MEGGIT glass cockpit experience good/bad

[nordic flying]

Hi

I am looking at a Meridian but I have no experience with the Meggit system.
Does any of you have experience with this system, please share pros/cons if possible. How is it to fly with and does it have any known problems or issues ?
Or should I look at something else


Regards

[wigglyamp]

Getting an ADAHRS repaired/replaced can be real hassle due to US export licence issues. Take out the Meggitt and fit a Garmin G500.

[peterh337]

I've come across this system in some TB20s, c. 7 years old.

It is said to be a dead end product, no longer supported, though I cannot vouch for any specific problems from my own experience. Meggitt sold them into the helicopter market but did very little with fixed wing GA. It was quite advanced for its time, for example accepting flight plans via flash cards, years before Garmin offered that facility on their GNSx30W and later products.

Why is AHRS not an issue on say the G500 or G1000, on UK based aircraft?

[wigglyamp]

I think you've got the wrong system Peter. The Meggitt system in the PA46 was also available as a retrofit for C425/441 and Rockwell Twin Commander. I'm not aware of it going into helicopters. You can't load flight-plans into it - it uses external NAV sources such as GNS430.
The Meggitt ADAHRS is subject to US ITAR control so it can take ages to get a new export licence for return of a unit from repair ( even though it was made at Fareham in the UK, all repairs have to go via Cobham/S-Tec). Garmin and Aspen AHRS are not ITAR-controlled.

[Big Pistons Forever]

My friend flies a C441 with a full boat MEGIC MAGIC system. He and the owner are actively looking at replacing it with a G600 system. The only reason they have not already done so is the G600 is not yet RVSM certified.

When Cobham bought Megit a few years ago all development and sales of the system stopped. Product support is fading rapidly and the airplane will be down a week to 10 days soon to fix an intermittent copilots PFD (for the second time in less then 2 years :ugh:). There are no loaner exchange units so the faulty PFD will have to be FEDEX-ed to Texas and a there is a $5000 upcharge for a 5 working day "quick turn" from when when it arrives to when it leaves the shop :rolleyes:

Bottom line, This system is an orphan lacks a lot of the functionality and features of the GARMIN systems and is fast becoming unsupportable at any reasonable price or timeline.

[nordic flying]

Thank you all for your replays.
Looks like I will have to move on to another airplane with another system.
Don't want to have a glaspanel with no or little support.
Seems to me that the only aircraft that have a good resale value are the ones with Garmin. Again thank you for replying.

Regards

[peterh337]

Yes I got the wrong system. Got confused with the Chelton which I believe is also a dead product now, AFAIK

http://www.peter2000.co.uk/aviation/tb20-experience/chelton.jpg

[wigglyamp]

Nordic, we've recently converted a PA46 Jetprop from Meggitt to Garmin G500. PM if you'd like more details.