boscomantico wrote:
Will you be getting the GFC 500 in a second step? The capability vs. that old Century I will be worlds apart…
That is the plan – the recent upgrade was done with that in mind. There is space for it at the bottom of the stack. Coincidentally I received the estimate from Bournemouth Avionics this morning. I was told the earliest installation date would be September, but I may need a little longer for my finances to recover first!
The Century I does work with the new installation, in its own sluggish way, but no match at all for the GFC 500 of course. Final item on my wish list is a JPI EDM-900, though I haven’t yet checked if there’s an EASA STC for it.
Bournemouth Avionics are excellent; I have had a lot of work done there and it’s always first class.
But they check functionality on the ground and leave the owner to do the flight check. I prefer that anyway.
I asked myself the same question right from the start of this thread. Who is the avionic installer that doesn’ t finish his job?
Will you be getting the GFC500 in a second step? The capability vs. that old Century I will be worlds apart…
You’ve gained a lot of functionality without disturbing your panel too much, and it looks like a neat install. Well done!
Did your installer not have the ability to do the flight check? For people doing an upgrade far away from their base, it’s not ideal to discover issues on pick up!
Very many thanks to @Timothy for his assistance with the test flight last week. Basically I flew where he directed as he tested the avionics functionality. No way could I have done that myself. I also received some welcome IR familiarisation along the way. You’re a scholar and a gentleman Timothy!
For anyone interested here are before and after pictures of the panel:
An easy ILS is Lydd EGMD. Phone them with the CC afterwards; £20, IIRC. It is what I normally fly. They prefer you book it with them a few hours beforehand.
I am not suggesting anybody does this 
but if you extrapolate the EGMD ILS backwards, you have quite a long bit in Class G which is nowhere near the published IAP, and this is handy for a quick LOC+GS avionics test, starting at 5400ft.
Christopher wrote:
Thanks for the useful information. How long should I allow for the duration of the test flight?
I would allow about 45 minutes if Bournemouth or Southampton will have us. Obviously longer if we have to go further (probably Lydd).
Brian knows me well, so if we do find any problems I’ll be able to explain them quickly to him (he knows I know what I am talking about.)
1-2 hours. Depends on how busy Bournemouth are. Call them beforehand and try to arrive 11-3 for their quieter periods. Otherwise it’s how hard you want to work that 172!
@Timothy – That’s brilliant, thanks! I may well contact you nearer the date depending on how things pan out.
@yappmeister – Thanks for the useful information. How long should I allow for the duration of the test flight?
Just did the same test out of Lee on Solent on Wednesday (for GTN 750/650 installation). Good position – get to Bournemouth for the ILS then when departing on VFR exit to the south once you get near the Isle of Wight you are about 50NM from Shoreham for the VHF check, then to GWC for the VOR. Simples! Plus if you have the terrain alerting check it can be done over the water (hint: check the next page of the STC IM…).
J
