The GRT Horizon has several other features you may not have caught:
1. The AHARs sensor is totally independent of the display processor.
2. The Horizon is actually a redundant system; buy two, make one a
moving map/Engine display, the other a PFD. If one display fails, the
other display can be configured to display the other's data. If the BMA
single display fails, you are toast. Note that BMA is trying to address
this with their EFIS lite/HSI.
3. Horizon is a flight data recorder and will have checklists.
4. Horizon has two independent power inputs that will maintain power to the
system without pilot intervention ( for example, if you have an
all-electric
plane with redundant alternators, one power input goes to each
alternator).
5. The Horizon display runs Windows CE. I know, does this imply "blue
screen
of death" like with the Archangel? Likely not. By separating the
flight-critical
componentry ( the AHARs ) from the display and providing system
redundancy,
GRT may provide the same level of reliability as BMA's assembly language
program.
6. System price is a bit more than "half of BMA", but still nicely
positioned
to be
cost-competitive with an all-electric gyro 6-pack. A single all-in-one
display is $6000;
with EIS and sensors, $7000.
A more realistic 2-display system with EIS driving the 2nd display is
$9000
with
sensors. A dual-display, dual AHARs system with EIS and sensors is
$12,500.
A basic GPS engine is $200.
A pity that BMA seems to have developed some pricing arrogance.
I wouldn't be suprised if a year from now,
BMA is up to $20K to make enough profit for BMA to be sustainable.
The BMA offers more integration of flight management functions, but the PFD
display of the Horizon is bigger and easier to read. Horizon doesn't have the
terrain-mapping of BMA, but this is getting easier to obtain. Consider
MountainScope by pcavionics. A beautiful sectional-quality terrain map, with
"windshield view", $500 and runs on a PDA or notebook computer. Maybe
pcavionics and Horizon can partner. Wouldn't be as fully integrated as BMA's,
but I believe in some independence of flight systems.
This is a year of exciting progress in aircraft flight systems.
Shaun
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