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Are GTN650 owners generally happy with their purchase?

My usual bleat: people are welcome to come to my sim in Epsom and play with GNS, GTN and/or G1000. At present I only have GNS430W and GTN750, but 530W and 650 can be added for a grand investment of $49.95 each, so worth doing before you commit yourself!

EGKB Biggin Hill

William,

I put a 650 in SA shortly after I bought it from you, and I’m 100% happy with it.

The screen size is irrelevant if you add Flightstream to pair with a phone and/or tablet which then act as removable MFDs (each with own battery power and redundant GPS receivers).

Budget for a GMA as well, and you will have voice control so you hardly have to touch the 650’s screen in flight – not that I’ve ever found that a problem in turbulence.

Take up Timothy’s offer, or come and play with SA in SW Scotland.

Glenswinton, SW Scotland, United Kingdom

My wife had a GTN in the Grumman Tiger she had in Houston, and had no complaints.

Andreas IOM

I flew 50+ hours with a GTN 650 in my previous shareoplane (AA-5) and thought that it was very good. Caveat that with at that point I had not flown with any other installed GPS that I used as anything other than a map.

The new, to me, shareoplane has a GNS430 (not W) which I had tried and failed to use in club aeroplanes. It is an ergonomic nightmare. However, after 25 hours in this aeroplane (Maule) and a lot of hours with the X-plane emulation, the Garmin simulator and a Garmin video ( https://www.garmin.com/en-US/learning-center/gns-430-530 ), I can now manage it. We (the group) have talked about replacing the 430 and while we might like to have a GTN, not so much as to spend that much money (I got a quote from a local dealer).

We are VFR pilots who do a bit of IMC occasionally rather than full-on IFR pilots (yes, I know the arguments but it has made my life a lot easier and safer when I need it.)

strip near EGGW

Joe-fbs wrote:

ergonomic nightmare

I know one person who has a GTN and a GNS in crossfill and chooses to do everything, including radio, on the GNS.

Go figure!

EGKB Biggin Hill

I had a GNS530W and upgraded to a GTN750. I would have considered it a downgrade from the GNS530W to go to the GTN650. I just do not like the UI.of the GTN650, even with the recent improvements. I also find myself a frequent user of my GMA35 Voice commands for the GTN750 as it is sometimes awkward to switch views without the voice.

KUZA, United States

The 750 UI is much better than 650 and if you can afford both the money and the panel space, it’s well worth it.

However, are you aware just how configurable is the UI (on both boxes)? I have changed most fields to a button (because the data is on the glass.)

EGKB Biggin Hill

Timothy wrote:

I have changed most fields to a button (because the data is on the glass.)

Hi Timothy,

Would it be possible to ask you to give some examples (with photo(s))?

Thanks!

EGTR

I can’t offer photos, and the two aircraft I fly are set up differently (one has Connext and telephone, for example, and the other hasn’t) but I have mocked up in the trainer roughly how they are set up:
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EGKB Biggin Hill

That’s interesting, I’d always found the function and page menus very greyed out and inaccessible on the 650.
But I have now found that the map page allows access to the function and page menus on the bottom right hand field only, and the top fields of the default page only. Weird!

EGNS, Other
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