Your original point was that Diamond doesn't offer an NXi upgrade, but neither does Cirrus, as though Cirrus' lack of an offering vindicated Diamond. But Cirrus and Diamond owners are not in comparable situations so it's a false equivalency.chili4way wrote: ↑Wed Aug 03, 2022 12:53 am The Avidyne Cirrus aircraft were "modular" panels, like the steam gauge DA40s. Any element can be updated if an STC supports it, and there is no need to update and certify a system-level software component. Cirrus had the Avidyne Entegra displays, but it was not an integrated solution like the Cirrus Perspective "legacy" G1000 system. Cirrus did differently by waiting for the "complete system" (WAAS + GFC700) to be available before introducing their integrated avionics solution. Diamond and Cessna were early G1000 adopters, introducing non-WAAS systems from 2004-2007 before the DA40-XLS in 2008. An apples-to-apples comparison is a Perspective/XLS upgrade to Perspective+/"full" NXI offering (GIA64s+GMA1360+GFC700). I don't believe Cessna (or Garmin) offers this complete solution yet.
Here's why the "full NXI" overhaul is an appropriate solution to reference across manufacturers. As well-known, the legacy G1000 LRUs/hardware are no longer in production. Sooner or later (and hopefully later for current legacy owners), all legacy systems will need to have their avionics overhauled. The LRUs won't be repairable. When this will happen is a difficult question to answer.
Upgrading the GDU1040s to 1050s and calling it an "NXI system" evades this concern, even as it provides new features and better performance. And this Cessna solution is only available to existing WAAS/GDU63W airplanes. The Cessna 172s with the equivalent avionics to the 2004-2006 non-WAAS DA40-180s cannot be upgraded to "NXI" with the current incremental solution.
The unfortunate thing for non-WAAS legacy owners' aircraft was that the value of WAAS (i.e., availability of LPV approaches) didn't manifest until after the GIA63W was no longer in production. When it was available, it was hard to justify financially.
If WAAS is essential and immediately valuable to a legacy owner, the "half-price" cost of adding WAAS will be worth the effort. If not, starting to save for that eventual avionics overhaul is a good idea. It will still cost less than a new airplane.
Cirrus:
- Avidyne Entegra owners can upgrade to Vantage, and also upgrade their Garmin or Avidyne navigators and comms as needed. They need nothing from Cirrus because Avidyne and Garmin have invested in the STCs.
- Perspective owners all have WAAS and GFC700. It's true that there is no identified path to Perspective+, but also much less necessity since they can fly LPVs with an excellent autopilot. The day when 63Ws can no longer be serviced is not imminent.
Diamond:
- There are a significant number of G1000, non-WAAS, KAP140 owners with no path forward. They cannot fly LPVs and they have an older autopilot who's useful life is most certainly shorter than the GFC700.
The FAA's stated policy is to phase out VORs and ILSs at Delta and non-towered airports, substituting RNAV approaches which don't require maintenance of land based navigation systems. They have been implementing that policy for quite awhile and I have seen VOR and ILS approaches disappear from smaller Northern California airports. That means an airport where a Diamond could fly the ILS to 200' minimums, now must fly an LNAV with higher minimums.
Diamond did announce a program to provide the WAAS upgrade, but the "half price" offer is a mirage since the 63Ws aren't available. The program was dependent on Diamond owners upgrading from NXi Phase 1 to Phase 2 (Diamond's nomenclature), and swapping their 63W's for 64s. Those owners should do that, because Diamond has told us that Phase 1 is a dead end with no upgrade path. But the reality is that the volume of those upgrades, as was anticipated before Diamond announced the program, is insufficient to meet the demand for 63Ws. Diamond and Garmin were and are both well aware of this.
In the absence of any further supply of 63Ws from Garmin, those Diamond owners must leap all the way to NXi Phase 2 which is a certified configuration for Lycoming and Austro powered Diamond aircraft. It's not just an "appropriate solution", it is the only solution that can actually be implemented. That leap is probably $150K (warning: just a guess) and I think Diamond would be happy to do it at the factory; but there are no certified work instructions to enable the upgrade to be done at a DSC. It is the "only" solution because Garmin has refused to certify 63Ws that owners have located on their own from salvaged planes, eBay etc.
TDI powered Diamond's with a GIA63 and KAP140 are simply orphaned as there is no NXi certified configuration for those aircraft and Garmin isn't going to invest in the STC.
