Now Approved: Nearly 600 Aircraft

[Dynon]

We're excited to announce a dramatic expansion of the Approved Model List for our SkyView HDX line of products. With this AML expansion, the full suite of Dynon Certified avionics is now approved for nearly 600 type certificated piston single-engine aircraft. Features approved include Primary and Backup Flight Displays, Synthetic Vision, VFR mapping, flight planning, and navigation, Engine Monitoring, Mode S Transponder with 2020-compliant ADS-B Out, ADS-B In Traffic and Weather, and Dynon’s Com Radio.

Pilots benefit from an uncluttered, elegant panel layout that reduces workload, is intuitive, fun to fly, and enhances safety. A Dynon certified installation typically reduces aircraft weight by 50 to 80 pounds after replacing the original instruments, and usually allows the removal of unreliable legacy equipment like the vacuum pump.

Base SkyView HDX configurations including Primary and Backup Flight Displays, Synthetic Vision, and VFR mapping, flight planning, and navigation start at $7630. Displays are available in both 10” and 7” variants to suit a wide variety of instrument panel sizes. Engine monitoring, additional displays, and other features and controls are optional.

The SkyView HDX system is fully integrated but modular, allowing pilots to tailor installations to their aircraft’s unique mission and needs. Additional options available for all approved aircraft include complete Engine Monitoring with CHTs, EGTs, fuel flow, fuel computer, and lean assist; Mode S Transponder with 2020-compliant ADS-B Out; ADS-B Traffic and Weather display; Com Radio; and Electronic Flight Bag features.

Dynon’s fully-integrated autopilot – featuring IFR approach capability when SkyView is integrated with a compatible navigator – is additionally available in Cessna 172 F-S and Bonanza P35-V35B models. The Bonanza approval includes yaw damper capability. Autopilot approvals for additional aircraft will be continuously released over the coming months. As of July 2019, Dynon is actively working on autopilot approvals for Bonanza 36s, Cessna 182s, and Piper Seneca models.

Pricing and Availability

Base SkyView HDX equipment configurations start at $7630. STC pricing for all aircraft models in the AML expansion is $2,000. Dynon Certified products are available through a nationwide network of Dynon Authorized Installation Centers. Pilots can also opt to buy directly from Dynon and have it installed at their preferred avionics shop or by an A&P/IA.

Approved Model List

Dynon’s updated Approved model list covers 592 type certificated piston single-engine aircraft, including most eligible aircraft made by Cessna, Piper, Beechcraft, Mooney, Grumman, and almost 40 other manufacturers. The complete AML is available at www.dynon.aero/stcaircraft.

 

[gmoore]

Quick question on the recent announcement - congrats by the way. For a Cessna 182Q - does the AML mean that the system can be installed now? And then the autopilot could be added later?

 

[Dynon]

Quick question on the recent announcement - congrats by the way. For a Cessna 182Q - does the AML mean that the system can be installed now? And then the autopilot could be added later?

Correct. Once we have the autopilot certified for your model you'll be able to buy the servos, installation kits, and install them.

 

[Noel]

G'Day, what happened to the P210N & R models? Thanks.

 

[Dynon]

The pressurized versions of those models aren't on this expansion due to their increased complexity.

 

[JohnAJohnson]

This is great news and I'd like to get some clarification on purchasing. I understand the STC is $2000, and if that is purchased, am I free to buy the products at the best price I can find them, either new or used?

For example, If I buy a new 10" HDX and most of the other stuff from Spruce, but find a used D10A at half price, is there any reason why I couldn't buy it and include it in the STC installation? And a year later, could I buy a used AOA probe and add it to the system (also under the original STC)?

 

[Dynon]

This is great news and I'd like to get some clarification on purchasing. I understand the STC is $2000, and if that is purchased, am I free to buy the products at the best price I can find them, either new or used?

For example, If I buy a new 10" HDX and most of the other stuff from Spruce, but find a used D10A at half price, is there any reason why I couldn't buy it and include it in the STC installation? And a year later, could I buy a used AOA probe and add it to the system (also under the original STC)?

The STC is only purchasable through us or an authorized installer currently. But that's not the real reason you can't do as asked. Although the products are identical in function, the PMA'd (certified) versions have different part numbers, and are the only ones installable under the STC. In a nutshell, you can't use any used experimental products in certified aircraft. And because certification is pretty new, there really aren't any used products available at this point.

 

[JohnAJohnson]

Understand, and appreciate the reply.

 

[Bill Putney]

I was cruising around the FAA's web site this morning and I looked at the AML for STC SA02594SE. On the FAA site, the AML is dated March 7, 2018 and is only 4 pages long (just C172 models) instead of the 26 page AML Dynon has posted on their web site "For Reference Only".

So is the FAA just really slow to update their site or is something else happening?

 

[Dynon]

Probably just slow to update. We definitely have the approval, promise!

 

[Bill Putney]

Gotta love Federal agencies. If you're late with paperwork you owe them they're right there to remind you. With them, not so much.

 

[cbretana]

Now that Skyview HDX is certified, how about installations in Experimental aircraft like Long EZs or others? What needs to be done to legally fly IFR approaches with the Skyview HDX in non-certified aircraft?

 

[Eugr]

Now that Skyview HDX is certified, how about installations in Experimental aircraft like Long EZs or others? What needs to be done to legally fly IFR approaches with the Skyview HDX in non-certified aircraft?

