We’ll attempt to answer that in a bit. First, a history refresher. When buyers were looking for a modern alternative to the Garmin GNS530 somewhere around 2008, all eyes were on the BendixKing KSN770. The brochures made it look like the retrofit navigator that would put the sleeping BendixKing back on track and a jogging Garmin sprinting to the engineering lab. The system was everything the market was calling for—airways, VGA display, touchscreen, radar overlay, plus the rugged hardware that BendixKing was known for. Unfortunately, it was years in the making and the market didn’t sit still.
Now that the $13,995 KSN770 (and the $12,995 KSN765, a version without comm or raw nav function) is certified, consumers have moved on to the Garmin GTN series navigators, tablet computers and most recently, Avidyne’s IFD540 slide-in replacement for the GNS530W—none of which existed when the KSN770 was first pitched. That’s not to say the KSN770 isn’t capable. It brings a long list of functions, including a hybrid touch interface, excellent graphics, a logical user interface and most importantly, good interface capability with core legacy products in the BendixKing line. This includes the RDR2000-series weather radar and KGP560 TAWS-B, in addition to a variety of traffic systems, plus the L-3 Stormscope. It’s also compatible with the KGX130 ADS-B transceiver for use as an approved WAAS position source. It won’t, however, display ADS-B FIS-B weather or FIS-B traffic data—a major shortcoming that’s being addressed.