New integrated AI instrument from uAvionics - AV30

This is from the Uavionix takeover of Aerovonics.

What they need to do is emulate the pitch/roll LVDT feature of the KI256, get it STCd as a replacement for it, and they can flog any number of them at say 5k

How are they expecting to ship them next week when it says ‘certification pending’? Still, I think if the autopilot adapter is reasonable priced and it is allowed to drive autopilots with flight directors then they’ll sell a lot of them

I wouldn’t count on it. Vaporware at this time. Apparently Garmin has something coming for the G5-crowd in the next few days. Maybe we finally get our connectibility with the King autopilots…

Oh great. I didn’t think they were going to do it to get people to buy a GFC 500.

G5’s will drive King APs, they just won’t provide attitude data (HSI mode, not AI).
By the time you look at a KI256 overhaul and a servo repair for a KFC the installed price of a GFC-500 might not look all that bad. GPSS thrown in for free.
And if you look at the TruTrak and company, as they mature, the balance sheet looks even better.
And if Dynon can get their AP for the HDX out of the certification black hole…
And, and, and.

Just don’t use the AV-20 as a AoA indicator!

By the time you look at a KI256 overhaul and a servo repair for a KFC the installed price of a GFC-500 might not look all that bad. GPSS thrown in for free.
And if you look at the TruTrak and company, as they mature, the balance sheet looks even better.
And if Dynon can get their AP for the HDX out of the certification black hole…

I think these are side-shows and/or vapourware.

Nobody has yet done a standalone KI256 replacement and even though it is technically easy and has been for decades, it doesn’t look like anybody will, and the market is gradually disappearing as the old boxes get ripped out, planes scrapped, etc. I am working on a product at work which has 10x more CPU power than a KC225 and I might knock up a KI256 lookalike with it, just for a laugh The AV30 has both airdata and GPS inputs by the looks of it so they could implement the background erection which is required for certified AHRS based boxes. But I doubt that is an exciting and fashionable market though.

The new “cheap” autopilots can’t do ILS or don’t have pitch trim so they are a bit of a joke, especially in Europe.

The AV30, when certified (TSOd at least) looks like a good backup instrument, for applications where no connectivity to anything is required. For that you just need a TSO.

Peter said: “The new “cheap” autopilots can’t do ILS or don’t have pitch trim so they are a bit of a joke, especially in Europe.”

The Garmin GFC500 is in the same market as TruTrak or Dynon and does have pitch trim and ILS coupling!

The Garmin GFC500 is in the same market as TruTrak or Dynon and does have pitch trim and ILS coupling!

A lot of detail involved there… available STCs, costs…

On the AV30, if one goes back say 10 years, Aero Friedrichshafen was full of these things. Usually a bit bigger than the AV30 but basically a box with some computer board inside, an off the shelf AHRS module, a GPS module, a colour LCD, and somebody sat down and knocked up what is called a PFD. All literally homebuilt and would never see certification. You could add a couple of pressure sensors for the pitot and static inputs, like the AV30 has. Then using some off the shelf graphics library you have a load of fun designing the lovely display… I knew a guy about 25 years ago who could knock this sort of display up in Borland Delphi in a day or two.

I wish them luck but doing something seriously useful takes a lot longer, and then you have to push the paperwork through the FAA.

The AV-30 got FAA certified – see here for details. $2000. They still promise AP compatibility later this year.
The AML is pretty broad – and yes, it does include the TB series, for whatever reason doesn’t list the Mooney M20K (it does many other M20 models).