This month’s panel for planning comes from Jim Underhill. His 1976 Cessna 182P is we’ll cared for, and he’s invested in new paint, new interior and a fresh engine. While the current panel is capable for IFR flying (most of Underhill’s 100 yearly flight hours in this airplane is for going places under IFR), there are some avionics that are close to obsolescence. Long-term manufacturer support is high on the list of priorities. Spending huge amounts of money on the panel isn’t.
But spending some on newer Garmin gear makes sense. “I have a preference for Garmin products to preserve the knowledge that I have relative to the button-pushing protocols that they use,” he told us. Considering that, here’s a quick and dirty budget-minded upgrade plan.