Lowest Cost GPS IFR system?

I'm currently flying VFR in a vfr equipped plane. What would be the lowest
cost GPS based instrument system I could install and be legal for IFR
flying?

I looked through the last six months of this newsgroup, but didn't see a FAQ
or the answer to the above, so I hope it won't be something that was just
hashed out.

thanks,
tom pettit

tom pettit <tompet<at>peak wrote:
> I'm currently flying VFR in a vfr equipped plane. What would be the lowest
> cost GPS based instrument system I could install and be legal for IFR
> flying?

Maybe something in the Apollo GX50/55/60/65 series? You'll find, though, that
the cost of installation is a big part of making it IFR, so if you're going to
spend a lot on installation, it seems a shame to waste it on a cheap unit.

On 11/18/2005 13:28, tom pettit <tompet<at>peak wrote:

> I'm currently flying VFR in a vfr equipped plane. What would be the lowest
> cost GPS based instrument system I could install and be legal for IFR
> flying?
>
> I looked through the last six months of this newsgroup, but didn't see a FAQ
> or the answer to the above, so I hope it won't be something that was just
> hashed out.
>
> thanks,
> tom pettit
>
>

Keep in mind that it takes a specific unit (a TSO one forty something
rather than the TSO 129... I'm not sure I have those number correct) for
the GPS unit to be used as the sole means of IFR navigation.

I mention this, because you said your plane is not currently IFR
capable. In order to use one of the TSO 129 certified GPS units for
IFR flight, the plane must still have the navigation equipment on
board for the ground based navigation aids along the route of flight.

Does any of this apply to you?

If not, sorry if I misunderstood your situation.


--
Mark Hansen, PP-ASEL, Instrument Airplane
Sacramento, CA

Dave Butler wrote On 11/18/05 13:57,:
> tom pettit <tompet<at>peak wrote:
>
>>I'm currently flying VFR in a vfr equipped plane. What would be the lowest
>>cost GPS based instrument system I could install and be legal for IFR
>>flying?
>
>
> Maybe something in the Apollo GX50/55/60/65 series? You'll find, though, that
> the cost of installation is a big part of making it IFR, so if you're going to
> spend a lot on installation, it seems a shame to waste it on a cheap unit.

I went through this calculation way back in 2000 or so. I even had the advantage
of having a loran that would have had an upgradable pinout to the Apollo.
I went 430 and am happy with that decision. I doubt it would have saved any
real money in any case.

I have the GX55 in my Bonanza. They are approx $2K plus install. You
can install it either VFR only or IFR terminal/enroute. To be legal to
accept a direct clearance you will have to get it legal for
terminal/enroute. The GPS can be finnicky and it might cost hardly
anything up to a couple thousand to get it IFR legal. There are some
tests that the shop will run to make it legal, call any avionics shop
and they will tell you what is involved.

tom pettit <tompet<at>peak wrote:
> I'm currently flying VFR in a vfr equipped plane. What would be the lowest
> cost GPS based instrument system I could install and be legal for IFR
> flying?
>
> I looked through the last six months of this newsgroup, but didn't see a FAQ
> or the answer to the above, so I hope it won't be something that was just
> hashed out.
>
> thanks,
> tom pettit
>
>

tom pettit <tompet<at>peak wrote:

> I don't currently have any navigation equipment. I was hoping that a
> single, certified, gps unit could be used as primary, with an uncertified
> unit as back up. I was hoping I didn't need anything else. Reading the
> FARS it isn't very specific, or more likely, I just don't know enough about
> this stuff yet.

Any real IFR work without a navcomm isn't practical.

Since the bulk of the cost is installation the actual GPS unit you
select will not have a dramatic effect on end price. A GNS430 is about
$11,000 installed here. Any other GPS is + or - $1000 or so.

Robert M. Gary wrote:
> Since the bulk of the cost is installation the actual GPS unit you
> select will not have a dramatic effect on end price. A GNS430 is about
> $11,000 installed here. Any other GPS is + or - $1000 or so.

Not necessarily. The GX55 I had in my 182 and now in the Bonanza costs
nothing to install if you replaced a loran in the process and the loran
antenna was on top of the fuselage. The expense will be in getting it
legal for IFR. An terminal/enroute only box costs far less to get legal
than an approach box.

Tom,
Used Bendix King, Apollo, Or even Northstar if you can find it.
Like others have said the cost for installation is significant.
I installed a KLN-90B 10 years ago. At the time it had the most bells
and whistles out there and was the easiest to use. It was also the most
expensive. By today's standards it is dog meat. It has over 1000 hours
on it without a problem. Solid, reliable. You will also need a display
for annunciation's and a deviation indicator.
I chose an HSI switched between NAV 1 and the GPS. That lasted for 9
years and then I replaced it with and updated one.
Michelle

tom pettit <tompet<at>peak wrote:

>I'm currently flying VFR in a vfr equipped plane. What would be the lowest
>cost GPS based instrument system I could install and be legal for IFR
>flying?
>
>I looked through the last six months of this newsgroup, but didn't see a FAQ
>or the answer to the above, so I hope it won't be something that was just
>hashed out.
>
>thanks,
>tom pettit
>
>
>
>

So how come I can't just use the gps alone? It seems like it is much more
flexible, and then I wouldn't be as dependent on what ground based stuff was
available.
tom

> Basically, what this all boils down to, is this: If you have a
> IFR-certified GPS system (TSO-129 certified), like the Garmin
> GNS 430, you can use it for IFR operations, but the plane needs
> to be equipped with the typical IFR navigation radios anyway.