Flash back to 2008 when Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Aspen Avionics took the avionics market by storm with its Evolution retrofit flight display system. It was the earlier days of all-in-one aftermarket primary flight displays, and the easy sell for an Aspen upgrade was an install that didn’t require cutting new holes in the instrument panel since the Evolution rear chassis fits into the 3-inch instrument cutout in standard T-configuration panels. Aspen created a sizable dealer network that has supported the Evolution product for over 18 years.
Stating parts obsolescence as the culprit, Aspen announced that repair, rebuild, and exchanges for all first-gen Evolution EFD1000 and MFD displays will continue only as the existing supply of parts remains, or until Dec. 1, 2026. Support will continue for Aspen’s Evolution Pro H helicopter units and C3 displays for Class III aircraft but even if parts are still available, Aspen said that lead times for the repair of all legacy displays might be extensive. Support for the latest-gen Evolution MAX displays, plus all other Aspen accessories in an Evolution suite—including internal batteries, remote sensor modules (RSM), analogue converter units (ACU), configuration modules, and the EA100 autopilot adapter—will continue.
Upgrade Path
While it populated the market with many thousands of systems, Aspen hasn’t produced legacy Evolution displays for several years and the current version is the Evolution MAX, which in our trials easily beat the performance of the legacy Evolution in processing power, faster refresh speed, and much improved display graphics with larger onscreen font and menus, plus it has more functions that benefit the feature set. Most recent is the addition of engine and fuel monitoring (Evolution Engine Instruments) on the Aspen MFD units, an interface that uses logic from the Electronics International EDC-33P converter and connected engine and fuel sensors. But what’s important is that Aspen designed the MAX display to drop into a legacy Evolution installation without major changes to wiring, though shops add at least some extra wires to enable audio alerting features by connecting the display to a compatible audio panel. When retaining supporting flight instruments, the Evolution Pro MAX doesn’t require a backup attitude indicator.
Aspen created a Trade-To-New upgrade program for legacy Evolution units, and in many cases the pricing works out less than it was to swap for another legacy unit—the common action on a failed legacy display. A trade up to a single-screen MAX from a legacy Evolution has a list price of $5,495, a dual-screen MAX is $8,495, a three-screen MAX system is $10,495, and a trade up from Aspen’s entry-level E5 display to a MAX is $4,495.
Hopefully they continue to support the Max, it’s the best thing in my Cardinal’s Vintage 21st century panel !
All these new displays have brought amazing capabilities to small planes but this capability requires the use of electronic components which have a much shorter product cycle life than components used in something like, say, a King KX-155 transceiver. The pace of electronics development has accelerated and components which were easily available when a product was designed become unavailable. Avionics manufacturers can stock a decent supply of repair parts but the failure rates are unknown until there is longer term field experience and by then it may be too late to restock. I repair complex electronics and sourcing parts for older equipment can be quite a challenge, and at times insanely costly. It is a hit on your bank account but many times the best long term option is to upgrade the entire unit when a part becomes unavailable. Aspen seems to push customers in this direction anyway, with flat rate repair charges only slightly less than a drop-in replacement with a new product with warranty.
This is nothing more than manufacturing planned obsolescence . The only reason to stop production of parts is to one day sooner than later force the users to upgrade/replace the units.
Well why not treat them as they just treated their customers a replace the units with a different brand since they have no desire to foster customer loyalty.
My comments are not intended just at the brand mentioned an article, but all brands that abandon their customer base .
While I appreciate your disappointment that your (I assume) Aspen system will no longer be supported, I’d argue that it is not Aspen’s fault that an electronic component, not manufactured by Aspen, is no longer available. The original manufacturer of whatever component has, since the original device was released, developed a newer, more capable, possibly less expensive component which is not compatible with Aspen’s system.
I was disappointed when Garmin announced that they would (could) no longer support the GNS430W due to lack of availability of screens and probably other components. Neither of the OEMs (Aspen or Garmin) manufactured each and every component that went into their devices. That’s just not how it works.
In my case, I replaced my GNS430W with an Avidyne IFD440, a plug compatible replacement which is much more capable than the Garmin unit. Of course, you won’t be lucky enough to find such an easy replacement but that’s the nature of electronic systems. I recall my first cell phone was one of those gigantic bricks. I didn’t mind replacing it.
Aspen doesn’t manufacture the electronic components used to make its products. When the (usually Chinese) manufacturer of a component EOL’s that part, you either find a replacement (often not possible), redesign the product to use a different component, or stop making the product. I have had to discontinue two products of mine in the last decade because the main component reach depended on was declared EOL by its manufacturer, and it was not practically or financially feasible to try to redesign my product to use something different.
In one sense you are correct, when an electronics manufacturer designs a product they have some assumptions around support life for a product. But in another sense you are very, very wrong in their motives. You call it “planned obsolescence” but a better term is “technology life cycle”. Technology moves on FAST. No manufacturer can stay in business producing old technology especially in low volumes such as aviation products. So when Aspen’s display manufacturer notifies them that they will be retooling for the new display technologies Aspen needs to buy a bunch of spares which is tricky and expensive. At some point they just run out. Processors are probably same as well as ASICS and probably others.
it’s painful but reality for all concerned and with an Evolution PFD +2 MFDs and a GNS 530 in my panel I most definitely feel your pain!
Is there a link to their announcement? I can’t find any metion of it on their website, and I’m trying to get more details about which specific models will no longer be supported.
I installed one of the first 100 Aspen EFD-1000 Pro’s in 2008 as part of my Bonanza’s restoration. Garmin’s early option at the time would have required an entirely new floating panel and was much more expensive not including the additional panel expenses. I have had excellent support from Aspen over the years. When the Max upgrade was made available many years ago, I did so immediately. It was going to be required for the STEC 3100 that I was considering, but I ultimately decided against it and stuck with my STEC 60-2. The Max processor is much faster and provides a better frame rate which finally made the synthetic vision usable. One other benefit not listed above of the Max upgrade is that the screen dims more on the Max model, finally to a point that it is not blinding on a dark night. I believe it is brighter as well. The upgrade provided a warranty. My upgrade was $2,995 (offered during the initial rollout phase up to April 30, 2019).
I don’t blame Aspen for not supporting an electronic item after releasing it 18 years ago. They made the upgrade super simple, just minutes unless you elected to add wiring to the audio panel. We need Aspen to survive and keep innovating.
No one is using a 2008 Apple Mac computer or iPhone. Just think about how much technology has changed in the last 18 years.
When Garmin announced the plan to no longer support the 430W due to running out of displays, I immediately sent it in for IRAN, which was around $2000. It’s a great unit that I understand fully and does everything I need for IFR flight in a Bonanza. My unit seemed fine when I sent it in, but the knobs came back feeling tighter (they replaced knobs and gears, replaced the display overlay, replaced the internal fan that had failed on my last flight before sending it in, and tuned it up. I think it was one of the best deals I’ve had in 25 years of airplane ownership. Not having to take my airplane to an avionics shop to install a new navigator, not have the airplane for 3-6 months, and fork over $20,000+ for something that adds no significant benefit to the kind of flying I do doesn’t make sense.
I use Garmin Pilot on an 11″ iPad on a flight desk and it connects to the 430W and GDL 88 via a FlightStream 210. That gives me a bigger and higher resolution screen than a GTN 750Txi, and provides flight plan syncing. It is super easy to re-route and amend flight plans on Garmin Pilot, which negates the issues of the small display of the 430W and its basic flight plan page. Kudos to Garmin for doing things that extended the useful life of the GNS series.