wrong! 😂

[@DanFrederiksen]

Quarter of a million... Jesus. Speaking of jet, The Eclipse 500/550 starting at 1.1million actually has better mileage than the Cessna 414A. There may be annual check ride and servicing to consider since it's a jet and the parent company is on and off but it must be a very different experience to fly jet. The Eclipse is in a category of its own because there is no other twin jet that light which gives it fuel economy as good or better than piston twins. Something to consider. Also pratt and whitney have grossly overpriced the tiny engines at 911k a piece so don't buy one in need of 2 new engines. It goes to show that pistons should have been replaced by turbofan jets way back in 1960.

[@ChaseAviation]

Eclipse is a great jet and would have been amazing if it weren't for all the financial problems. I still maintain that had they put a Garmin avionics package in it, it would be one of the best selling light jets of all time. Trouble is, you still can't haul much in it! And a 414 you can!

[@DanFrederiksen]

@@ChaseAviation avionics can't be that important, can it? I think they died before they really got going and I suspect that pratt and whitney killed them with their extreme greed pricing. Eclipse should make their own engine. Roughly speaking a copy because there is nothing wrong with the small engine except for the price. Most of the turbine sections in it are about CD size. Size of your hand. That just doesn't cost a million dollars. Eclipse initially targeted half a million dollars retail for the entire plane. LAter when Williams didn't come through with the engine they stated the pratt would be about 150k a piece. pratt had other ideas. Imagine how the plane would sell if it cost 500k. Visionjet is selling used over 3million dollars. Eclipse is a much better plane except for no parachute.

[@FlightX101]

@@DanFrederiksen They are especially if you are a single pilot that likes to fly IFR. You don't have to go all out in $$$. Even just an autopilot and a modern GPS goes a long way and takes stress away in busy environments

[@DanFrederiksen]

@@FlightX101 of course great glass is great but is the difference from the Eclipse to garmin that significant.

[@jameshuggins7320]

@@DanFrederiksenno it is not if you can fly

[@rael5469]

$250,000 ????? That's cheap TAKE IT ! $250,000 is one inertial reference box in the A320.

[@ChaseAviation]

Exactly! It’s all so relative!

[@rael5469]

@@ChaseAviation Right....and your displays look purtier than the old Airbus displays. You're getting more bang for the buck. ;)

[@Limaxulu1]

What avionics shop did the mod ? It looks professional