Mixing large and small runways with twin-engine IFR safety is exceptional, that’s why the lightness of Thielert 2.0 liter engines is appealing.
Now, as ILS are rapidly being retired (Lyon Bron was a recent surprise), and many new GNSS approached being published, are Diamond and Garmin doing enough to keep "my/our type of flying" alive?
The issue is the current (mid-2019) DA42 impossibility of upgrading the G1000 to WAAS capabilities.
This June I attended Lyon Air Expo and the Paris Airshow at Le Bourget, where I spoke to Garmin and Diamond representatives. Garmin says there are no more GIA63W units for sale worldwide, period. The clean solution is to make the "legacy" G1000 compatible with the GIA64, successor to GIA63W, which has been done for TBMs and others...
Technically, this requires NXI upward compatibility, here is the story:
The “NXI” is the next generation of Avionics from Garmin. This Suite of Avionics that includes upgraded displays, upgraded audio panels, and a NEW GIA unit called a GIA64. Some versions of the NXI also function with the GIA63W, but crucially NOT with the GIA63 (legacy). So the NXI can be broken down into 2 “parts”:
As my DA42 is equipped with the legacy GIA63, the only path currently supported by existing Garmin architecture is an upgrade that replaces the GIA63 with a GIA64, and upgrades the displays at the same time (as the NEW NXI displays do not work with the legacy (non-WAAS GIA63).
There is no current NXi upgrade on the Market for the DA40/42 Aircraft, but I know Garmin and Diamond continue to discuss options on how upgrade could be implemented to support the legacy aircraft (which I estimate at 300). Such an upgrade is a major change to the Aircraft requiring a detailed certification process that will need resources from both Garmin & Diamond.
So what would St Exupery have written if he had had to replace his first Thielert 1.7 liter engines after 600 hours under a failed warranty? It was my case. And today, what would he say about the modular G1000 that is no longer WAAS upgradable? This modularity and upgradability was a big sale argument in 2004 when I ordered, specially if you remember the G1000-Avidyne battle was not settled then.
My intent with this Forum subject is to give to the community of 300 DA42 an update on this issue.
And above all, request from Garmin and Diamond they work together to quickly come up with a reasonably priced solution.
Because history repeats, this question needs a quick and honest answer.