Mooney_Driver wrote:
It’s a question or practicability.
Then you should have written that and not that the King unit couldn’t be legally used if the GTN broke. There is no reason for us, the flying community, to spread FUD.
Peter
That would really surprise me, since countries without LPV approaches would strongly object in committee, and the UK is not the only one with few (or none).
LPV will fully replace ILS within a few years, this is very present in France and will come everywhere else too. LPV approaches simply are much cheaper and all which counts these days is cash. ILS donˆt get replaced they get decomissioned and thrown out. All VORs are going. Yea, for the moment you can still do with non lpv but this will change faster than we all want.
When I did my upgrade, I did not consider that and was told in the last moment by my flight instructor that they needed LPV to continue using the plane for IFR training as they use several places which have it I needed the extra 4k cost like a hole in the head but they have flown LPV approaches quite a lot since. One primary alternate to ZRH for us here has only got an LPV approach (Donaueschingen) an many will follow.
A GNS430 / GNS430W / GTN650 is quite poor by itself due to the very tiny map. Sure you can fly with it, and many do, but much of the Eurocontrol IFR game is tactically pressing for shortcuts, and one really benefits from another box with a large screen.
for me the GNS series is the lowest possible thing you can do, and Iˆd even say it does not make sense to install a 430W as the new ones are not that much more expensive. But if you are doing this on a shoesting budget, then even a normal 430 (upgradable) will beat a installation of an old king GPS and a 8.33 com. For IFR, non WAAS is saving in the wrong place.
GNS430’s are quite common, a lot of planes have them and they can quite easily be upgraded to WAAs or replaced by an IFD440. If I had a blank canvas plane like this one, obviously iˆd go for a larger screen. Look at the Mooney I linked, that is what an up to date upgrade looks like these days.
planes with 430/530 combos (preferrably W) are also common and not as expensive anymore as they used to, but the advantage is they are ready to fly IFR and not like this Piper an upgrade project.
The big difference is, do you upgrade because you have to to achieve a certain end or do you have a legally flyable IFR airplane like you doˋ? obviously you can continue flying like this until you find it too limiting. But a plane which has basically an empty panel should be if at all upgraded so it makes sense for the future.
LPV will fully replace ILS within a few years, this is very present in France and will come everywhere else too.
You want to bet a full tank of TKS fluid on that? 
What is “light/hard IFR” all I can think of are operating ceiling (able to climb higher than 10K or 20K feets), icing (yes/no)…
I doubt these are relevant for the kind of weather around south Spain, so a PA28 may do the job?
the rest is more a matter of convenience (long legs need high TAS and autopilot), tough high airspeed may give more options vs weather changes if you are not in “diversions state of mind”…
Then flying a SEP mainly over water is a different question, especially in Winter/IMC, for this a PA28 may do the job as long as water temp is high than 25 degres :)
I might add that uttermost availability is not in question. If we want to go to Mallorca and the weather is bad we’d take SleazyJet or Swiss ;-). But if weather is nice and predictable and the Mediterranean Sea has a survivalable temperature the PA28 would be an option as for driving to ZHR or BSL, checking in, flying and until we land that are usually 6-7 hours. Hopping into the Archer at the field 5 min. from home having done all preflight jobs it’s 4-5 h and landing somewhere in southern France for customs and refueling adds another hour. So basically the same, except for the Archer doing this trip for more money AND more fun than SleazyJet….
Neal had already posted a sensible option based on the previous post/advice and is where I would be too.
Buy the cheap aircraft, maybe tinker with it a bit and enjoy the introduction to ownership with all the benefits that come with that (while hoping not to experience too many of the possible negatives)
Study for, and gain the IR by whatever appropriate option. Then look for an upgrade (forever) aircraft suitable for the future missions, bringing to the table a little more ownership experience for the new purchase.
GA_Pete wrote:
Buy the cheap aircraft, maybe tinker with it a bit and enjoy the introduction to ownership with all the benefits that come with that (while hoping not to experience too many of the possible negatives)
Thank you GA_Pete that is what my intentions are.
I did agree to buy the Archer II. This her current state. I’d want an upgrade of the com to a Garmin 255 (intercom and Audio), add a silencer to get from noise cat. C to D and possibly an engine monitor EI-CGR30P as an JP EDM 930 wouldn’t be certified as a primary instrument, but I am not sure about that.
And then fly VFR with a Garmin Aera 660 and the iPad with Skydemon/FF so far and then later go for the CB-IR and then decide what to do with the A/C
[ photos fixed – please see Posting Tips for the drag/drop method ]
Congratulations !!
The interior seems nice, that’s a good point.
Maybe a JPi FS450 would be enough to monitor a carb O-360, and will give you extra practical range for a small cost.
If you really plan to go IR with her, switching a Garmin style gps/radio/nav, may spare you some money you are going to speed anyway, unless impossible for cash availability reason.
Nice and clean anyway.
