Small Airframe Avionics Are A Big Deal!

July 16th, 2021

As the #1 Preferred MRO (as voted by Pro Pilot Magazine’s PRASE Survey) for the past 8 consecutive years, you would expect that avionics would be a large part of West Star Aviations’ success. And you would be correct. Our expertise, capability and engineering resources help keep us on the cutting edge of avionics technology regarding new installations, repair, and system upgrades on some of the largest, most sophisticated airframes flying. But what about those smaller airframes?

In this instance, size does not matter. West Star offers the same expertise, capability, and dedication to quality for smaller aircraft avionics installation, repair, and upgrades. Why? Avionics modernization in these smaller airframes delivers big value to these operators in the form of increased performance, decreased ownership costs, more support options and safety. The need is real. As these airframes age, a lot of the cockpit avionics become increasingly difficult to support and repairs become more costly as they make their way to obsolescence. Read on for a few examples of what West Star is doing in smaller airframe avionics:

Beechcraft 1900: Garmin G950 Upgrade

The Garmin G950 is a seamlessly integrated complete cockpit package that makes flight information easier to scan and process. This upgrade features a new panel and sensor upgrade as well as all new engine instrumentation, to bring new levels of situational awareness, simplicity, and safety into the Beech 1900 cockpit. The upgrade delivers WAAS/LPV approach capability as well as synthetic vision, all while reducing operating cost and increasing reliability over the original equipment. Additionally, the G950 system integrates directly with the original Collins APS65 Autopilot.

With the Collins EFIS and radio systems becoming more costly to support as they move toward obsolescence, the Garmin G950 is a solid choice for Beech 1900 operators. Total project cost is approximately $400,000.

Turn times are running approximately 4 weeks. Please contact us for locational installation information.

Citation 560: Garmin G5000 Upgrade with Autopilot

As Citation 560 operators surely know, the original Honeywell equipment can be very expensive to maintain or replace. This makes a perfect scenario for operators to move away from this original equipment all while modernizing their cockpit with an entirely new Garmin G5000 system complete with Garmin Autopilot.

The G5000 system features one of the most intuitive pilot-vehicle interfaces available in any business jet avionics system, completely revolutionizing the way you access your flight data and brings the performance and safety of WAAS/LPV approaches to your Citation 560 cockpit.

Project cost ranges between $560,000 to $630,000 depending on options. Turn times for this extensive upgrade are running approximately 10-12 weeks and can be performed at all West Star facilities.

Citation 680A Latitude: Gogo ATG to Avance L5 Conversion

As demand for faster and more reliable cabin connectivity continues to increase, now is the perfect time for Citation 680A Latitude operators to consider converting their original Gogo ATG system to Avance L5. The Avance L5 system delivers connectivity speeds up to 5 times faster than ATG systems, and as the manufacturer itself is moving away from the ATG systems, now is an ideal time to upgrade.

Currently there are very attractive incentives in the form of a $35,000 rebate for a currently active ATG system conversion. If your aircraft is not equipped with an ATG system, don’t fret. There are incentives for you too! Currently, there is a $25,000 rebate on new customer installs as well.

As an Authorized Gogo Business Aviation Dealer for the past 15 years, West Star Aviation has the knowledge, expertise, and capability to get your Avance L5 conversion done quickly and correctly. This conversion can be completed at all West Star Aviation full-service facilities (East Alton, IL – ALN, Grand Junction, CO – GJT, Perryville, MO – PCD, Chattanooga, TN – CHA) as well as select satellite locations like our Minneapolis, MN (MSP) facility.

For more information on these or the many other avionics upgrades and updates for smaller airframes, please call a West Star Aviation Avionics Technical Sales Manager today.