Yes, but a s/h GNS430W coupled with a non-certified EFIS and AP gives you an enormous amount of functionality without anything like the cost of all-certified equipment.
Have you taken a look at Norman’s set-up?
In the UK for IFR in homebuilds, we are going to require a certified GPS, same as we have certified radios. It will require testing yearly similar to present certified kit.
You can probably see what I am getting at: if European “homebuilts” get IFR privileges, will these be worth anything?
Peter, for approaches think of the Dynon like a KFC150 and HSI. It does the same job. The external GTN/GNS drives the Dynon HSI. The Dynon’s HSI drives its internal autopilot. It will follow the needles including track and pitch so will fly any approach the HSI is following.
FYI LAA have set out some of the basic permit IFR requirements in an article in September’s “Popular Flying”. The editor has kindly agreed to publish the article for all on their website in due course so here is an extract:
Extract:
So uncertified EFIS can be approved for IFR and the Dynon kit will be at the top of the evaluation list i’m sure.
Now let me think about this ? ……….GPS LVP approach with a non certified GPS ?? ……….. As you break out of the 200 ft overcast is that the runway environment ?……………. Or is it Tesco’s car park ?
As you break out of the 200 ft overcast is that the runway environment ?……………. Or is it Tesco’s car park ?
It should actually work OK.
The lateral (and vertical if applicable) nav is provided by the certified GPS box. This outputs the lateral guidance either analog or ARINC429 to the “PFD” which then drives the autopilot. Same for the vertical guidance and this will be analog in all cases AFAIK (no ARINC429 option for a glideslope – conventional ILS or LPV).
The debate then comes down to whether an uncertified PFD/HSI/autopilot/whatever is good enough, and they probably can’t be any worse than the certified stuff much of which has clearly utterly bogus certifications which carry on only because nobody wants an AD grounding thousands of airframes including some spectacular cases like almost every Cessna Caravan made between 1999 and 2003
Except for a possible ARINC429 to analog conversion for the lateral guidance (which is done in “roll steering” – but do any uncertified avionics actually do this anyway?) the uncertified equipment signal path is just passing through the GPS-generated guidance.
The key thing is that the decoding of the GPS signal into the L+V deviations will be done using a certified GPS.
I also didn’t know for sure (though suspected) that there are no uncertified GPS boxes which can fly GPS approaches of any kind.
Peter, I hope you are correct ! The last thing I want to see is a permit aircraft involved in an accident that puts the permit aircraft IFR in doubt.
From what I have been able to find out, US Experimentals need to have equipment complying with FAR 91.205 (d) before they can fly IFR.
That isn’t very much, but in Europe we have RNAV1 (PRNAV) as potentially relevant, and LPV as perhaps more relevant in the coming years, and all these need certified boxes.
I wouldn’t expect any changes to this. It is quite liberal you CAN fly IFR with experimental in some countries.
Just found this one pages 27 and beyond: MGL Avionics EFIS will do a virtual ILS (called GLS) based on GPS (LPV like)
Next finding: GRT has now implemented IFR approaches in their EFIS GPS software. According to their manual and website, they have access to both the FAA and Jeppesen approach database.
It is today not certified, so cannot be used for real IFR, but I would expect that their strategy is to get it certified. GRT ask USD750 for the software license and you need their certified 2020 GPS solution at USD495.
Would be good that other certified EFIS coming from the experimental world, read Dynon, are also thinking along this road… That would enable their certified customer base to get access to a complete avionics solution (2 EFIS screens, integrated certified GPS, 2 COM, ADS-B transponder, autopilot, EMS, 3rd EFIS as backup) for less than USD30K excluding install.
A downgraded version with 1 screen is at USD16K.
That would shaken the market!