the 480B with G1000 fit, is there really any point without a autopilot?
Surely that fit is was intended for IFR flight, otherwise what's the point
The aviation world (at least in the U.S.) is going this way. Three light turbine helos (none with IFR certification) are currently certified with G1000H avionics: Bell 407GX, Agusta 119 Kx, and Enstrom 480B-G. The forthcoming Bell 505 will come standard with the G1000H package. I am told that the B407 is now available to civilian purchasers with the G1000H package only (no steam gauge option). An autopilot would add useful capability, however, none of these aircraft would be certifiable for IFR under current FAA standards even with the addition of an autopilot which meets FAA requirements for SPIFR, and such an autopilot would boost the cost of the E480 by as much as 50%. To meet current FAA requirements for IFR requires systems capabilities beyond the AP which are, so far, found only in the Bell 429/Agusta 109/EC135 class of helicopters (and higher), with price tags something like 5X or more that of the E480. It seems likely that, as avionics capability increases and costs come down, the FAA will adopt certification standards which permit IFR in light single engine helicopters.
It can be argued that for a helicopter certified for VFR-only operation (virtually all civilian single engine helicopters in the U.S. with the exception of a handful B206’s and B407’s which were approved some years ago on a few-off basis) there is little point in any avionics beyond the surprisingly little instrumentation required by the certification standards, plus a com radio and (perhaps) a portable GPS. However, technology is approaching a breakeven point where the incremental cost of the advanced avionics is not a major cost once one decides that an AI and DG might be useful, along with a backup com radio, a certified GPS navigator like the Garmin 530, and a transponder (which might as well be ADS-B capable given the FAA 2020 NextGen mandate).
Finally, an integrated avionics suite such as the G1000H makes possible useful features (some safety oriented) not practical with a steam gauge panel, offers potential reliability advantages over mechanical/ electromechanical instrumentation, and the promise of upgrades and fixes via software changes. The G1000H is a variant of the G1000 originally developed for fixed wing aircraft and does include some capabilities that will rarely, if ever, be used in a VFR-only helicopter (except, perhaps, for training), such as dual VOR/LOC/GS receivers. However, it is apparently less costly to standardize on a single basic hardware configuration than to delete these capabilities. It is easy to see why this is the case when one carefully examines the internal architecture of the G1000. In the 50 years since my first solo in a Cessna 150 with a single, primitive, vacuum tube nav/com, I have experienced the evolution of avionics technology first hand; I have no desire to go back to the good old days, not even a few steps back.
BTW, Enstrom developed the G1000H version of the 480 partly to meet the requirements of foreign military customers who train dual rated pilots in G1000 equipped Cessna 172’s and Enstrom 480’s, and want a common avionics suite in both aircraft. The G1000 has been available in the C172 since 2005.
Most important point of all is the distinction between needs and wants. Many recently manufactured owner flown light helicopters can be said to be “over-equipped,” possibly for this reason.
