Author: Gring
Subject: IFD540 Certification Status
Posted: 18 Mar 2014 at 8:34am
It really makes me sad to see you guys asking for refunds at the last hour and I think it is a mistake. At the risk of breaking protocal with Steve here, I am in the pilot program and have my airplane equipped with 2 IFD540s and an AXP340. I can tell you that the real thing is better than reading the forums here, or even the pilot's guide.
Subject: IFD540 Certification Status
Posted: 18 Mar 2014 at 8:34am
It really makes me sad to see you guys asking for refunds at the last hour and I think it is a mistake. At the risk of breaking protocal with Steve here, I am in the pilot program and have my airplane equipped with 2 IFD540s and an AXP340. I can tell you that the real thing is better than reading the forums here, or even the pilot's guide.
The IFDs seem to interface well with my steam gauges and autopilot / flight director (KFC200) and so far have performed as expected. My existing traffic and weather system displays on the units just fine and I've not yet had the opportunity to see how my lightning system will work, but we are approaching springtime, so hopefully I'll have a chance to see.
The units seem very well built and the knobs have a solid "well built" feel. I like how the buttons feel and when I flew it in moderate turblulance over the weekend I appreciated that I could use the buttons rather than the touch screen.
The largest challenge for me so far is how to configure the datablocks to get the information I need. The units have so much flexibility, it is hard to choose and I had to sit and logically think about what I needed for the type of flying I do most (IFR).
Other than that highlight, those are my general observations so far. If you are thinking of requesting a deposit refund, I'd recommend waiting a few more months.