For buyers stepping up into the world of turboprops and jets, a significant part of the transition might be learning an unfamiliar avionics suite. And for many aging aircraft that never had avionics upgrades, it means spending big on repairs and dealing with downtime, while sacrificing modern capabilities and automation that can increase workload.
This means buying the airplane right so there’s money—lots of it— left in the budget for major panel upgrades. But the choices for avionics in many aging turbines are generally more limited than for pistons because of fewer STC approvals. Still, the market for avionics systems for turbine airplanes is dominated by Garmin, which earns regulatory approval at impressive rates. From a capability standpoint, Garmin’s full-suite avionics that are now standard in many new jets and turboprops are trickling down to the aftermarket, and that’s bringing the capabilities of older turboprops and jets to a high level.
