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8 Answers

Used Garmin 430W vs. new Garmin 355

Asked by: 4781 views ,
Aircraft Systems, Flight Instructor

For someone who hopes to get their CFI rating by year end, would you suggest they update their plane with a used Garmin 430w or a new Garmin 355.

My concern is that the Garmin 355 doesn't have VOR capabilities.

I also intend to get two Garmin G5 units, one for attitude, and one for HSI.

THANKS!

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8 Answers



  1. Russ Roslewski on Mar 25, 2020

    Not enough information to answer effectively.

    – What does getting your CFI certificate have to do with it? Do you plan on teaching in the plane? Do you plan on teaching IFR?
    – What type of airplane?
    – How do you use the airplane? How much IFR?
    – What type of equipment is in there now? The answer will likely be different if you have a VOR/ILS receiver already as your #2 radio, or if you don’t.

    I flew for years with a Garmin GNC-300XL (no NAV radio) and a second radio that did have VOR and ILS. It was no big deal.

    The 430W is getting to the end of its supported life.

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  2. Peter on Mar 25, 2020

    Thanks for your prompt reply! Sorry for not giving more info.
    – Plane is a recently purchased 1979 Cessna 152.
    – Only nav instruments and radios worth keeping are one com, turn coordinator,
    transponder with ADS-B out, compass, VSI, clock and G-meter.
    – Plan to remove vacuum system.
    – I have a 1,000+ VFR hours, most of it in a 7KCAB Citabria.
    – Have almost no hood flying experience.
    – Recently began studying for IFR rating and plan to get CFI rating.
    – Plan teach VFR and spin recovery in this plane.
    – That’s the only reason I’m interested in upgrading to IFR radios.
    Thanks again!

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  3. Richard Eastman on Mar 25, 2020

    Food for thought ..

    Rate of change in the aviation technology trend is very rapid. My 430W is at the end of it’s shelf a few short years. Give your apparent intent to use the plane for VFR and unusual attitude training — it won’t make much difference which of the two systems you install in a ’79 Cessna 152. That type of instruction does not have a need for “new technology” tools.

    The real question become ROI (return on investment) for an airplane of that age. Assuming you were to keep the plane 5 years … then the G430 would seem to be the best investment; because the G355 will have devalued itself as a function of new technology solutions that will enter the market. The value of the airplane of that age will have had minor depreciation, if any — but the value of the technology will have diminished by the depreciation cost of the new G355 to that of a 5-year-old G355.. On the other had, if you plan to train for your CFI in the 152 and then sell the plane and teach in a Citabria at a local school, then upgrading the radio will have a leveraged impact on the value of the airplane if it is re-sold within 12 to 18 months.

    All that said, training for the IFR will likely still require you to demonstrate VOR navigation skills — just as I had to learn and demonstrate an ADF approach in the 1960’s even though the FAA was in the process of phasing ADF approaches out in favor of VOR and ILS solutions. It is likely that VOR navigation will remain a part of IFR training and testing until VORs are totally eliminated.

    So if you go the G355 route, you may be confronted with an additional cost of adding an inexpensive VOR or taking some training in a VOR equipped plane and perhaps testing in a pane that has a VOR. It might be worth checking with your local DPE (Designated Pilot Examiner) or the FSDO (Flight Service District Office) with respect to their expectations in regard to demonstrated VOR navigation skills for the IFR test.

    MOO,
    // Richard Eastman
    CFIIMEI : FAAST Representative

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  4. Peter on Mar 25, 2020

    THANKS for that exceptionally insightful answer.

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  5. John D Collins on Mar 26, 2020

    A few counter points. A C152 although technically can be IFR equipped, it is really not a good IFR trainer IMHO. I see very limited value in either the GNS430W or the GNC355 in this type of aircraft along with dual G5’s. The GNS430W and the GNC355 are similarly priced and I do not expect either to lose much value if at all. Conventional wisdom is that new avionics will lose half their value in the first year. That is not true for these devices. A GNS430W sold for about $9500 new, it now can be purchased used for $6000, 20 years after introduction. The GNC355 has a list price of $7000. The two are similar, but the older GNS430W has ILS and VOR capability. Both are over kill for a C152, and unless the testing rules change for IFR, you will need to fly in a different aircraft to obtain your practical test. As a VFR trainer and spin trainer, all I would install is a reliable Navcom and bring along an iPad or portable for VFR GPS.

    When it comes time to sell your C152, the market will be limited because most purchasers are only going to be interested in it as a VFR trainer. So you will have to price the aircraft well above the competition to be able to get your value out of your investment unless you sell the aircraft and avionics separately.

    A used C172 is much more practical IMHO.

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  6. Peter on Mar 26, 2020

    John:
    THANKS for your insight.

    QUESTION:
    Do you suggest I’ll need something other than a Cessna 152 for my practical IFR test, because it doesn’t have both a VOR nav and a GPS nav, or because a 152 is a light, somewhat unsteady plane?
    Thanks again.

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  7. John D Collins on Mar 26, 2020

    The practical test still states:

    Task A. Nonprecision Approach
    The evaluator will select nonprecision approaches representative of the type that the applicant is likely to use. The choices must use at least two different types of navigational aids.

    As far as your own training, hope you and your instructor are slim, same for the examiner. W&B can be an issue. A C172 is so much more practical. It is able to carry more, go farther, faster and make your ability to recoup avionics investment more feasible. It can still be used for spin training.

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  8. Peter on Mar 27, 2020

    You’re the Answer Man!
    Thanks!

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