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Any interest in a GFC500 STC for a Robin DR400?

Garmin autopilot STC anyone ?

I think when I ll get the STC EuroGA members will speak about space trips !

PPG
LFNV

It may be that the only way to get an N-reg Robin is to ship one to the US and – since it has no FAA TC – put it on the Experimental certificate.

This has been done for avionics testing; Avidyne used a Bonanza like that, IIRC, to test pre-certified IFD boxes. The pilot wrote about it on some US site.

An EASA STC done from scratch will be cheaper

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Lucky guy !!!

To share the answer. RIP autopilot, I’ll continue to be a real pilot 😄

Hi Pierre,

The Robins with the S-TEC autopilot were installed at the factory and were only for the DR400 / 180. For S-TEC to complete an STC we require a minimum commitment of (15) aircraft owners placing purchase orders with us prior to starting the certification. The hurdle that makes it difficult is that the STSC aircraft has to be “N” registered and based in the U.S. and made available for us to complete the installation and test flights in Mineral Wells, Texas.

The other option is for a dealer familiar with the STC process to work with us to complete the STC at their facility but this is very costly at an estimated $100K+.


Don Foster
Sales Manager – Europe
P: +1 817-215-7600
M: +1 940-654-0302
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.genesys-aerosystems.com

PPG
LFNV

Whilst not a Robin, I’m going to be installing a GFC500 in the husky in a couple of months. I’m hoping the price won’t be too excessive. However I think the safety and benefits of having it in will be worth it and worth the small net weight penalty. I’ve heard a lot of good things about the gfc500 so I hope they’re true.

Peter wrote:

The EASA fees are not big.

https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/PDF/?uri=CELEX:32019R2153&from=EN
EASA fees and charges
Flat fee for major mod, 1200-2700kg, p.50, in EUR
Complex Sig­nificant: 4230
Significant: 1360
Standard: 610
Simple: 310

Not that much.

EGTR

I mean if someone built his own Jodel, stuffed a whole load of this equipment in it, and tested it and it worked safely, the owner could fly that aircraft. In some countries the pilot could even use all the equipment to the full in the experimental category.

This is the quid pro quo in aviation. Uncertified aircraft have many operating limitations.

In fact I know only few people want to share high cost for a STC but there is a lot of skills in GA community what can we save doing ourselves paperwork ?

The EASA fees are not big. I recall somebody doing a Major Mod for vortex generators for a Twin Com. The guy knew EASA inside out and did it all himself, for 3 figures. He now works in EASA full-time. An STC would be more I am sure but probably not much.

I think the challenge is that there are very few people who know the process and who are not already making a living out of an EASA Part 21 DOA which makes its money from (a) charging a client for the design work and then – regardless of whether the client has paid for the design – (b) selling the STC to as many people as possible It is the same in the FAA scene: avionics shops in Europe charge the client for a DER 8110 package, say a few k, and then they sell that to other customers. And the people who know how to do this are not likely to be freelancing for nothing.

And even if you produced a Robin STC at your own expense and tried to sell it for say 1k, how many would you sell to the community? 10? With an autopilot with 3 servos, you are talking about an installation costing of the order of €30k. Even if you gave away the STC for nothing, you would IMHO do well to give away 10 STCs. People are simply not spending that sort of money on planes which are worth only that much, or maybe a bit more. €200k would be a different proposition.

I am saying this because this has come up many times and most times it is a bit of a disaster.

Genesys will do an STC for the S-Tec 3100 if they have on the order of magnitude of 10 to 20 orders, with some group discount or extended warranty.

Very possibly but getting 10-20 TB owners (planes worth say 100-180k) to commit to some $$$ is like getting 10-20 cats to sit in a line It’s been tried and practically nobody sticks their hand in their pocket. Same with other proposed projects e.g. a Tornado Alley turbo for the TB20; I think most just sold the TB20 and bought and SR22T STC group funding is hard work.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

There has been an ongoing attempt to do a GFC500 for the TBs and it has been taking years, with very few owners interested in participating.

In my experience, Genesys will do an STC for the S-Tec 3100 if they have on the order of magnitude of 10 to 20 orders, with some group discount or extended warranty.

ELLX

I agree, you just dream reading advertisment in magazines to understand how good are such equipment to improve your safety. You can install it in experimental or ultralight and US planes (STC exists)….
You can’t install new avionic and everybody is using an Ipad to do almost everything. Is there a plane flying without tablet ?
AP is a bit more tricky because of mechanic aspects of the device, I agree.

PPG
LFNV

The problem is I just do not understand why if a piece of avionics equipment works, and is certified as such, it costs big money to write a certificate to say it can be used in such and such an aircraft, especially if there is no real safety reason why not.
I mean if someone built his own Jodel, stuffed a whole load of this equipment in it, and tested it and it worked safely, the owner could fly that aircraft. In some countries the pilot could even use all the equipment to the full in the experimental category. So it’s not the testing that costs the money.And we know what the equipment costs and the installation or at least we can find out.
That just leaves the great unknown the cost of the STC.What exactly does that consist of.
A design for installation, paperwork, testing to do things the owner may never want to do, more paperwork, a maintenance and future testing regime, more paperwork. And all this done by people who receive the same hourly rate as a top barrister. I can only assume that that is why companies as large as Garmin think it’s too expensive to get one for certain makes of aircraft:( And sadly many owners have been burned trying to get one and failing.:((

France
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