Aspen Avionics said its market survey showed that many VFR pilots would purchase primary flight displays, but can’t justify the high cost of the upgrade. How high? In some cases, a single-screen PFD retrofit can cost $15,000 and higher.
That’s one reason why the VFR-only LSA market is appealing. Many LSAs come with full-featured non-certified PFD models from Dynon, Advanced Flight Systems and even Garmin, to name a few.
But in lower-end certified aircraft, some owners are stuck with steam gauges because high-end, high-priced PFD products like the Garmin G500 and Aspen’s own Evolution are geared toward IFR aircraft and pilots with IFR missions.