Weather Options

Upgrade 530 to WAAS

Probably better to replace it with a GTN unit? Shouldn't cost that much more but gives you a better and future proof product.

Perhaps provide power and data connections from 530W to a Garmin 795?

You can't connect the certified 530 to the non certified 795.

For example, the ADL110 looks to be good value. Can its data be displayed on a 530?

The other way around. The GPS position and flight plan is transmitted from the 530 to the ADL which got its own screen.

There are the very expensive Iridium solutions from Garmin and Avidyne (better spend that money on an Aspen!), the ADL as an attractively priced product, Moving Terrain (a bit more expensive) and the do-it-yourself solutions using satellite phones.

You can't connect the certified 530 to the non certified 795.

Maybe not legally (well, it won't be in the STC ) but nothing physically stops you bringing out the RS232 NMEA data from the 530 onto a little connector, and then feeding that to whatever portable device can make use of it. Connecting TAWS audio from a portable GPS into the aircraft intercom is another example...

It's the same argument as having a power connector on the panel, for powering a handheld GPS, etc. It contravenes the aircraft Type Certificate but everybody does it. The FAA announced a clampdown on this a few years ago and promptly climbed down after the expected uproar.

Does the 795 have a RS232 NMEA flight plan input? I have a very vague recollection that the 395/496 range could do something like this, but maybe it was just a one-way "flight plan crossfill" function. The G496 shows a "data in" which is probably that

I can't see the Ipad mount needs EASA approval. I also can't see how it could possibly be approved. Just screw it on, obviously making sure the result does not obstruct any instruments (usually it does!) and does not interfere with the full movement of the yoke (I've seen that happen, believe it or not).

• Upgrade 530 to WAAS

I was thinking about that also but I seems to be quite expensive. So if you don't actually have any WAAS approaches it will probably not be worth the expenses. You will usually need a new mainboard, new data cards, new antenna. The GNS430 you have installed must also be a W version or the crossfill will no longer work.

• Install iPad Mini Yoke

It looks very nice but will probably be illegal as it is attached with screws you can not remove by hand. But in the end I think nobody will care and you can remove it for annual inspections if needed.

Make sure you get an iPad Mini. I have both and the mini version is a lot better in the cockpit.

• Perhaps provide power and data connections from 530W to a Garmin 795?

The GNS530 provides RS232 "Aviation Data" which can be read by the 795 (spec) I fly this setup with an GNS530 and a 695 and it works very well. I have a XLR-4 connector with power and data for the 695 handheld next to the headset connector. An EASA shop installed it without any problems.

• Datalink weather (TS, METAR, TAF)

As I produce the ADL110 I can only recommend it ;-) You might habe seen my comparison which shows an overview of your options.

Regardless which product you choose datalink weather is a great tool. It brings a lot more information than a traditional stormscope. Besides many more in the summer you get situations awareness regarding thunderstorms and in the winter you stay up to date regarding the METAR for your destination and all alternates.

As Achim wrote displaying data from the ADL110 on the GNS530 is not possible for certification reasons. But you will see the flightplan from the GNS530 displayed on the ADL110.

If you have questions just write me an email.

Does it work the other way as well?

Unfortunately not. The GNS530 will only read flight plan data from another 530/430 or GTN via the crossfill. I think Avidyne reverse engineered the secret format and then Garmin changed it with the new firmware update. Besides EASA would not like it because a non certified device would send data to the primary navigation device.

can I prepare a flight plan on the 795 at home and send it to the 530/650 in the aircraft?

As Sebastian said, no. However, there is a USB card reader and a flight plan card for the 530 (and a standard SD card for the 650) which allows you to transfer flight plans. In reality, I would not bother. I have this setup but I never use it. Having the whole flight plan loaded into your 530 is less useful than you might think. You never fly those Eurocontrol routings anyway and there is plenty of time to enter the waypoints as you go. Start with the first 3 or so and the destination and then keep filling enroute.

The 530 is powerful but not very user friendly or visually attractive. I do most of my tactical planning on the 695/iPad and only use the 430 to feed the autopilot with data. This is also why I have the 695 on the yoke and the 430 in the cockpit.

My recommendation is that before you settle on a setup, you try it out. Something might look good on paper but is then rather useless in real operations. The 430/530 flight plan migrator kit is a good example of that.

I would not write off the ability to have the whole filed route in the GPS, because you need the "essence" of it in there anyway in order to get the fuel totaliser to work correctly (to display the Landing fuel on board - an essential feature for any long flight) and being able to somehow easily enter the whole thing is a significant timesaver.

However with so many of today's Eurocontrol routes having 20-60 waypoints, manual entry is a pain and a GPS which can accept a direct airway name entry is perhaps worth having.

Especially if it has a keypad

The flight plan migrator is a poor product because you have to plug in the flash card each time.

One almost never flies the filed route but one usually flies something close to it, with obvious corners cut off if you hassle ATC hard enough to let you do it. The key factor is that when you get an ATC shortcut, it is usually to a waypoint on your filed route (which the IFR sector controller can see on his computer) and that is why having the waypoints in the GPS saves time.