In Beechtalk they’ve just put the KI300 back into Q2 (blaming it just a notch on the FAA shutdown which a sarcastic person could be tempted to call a lame excuse).
Well – we will see. My KFC150 works well, so no immediate call to action and if it were becoming urgent, it’s not that there aren’t autopilots available….
And then we have this:
…and a quote from a post about the KFC230 in beechtalk:
They call it the 230 Aerocruze; I’ll ask my avionics dealer (and one of the few left BK reps in Europe) whether or when it’s available. I can use it with my KEA130A or replace that with the KI300.
QED… I am currently trying to find out the price and limitations such as which HSI and altimeter it needs.
I can use it with my KEA130A or replace that with the KI300.
Perhaps you mean you can use it with a KI256, or replace that with the KI300.
The KEA130A encoding altimeter, you are stuck with, AFAIK.
There is a variety of encoding altimeters, including ARINC429-output ones. No idea what the KFC230 STC covers.
Latest from the US:
They are shipping, but only if you’re using BK’s old attitude indicators.. The AP needs an attitude source and will work with legacy KFC150 components now. BK is currently approving the G500, then Aspen by second quarter of next year, then the KI-300… KAP150 is not yet approved because the attitude source/display are different.
There appear to be substantial interface limitations on the KFC230. I have this info:
The KFC230 cannot consume “analog” attitude, e.g.
KI256 – it has no input circuitry for that. That’s why BK advertises the
KI300/KFC230 digital combo. But the KI300/310 has not
been certified as an attitude source yet. Not to say that the KFC230 needs
a digital air data source, too.
BK is in a trap. They have a few genuine (bad) and re-branded (maybe
better) products but they are often un-integrateble together. And
absolutely not AML-STCable as they dream about. They are not going to say
this loud but this is the main reason why they cannot deliver anything.
Also I have this from the US:
Only the KFC 150 servos can be re-used with the KFC230. Otherwise, you will have to spend 30K or more to upgrade to the 230 from any other autopilot.
Which is a good thing, no ? The KFC150 is a pretty common AP and if this is a plug and play solution, we can save some money.