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How proven does technology in GA have to be before people will trust it?

I think it’s obvious that most newcomers into this field have not asked themselves that question!

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

I personally think there are two kinds of people out there.

Those who will want the latest technology at all times. They camp outside the Apple Store for the new Iphone, they pre-order a new VLJ decades before it gets eventually certified, they buy the latest car the moment it comes out and they upgrade their planes with the latest gadgets the day they hit the street. Several hip companies such as Cirrus or Apple live of these people.

Many regard those as snobs or technofreaks, but in the end, they are the ones who do the beta testing for all of us at no small personal risk often enough, mostly financially.

Then there are those who will want something to have been thorougly tested and proven before they will touch it. Again, it is a question of personal taste but there are some who still look at 20 year old technology with suspicion. If it was for some of them, we´d never made it out of the caves! They profit of the aforementioned group as they can get their discarded toys for a fraction of the price the first group pais for them and can then also profit from the fact that by the time they get them, all the theeting problems have been taken care of.

Personally I am in between the two. Most of the time I will buy used out of simple financial need. My phones, my avionic and most of my other stuff is a few years behind the current bees knees products. But I can at least afford them without breaking the bank (or get a credit).

As for trust: highly individual and highly dependent on the brand as well. In Aviation, I suppose not many people will wait too long before trusting a new Garmin gadget but will often wait years before they comit to other makes, often enough with good reason. In avionics in particular, I personally will not even look at something which has not yet gotten certification: Chances are it will never get them so they might as well not exist. Once they do get certified, it will take a few years before prices get to a point where they are affordable too.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

Yet, the same people who are so conservative in GA purchases are probably flying with the latest Iphone X which they bought a day after it came out.

And I bet people are much more conservative on say an engine or aircraft choice than they would be on an avionics choice.

So I think there must be some reasoning behind this. Presumably, the Iphone X isn’t going to kill you if it packs up.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Aircraft and engines last a long time, very likely outlive their manufacturer, and to preserve practicality and resale value in a certified product there needs to be aftermarket parts and service suppliers that generally do not exist for anything new. Also, new is much more likely to become out of business in the short term.

I spent about eight years full time leading a team in development of a very innovative machine that didn’t in the end go into service. More recently I’ve spent 6 years developing another highly innovative machine that may go into service some day, if the correctly very conservative market can be convinced to buy it. That leads to heightened awareness of the value of development and infrastructure when spending my own money on my own stuff. I don’t run my life like the R&D department of a company, where 80% of everything doesn’t work out.

Re phones, I get a new iPhone every 12-24 months from my employer so I don’t worry about the long term practicality of iPhones much. My wife still has an iPhone 3G she uses just to receive Internet radio. It must be the only iPhone 3 on the planet still running regularly

Last Edited by Silvaire at 23 Apr 14:35

Many people still don’t trust wood-and-fabric.

Maoraigh
EGPE, United Kingdom

The certification process is a good milestone / barrier?

The certification process is a good milestone / barrier?

However, you can’t normally buy something until it is certified.

People don’t seem to trust most stuff even after it is certified.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Trust is not the operative word, ‘data’ might be a better one…

http://www.pubtec.com.br/skin/default/arquivos/documentos/12/SSP_1776.pdf

I think the question might be better phrased “Why does today’s aviation market (in contrast to other 2018 markets) continue to resist buying new products for which no useful technical data or aftermarket support is available, or likely to become available”?

Last Edited by Silvaire at 27 Apr 15:00
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