Even in certified installs you still need an IFR-approved GPS as your Nav source to fly approaches. Dynon’s built-in navigator is VFR only.

 

[cbretana]

I knew that... My bad - perhaps I asked the wrong question.. The "Built-in Navigator" is the GPS, right? WHY is the Dynon GPS VFR only? It is WAAS capable. What else would it need? Is it only a bureaucratic thing?

 

[airguy]

I knew that... My bad - perhaps I asked the wrong question.. The "Built-in Navigator" is the GPS, right? WHY is the Dynon GPS VFR only? It is WAAS capable. What else would it need? Is it only a bureaucratic thing?

Pretty much, yes. The FAA would need to review/approve the HDX and sprinkle it with magic FAA holy water and it will do just fine. That hasn't happened yet. The IFR and VFR navigation by GPS works the same way, it's just that to be approved for IFR you have to do a lot of continuous checking of your device to make sure it's functioning correctly, gives warning if something is not working correctly, and is fault tolerant. That's quite a bit of simplification but that's the short version. Until you make the effort to jump through all the hoops the FAA wants to see, then you are VFR in the cheap seats. Admission to the Big Boys Club is difficult - and for good reason - lives quite literally depend on it.

 

[kellym]

Pretty much, yes. The FAA would need to review/approve the HDX and sprinkle it with magic FAA holy water and it will do just fine. That hasn't happened yet. The IFR and VFR navigation by GPS works the same way, it's just that to be approved for IFR you have to do a lot of of continuous checking of your device to make sure it's functioning correctly, gives warning if something is not working correctly, and is fault tolerant. That's quite a bit of simplification but that's the short version. Until you make the effort to jump through all the hoops the FAA wants to see, then you are VFR in the cheap seats. Admission to the Big Boys Club is difficult - and for good reason - lives quite literally depend on it.

The key to approval is having the software to load approaches, departures, arrivals, etc. It also has to verify WAAS or RAIM availability, etc; and have the ability to load the 28 day updates to all that data. The FAA will review every line of code to ensure it works the way they want it.
The effort for Dynon to do that, assuming they have the resources and staff to support it, and get FAA approval would be 2-3 years minimum

 

[cbretana]

Thanks! That answers my question, (but raises another!)
When you say "... you have to do a lot of continuous checking of your device to make sure it's functioning correctly, gives warning if something is not working correctly, and is fault tolerant .." ,
Do you mean that Dynon has to do that in their test labs and report results to FAA? or do you mean that the GPS itself must continuously do this in flight, and if so, does the Dynon GPS already do this? i.e., Does Dynon need to actually modify the hardware itself to satisfy the requirements, or do they just need to validate/document and submit appropriate validation documentation to FAA? From the way you worded parts the above, I am not sure. "... The FAA would need to review/approve the HDX and sprinkle it with magic FAA holy water and it will do just fine ... " implies that the GPS already has the necessary features, but the FAA has not yet validated that they work properly... But the second statement implies the opposite.

The next question would be, if the former, is Dynon going to modify their GPS to add the necessary features to satisfy these requirements? or, if the latter, are they currently, or planning to do the validation testing to get their GPS certified as an IFR Navigator?

Answer to that is probably not forthcoming any time soon...

 

[dlloyd]

Go over to the Garmin site and download the User Guide for the GTX-375. There are 10 or 20 pages near the end of the guide that describe all the background checks taking place in the unit to monitor GPS integrity and warnings and loss of certain capabilities that take place if that integrity is lost. There is a whole lot more to it than holy water.
Dynon may go down that road sometime in the future. It is unlikely the HDX product could be modified. Maybe HDX2 or HDX3. It's going to be quite a while.

 

[Raymo]

What else would it need? Is it only a bureaucratic thing?

Not a bureaucratic thing. The WAAS GPS is the position source only and the least expensive part of the equation. The software and databases are what take tons of time and money to validate.

 

[airguy]

Thanks! That answers my question, (but raises another!)
When you say "... you have to do a lot of continuous checking of your device to make sure it's functioning correctly, gives warning if something is not working correctly, and is fault tolerant .." ,
Do you mean that Dynon has to do that in their test labs and report results to FAA? or do you mean that the GPS itself must continuously do this in flight, and if so, does the Dynon GPS already do this? i.e., Does Dynon need to actually modify the hardware itself to satisfy the requirements, or do they just need to validate/document and submit appropriate validation documentation to FAA? From the way you worded parts the above, I am not sure. "... The FAA would need to review/approve the HDX and sprinkle it with magic FAA holy water and it will do just fine ... " implies that the GPS already has the necessary features, but the FAA has not yet validated that they work properly... But the second statement implies the opposite.

The next question would be, if the former, is Dynon going to modify their GPS to add the necessary features to satisfy these requirements? or, if the latter, are they currently, or planning to do the validation testing to get their GPS certified as an IFR Navigator?

Answer to that is probably not forthcoming any time soon...

To be perfectly clear - I have zero knowledge of anything Dynon is doing, or not doing, as far as producing a certified NAV receiver. Dynon has a long history of not talking about products at all until they are ready for release - and a large number of things that people ask for have not been developed. If they are working on one, they are keeping it secret, and with good reason. I can't really expand on my simplified speculation above because I simply don't know. I hope, but I don't know.

A certified receiver is a big hill to climb. It takes enormous amounts of manpower and budget for testing, documentation, and integration.