Any comments about the Aspen 1000 from the floor ?
I have been using mine coupled to a GNS530W/430W and KFC225 Autopilot in my Jetprop since 2008.
Works superbly, GPSS navigation and procedures are very accurate.
I have recently upgraded it to synthetic vision, which is very intuitive to work with.
I have had one antenna go bad and one ADC fail but I am operating in an extremely harsh environment, and have also had the GNS antennas go bad during the same period in fairness.
I find operating it very easy compared to Garmins architecture, but it is a small display by comparison. I do not use the speed or altitude tapes enabled since I have seperate clearer analogue displays which I prefer and I felt the display was too cluttered when they were on.
Support from the company has been very proactive, and fair minded.
I would install one again, no hesitation.
E
I have one in my TB10 – am a great fan!
Older units were apparently quite unreliable – but Aspen claim this is fixed now. Mine has run for 150 hours without issues. The original RSM module was faulty on initial installation – but aspen sent out a prompt replacement and it’s been fine since.
It makes instrument hand-flying much easier: your scan is concentrated in a very small area with only occasional cross-checks to the standby instruments. Also, you have continuous display of ground track which makes wind correction a doddle (particularly if you get the ACU2 module to display the ADF pointer on the same screen). The same is of course true of the G500 or any other glass system.
I think the above is a good summary. I don’t own one but know a few who do and the reliability was awful in the early days. One pilot I know is on his 3rd or 4th one, plus various failures of the even more unreliable roof-mounted remote sensor unit. But reading between the lines on the big US sites, the main failure issues have been sorted. I tend to be quite negative about companies that sell stuff like that (and it doesn’t make me very popular at times with owners of the products 
) but as I say the noise seems to have died down.
You don’t give any details A&C but to replace a KI256 you need the EA100 adapter. Make sure you get a late serial # one as these too used to pack up, according to one avionics shop I know well.
You get a lot of bang for the buck, because it replaces a whole KCS-55 slaved compass system (KG102A, KMT112, KI525, KI229, KA51) and a nice clear display. Also, I am told, a user can replace it himself (if stuck, unofficially, obviously); no need for special dealer unlock codes as are needed for the G500.
OTOH if you are doing what a lot of people are doing i.e. looking at a duff KI525 HSI and thinking about replacing that with an EFD1000, remember that used KCS-55 components are very cheap now, and both keeping a KCS-55 system going, and even installing a complete one from start, has never been more attractive. Following the installation of two Sandel 3500 EHSIs and their SG102 AHRS gyro, I sold my entire KCS-55 kit, with two fluxgates and two RMIs, for just $2500! All working and in mint condition, and some of it was nearly new.
It is true that prices on the KCS-55 have dropped. However it is also very labour intensive to install. It requires a lot of wiring to be done, especially if it is installed in another aircraft as it was removed from.
From my point of view the affordable KCS-55 are a good buy for those who allready fly the KCS-55 system, and are happy with that systems, it’s good as replacement for U/S systems.
For new installation I would recommend to go for new avionics. These require less time to install. The Aspen EFD1000 requires a lot less wiring than the KCS-55, and being able to working with nearly all excisting avionics equipment. This is not true for KCS-55 system and most glass replacement systems.
A new installation of a used KCS-55 might require additional cost that might be overlooked, such as certification fees. Both for the change, as well as the equipment itself if it doesn’t come with acceptable paperwork. Then a whole lot more wire, and labour to connect it all together. Easy to exceed the price of a new installed EFD1000 for most installations.
Thank you for commenting, the reports that I have had have been quite critical of the Aspen mostly on the grounds of software integration.
My Avionic upgrade is a year away and I have three issues yet to be sorted the area nav, ADF and DME.
I am not a Garmin fan ! I find the flight plan logic hard to get on with and the data needed in flight is not easy to get at, the King KLN 89B that I Curently have is both logical and has all the inflight data that you need quickly only one click pf the dial away at all times, added to this the logic is the same as the Boeing FMC that I spend most of my time using. Perhaps this new Bendix King 770 is the answer ?
I’m not sure if the ADF is going to stay in the aircraft, apart from IR renewals I don’t think it has ever been used in anger in the twenty years it has been fitted……….. Apart from getting the cricket scores !
