R9 Triple Threat - FLYING Magazine

cockpit before undergoing the Worpe9 treatment at Next Dimension. Besides new avionics, the upgrade program also includes new paint and leather interior and a zero-time Continental IO-550 engine with the Tornado Alley turbonormalizing sysem. The result is a nearly good-as-new airplane for close to half the price of a new Cirrus with similar avionics capabilities and performance. The PA-46 Matrix I would fy a week later, meanwhile, was a nearly brand-new airplane (only 40 hours showed on the Hobbs) that had rolled of the production line with the original Entegra sysem and was immediately upgraded to R9. The Saratoga, fnally, was an older model equipped with a basic insrument six-pack. That meant the transformation in this airplane would be the mos dramatic and potentially the mos interesing. Unfortunately, it also turned out this was the mos difcult of the three to marshal through the FAA certifcation process, and as of this writing the airplane remains in a Florida hangar with its R9 components pulled out of the panel as Avidyne and NexAir seek to document the insallation work performed R9 Triple Threat - FLYING Magazine https://www.flyingmag.com/avionics-gear-r9-triple-threat/[6/21/2022 4:21:41 PM] so far and wrap up the certifcation efort. Since Avidyne achieved the initial R9 supplemental type certifcate in one of its own Cirrus SR22s in May 2009, insallers have ftted the new cockpit in more than 100 airplanes, mos of them SR22s fying with original Entegra components. (Cirrus co- founder Alan Klapmeier’s SR22 was among the frs to receive the R9 treatment.) Avidyne thinks the potential market for the cockpit lies somewhere between 2,200 and 2,500 airplanes. The fact that the company has been able to sell even 100 big- ticket cockpit upgrades in this economy is a noteworthy accomplishment. Now that the market appears to be turning a corner and the DFC100 autopilot is fnally ready for prime action, R9 insallations are sarting to pick up, according to Avidyne. When you consider what you get for the money, it’s a safe bet that the R9 cockpit will indeed gain the sort of market traction needed to make it a winner. Avidyne sells R9 in three versions: Silver, Gold and Platinum. The Platinum package far and away has been the bes seller because it includes Avidyne’s WAAS-capable FMS900, dual digital VHF radios, dual GPS receivers, MLB700 datalink weather receiver and dual air-data attitude heading reference sysems (ADAHRS). Lis price is $69,000, which includes the trade-in value for your old Entegra displays. If you’re also replacing a pair of Garmin GNS 430s, you can probably work out a deal with your insaller to help ofset a portion of the insallation cos. A ballpark price for the Platinum upgrade including insallation is around $80,000. Adding the DFC100 autopilot raises the total by another $15,000. The R9 Gold package, priced at $59,000 before insallation, includes the WAAS- capable FMS and other Platinum package features, such as an FMS keypad, but comes with only a single ADAHRS. The Silver package coss $49,000 and includes Avidyne’s FMS400 fight management sysem, which is not approved for WAAS and so really is not a great choice when you consider what you’ll give up by foregoing RNAV LPV approach capability. The Gold and Platinum packages also include a free upgrade to synthetic vision once it becomes available, while in the Silver package SVS is an option. Avidyne has been rolling out special pricing promotions since R9’s introduction, so your bes bet is to check with your insaller for the mos up-to-date pricing information. R9 Triple Threat - FLYING Magazine https://www.flyingmag.com/avionics-gear-r9-triple-threat/[6/21/2022 4:21:41 PM] Taking the concept of the panel retroft to a whole new level, Next Dimension purchases run-out Cirrus SR22s on the used market and replaces not only the avionics but also the engine, ftting a new Gamispec IO-550 six-cylinder with the Tornado Alley turbonormalizing sysem, capable of yielding cruise speeds of 210 ktas at altitude. The airplane I few also included fresh paint and leather interior along with built-in oxygen sysem, Sirius satellite radio and datalink weather, TKS icing protection, Stormscope and Skywatch, and a long lis of other extras, all for an asking price of $379,000. Compare that with the price of a new Cirrus SR22, which can top out at better than $700,000 with the Garmin Perspective cockpit, and there’s a convincing argument to be made for opting for a Next Dimension Worpe9 SR22 insead of buying new. And, of course, if you’re in the market for a new Cirrus, the Entegra R9 cockpit isn’t even a factory option; you mus order it as a retroft with a minimum lead time of 12 weeks. NexAir’s R9 Pipers If going from a G1000-equipped DiamondStar to the Cirrus was like visiting another planet, settling into the front seat of a Piper PA-46 Matrix with the Entegra R9 cockpit was akin to traveling to another galaxy. It might have had a pison engine underneath the cowl, but nearly everything else about the Matrix said turbine-class. Firs, the entry procedure: You climb aboard the Matrix through an aft airsair door and walk through the cabin to the cockpit. Settling into the front seats, you’d swear you were at the controls of a new very light jet or turboprop insead of a pison single. In the air, however, one of the few drawbacks to the otherwise excellent panel layout became apparent: The pilot’s view of the FMS keypad is blocked by the control wheel, making for some awkward key presses, especially in turbulence. Otherwise, the R9 sysem’s integration in the Piper Matrix is close to fawless, with an uncluttered panel that looks as good as it operates. Clif Izer, an R9 insructor and my demo pilot on the Matrix fight, explained that while mos of the features and functions of the Avidyne cockpit can be accessed with the R9 Triple Threat - FLYING Magazine https://www.flyingmag.com/avionics-gear-r9-triple-threat/[6/21/2022 4:21:41 PM] FMS keypad or the bezel rocker keys, using the FMS is the preferred entry method. “I fnd myself having to slap a few hands to get pilots to use the FMS, but once they undersand that it’s the easier way of entering information, that quickly changes,” Izer said. Pilots transitioning to the Entegra R9 sysem with Izer typically undergo three days of training, with the frs day’s lesson centering on VFR fying and the other two focused on IFR operations. Pilots sart out hand-fying the airplane under the hood but quickly transition to the autopilot since that’s the way this airplane is fown the majority of the time, Izer said. In addition to the Matrix, NexAir is working on an STC for an R9 upgrade in the PA- 32 Saratoga. Although fying the NexAir Saratoga proved impossible due to the bumps in the certifcation path, this program is worth mentioning if only for its potential to transform a sizable portion of the 5,000-plus PA-32 Saratogas built since 1975 into true 21s century performers. For $400,000, NexAir will recondition an older Saratoga with a zero-time factory remanufactured engine, new paint, LoPresi speed modifcations, new leather interior and additional sound proofng, along with the R9 cockpit, including digital charts and maps, satellite weather receiver, the DFC100 autopilot and SVS. If you’re already a Saratoga owner, NexAir can perform the full lis of upgrades on your airplane for around $250,000. A typical R9 panel upgrade in an airplane equipped with the earlier version of Entegra should take about three to four weeks. As demonsrated by the difculty in obtaining the STC covering the PA-32, replacing all the electromechanical insruments and rewiring the panel in a Saratoga to accept R9 will take longer — how much longer is the big unknown. R9 Triple Threat - FLYING Magazine https://www.flyingmag.com/avionics-gear-r9-triple-threat/[6/21/2022 4:21:41 PM] Avidyne Avidyne Stephen Pope More From฀ GEAR