As the competition for EFB cockpit apps gets tighter, owners of the uAvionix AV-30 retrofit flight instrument might have an easier decision buying a ForeFlight Mobile app subscription. As we reported late last year, uAvionix developed a wireless interface between its experimental version of the instrument (AV-30E) and iPads/iPhones running the ForeFlight app. The idea is to build flight plans in the ForeFlight app while away from the aircraft and then wirelessly push the data into the AV-30 EHSI when you’re ready to launch. The interface is now fair game for certified AV-30-C units through a software update.
For existing AV-30 installs, some wiring is also required because the wireless interface plays through the $349 uAvionix AV-Link Wi-Fi bridge, a wireless hub that will receive and then send the ForeFlight data into the AV-30 panel instrument. If the aircraft has a Sentry or Sentry Plus portable ADS-B receiver, the unit’s GPS position source is fed into the interface, eliminating the need for an iPad with cellular capability.
The ForeFlight/uAvionix feature set also has ForeFlight-defined autopilot tracking capability when the AV-30 instrument is connected directly to a digital autopilot (Trio, TruTrak/BendixKing AeroCruz). For installs that have legacy analog S-TEC autopilots, the interface requires the $699 uAvionix AV-APA Analog Port Adapter. This converts the digital data to an analog format that’s compatible with the S-TEC. uAvionix said it’s working on interfaces for other legacy autopilot brands. The interface doesn’t work with Garmin autopilots.
Who might benefit from this connected ForeFlight interface? We think it adds sizable capability to VFR-equipped airplanes that don’t have panel GPS navigators for building and displaying course and waypoint data. Since the AV-30 interface recently got a sizable boost in capability through its $799 AV-HSI, which enables vertical GPS (and ILS) course display from a panel navigator, users can also display ForeFlight route data on the instrument by toggling to dedicated displays, where it’s overlaid with traffic data.
It’s a budget-based option for lightly equipped VFR aircraft. The AV-30-C has a list price of $2,499, and with the AV-Link Wi-Fi hub the investment is under $3,000, not counting installation.
The ForeFlight wireless interface requires an AV-30 loaded with software version 3.2.1, a free field-installable update for existing units. An entry-level ForeFlight subscription Starter package is $130 per year, the Essential version is $260 per year, and the Premium version is $390.
Good article, and a useful look at a nice upgrade. The pricing is helpful, but a little hard to sort out across the different setups. Any thoughts on a simple total cost example, a ballpark $, for a typical install?
uAvionix said that for the most basic AV-30 install, some shops can complete the install in one shop day. For installs that have the external converters and getting into autopilot wiring, two to three days total seems realistic. At an average shop labor rate of around $120 per hour, do the math.