The DME issue is one of compatibility it is my understanding that the DME data from a KN62a can be displayed on the Aspen…… Is this true ? The Aspen publicity is a bit vague about this. If it is true I can unclutter my panel and put the KN62a some place in the back of the aircraft & maybe fit a second DME in place of the ADF having one DME slaved to each VOR/ILS.
I am reluctant to get rid of the KCS55 system but with NDB’s about to disappear the RMI is not the use that it once was. Getting the ADC functions and adding a fuel flow gets the system performance to almost FMC levels, this gives one the information to run the fuel plot a lot tighter, add this to the weight saving of about 30-40Lb once the gyro, ADF system and all the cables are removed the whole idea is very atractive especially when I think of all the running I would have to do to get that sort of reduction in take off weight.
All comments are very welcome !!
Quote: “Apart from getting the cricket scores !”
Australia won by 381 runs in case you were wondering!
It depends on what you actually want to achieve and how much you want to spend.
The ASPEN is a basically “EHSI+EFIS”. There is no GPS. It doesn’t tick any boxes for regulatory / equipment carriage compliance.
Unfortunately, if you fly IFR (with an IR) there are some fairly big fish to fry in the future which are worth addressing if you are going to be spending serious money:
PRNAV. Technically an issue already, with many airports where all sids and stars are PRNAV (but all of them ignore it – not least because most bizjets are not PRNAV yet) and there are threats to bring PRNAV into significant chunks of enroute airspace. I would not consider spending any money on new kit unless it gave me PRNAV. There is no required new capability (don’t laugh but this is Europe) so it is basically just paperwork. There is a new AFMS for the GPS. There is no requirement for an autopilot or even a HSI (told you to not laugh – this particular emperor is completely naked). The PRNAV AFMS is achievable most easily with the GTN650/750 boxes, and may be achievable with the GNS430W/530W if EASA go along with some proposals to do an AML STC for them (there is already such an FAA STC i.e. for an N-reg, but N-regs have other issues with PRNAV – they need a special letter from the FAA). The KSN770, which like the Avidyne IFD boxes, is currently vapourware; if/when these come out they will prob99 have an FAA AML STC but an EASA STC??? Other than not actually existing, they are nice products 
LPV. Obviously nobody needs this but if you can kill this bird with the same stone as PRNAV, which you can using any of the above, it’s worth doing. Again, a “W”-class GPS and the right AFMS. Operationally it will be many years before LPV approaches become operationally relevant in Europe especially the UK (the UK has only Alderney, and some secret ones are rumoured as being tested at places like Gatwick) where an airport needs full ATC for any IAP and needs to spend of the order of £30k for the IAP survey and design, but a “W” box also gives you LNAV+V capability for many/most nonprecision approaches (both navaid and GPS/RNAV ones) which means you get a synthetic “glideslope” from the FAF to the MAP which comes up on the CDI/HSI (like an ILS) and can be tracked by the autopilot too. I consider this a much more immediately useful capability than LPV. On some IAPs that “glideslope” doesn’t appear; I don’t recall what the criteria are.
DME remains a legal requirement for IFR in CAS in most of Europe. I would also consider VOR/DME a good backup for GPS.
ADF remains a legal requirement for flying NDB approaches (yes I know everybody does them with the GPS; rightly so) everywhere.
You need ADF and DME for the initial EASA IR test – in the UK for sure. I also don’t see any evidence that NDBs are about to disappear in a big way – in the UK especially. Sure they will strip out the silly ones like WOD but if you have AOC ops then an NDB is the cheapest way to tick the “require IAP” box so I don’t see those going away.
8.33 is mandatory now for IFR in CAS. G-regs needs just one 8.33 radio; some others (like D-regs) need two.
You could install the Aspen with the KLN89, but it won’t address any of the above. It will just replace some old gear, and look pretty
You could install the Aspen with the KLN89, but it won’t address any of the above. It will just replace some old gear, and look pretty
Was that why you replaced a KCS55 with a Sandel?
Yes. Plus the duplication of stuff like the TCAS and stormscope data.
The reasoning is in the write-up.
It was more complicated because initially I left the KG102A etc in place. Only with the second EHSI (which I got at a very good price together with the SG102, both overhauled) did I remove the old kit, about 2 years later.
It was also done in a way which avoided the use of an avionics shop (reasons in the write-up).
The GPS is a separate future project. I don’t know which way I will go. I am inclined to wait for the KSN770 to either arrive, or be declared dead like the KFD840.
