This Navajo, equipped with over 150 lbs. of outdated
avionics, had been modified a number of times over the years. It was in need of some
good modern IFR avionics & instruments to navigate the east coast's airspace system.If
you're already completely overhauling the instruments & avionics in an aircraft that
you fly 100 hours a month you might as well make it the way you want it. So we
removed the entire instrument panel and cut new panes for pilot, co-pilot, and avionics
stack.
The new panels were painted an labeled appropriately.
The pilot got a Sandel 3308
EHSI. The co-pilot got a King KCS-55 HSI. The new avionics stack consists
of a Garmin GMA-340 audio panel with marker
beacon, 2 Garmin GNS-430 GPS / Com / Vor /
ILS transceivers, and 2 Garmin GTX-327
transponders.
Why 2 Transponders? Just try getting out of any large northeastern airport
without a functioning transponder. When you use your aircraft for business you can't
be stuck on the ground trying to get the field's only avionics shop to fix it Friday at
9pm.
Gone are the old post lights, in come NuLites on
each non-internally lighted instrument.
To enhance passenger comfort we installed a CD player & changer in this aircraft.
The crew can even listen in and not miss radio calls using the Garmin GMA-340's
music input.
A power converter was also installed to provide 12 Volt power outlets in the cabin for
cell phone recharging and laptop use.
