Install Pirep with Stark Avionics GTN750, GLD88, GTX330ES

[bjherron]

Although this wasn't in my skymaster, it's the same type of equipment and could happen to anyone

I have a 74 Cessna 414, took it in for a panel upgrade in September of 2014. After much deliberation, I decided to try Stark Avionics in GA. They had great prices and John Stark was very responsive thru email and seemed knowledgeable and friendly.

My Previous panel: Garmin 430, 530W, Avidyne EX500, GTX327, KC76C transponder 2, RDR161, PMA8000bt, STEC55x, Collins PN101 system, Portable 796W

New Panel: Keep 530W, remove 430, remove EX500, remove KC76C, remove RDR151. Move GTX 327 to transponder 2 and remote mount it. Add GTN 750, add GTX 330ES, add GLD-88D. Configure GTN750 to control both transponders on-screen. Configure GLD88 to display on both GTN750 and 530W. Configure GTN750 to crossfill to 530W. Install Flightstream 210. Install i-pad dock in panel.

Made an agreement with Stark on the price, and detailed every single thing I wanted in the signed agreement. It also included that Stark would notify me if there were any changes to the configuration or price. Dropped the plane off on September 11th, was anticipated to be done on October 3rd. I purchased my commercial flight home from Atlanta with a return ticket on October 3rd.

They were fairly quiet during the installation period. One big hiccup was Garmin's failure to deliver the flightstream on time, so we cancelled that. Stark Avionics did not have the plane ready on Oct 3rd so I had to eat that commercial plane ticket and we both agreed that October 7th would be acceptable so I rebooked. I intentionally booked for the 10th instead to give them another 2 extra days. I understand that things don't always happen on time.

Two days before pickup, they told me that something "quit" in my autopilot and that it had to be shipped out to STEC for repair.

The day before the 10th I confirmed that the plane would be ready, they said yes. So I travelled out there on the 10th, landing in Atlanta around 1pm. It takes over 2 hours to get there, so I finally arrived at their shop around 4pm. When I arrived, the plane was on a battery charger and they told me that my battery was dead and having problems charging. Also, they seemed to be in a rush to get me out since it was a Friday night.

We walked thru all of the paperwork, they gave me a very brief demo of the new system, and sent me on my way. I had to start the plane while being hooked up to a battery charger since the battery was dead. I was hoping it would charge enough to get me home. After the jump, things went downhill. The volt meter read 0 volts and the alternators were out of phase. I let it run for a while hoping the battery would charge and things would get better. I taxied around the airport for a short period to test out the ground systems and see if the problem would correct itself. Within a short period of time I completely lost the left alternator and the volt meter still showed 0. I decided to abort the flight home for obvious reasons.

I called John Stark on his cell phone because they had already packed up and left for the evening. He told me that he was just an avionics guy and I would need to get a mechanic for my electrical issues. He was more interested in preserving his Friday night than coming back to the airport to help me. I taxied to the airport FBO, they called out their mechanic for "overtime" to help me out. An hour later the mechanic arrived and we towed the plane to his hanger. He pulled the battery out (it was hot) and said it needed to be replaced. He also believed the left alternator was now bad.

Being now 8pm on a Friday night at Colombus GA, there was no battery anywhere nearby. My choices were to take a 2 hour bus ride back to Atlanta and fly home to deal with this later, or find a battery. I rented a car and drove 120 miles to Aircraft Spruce. Luckily they were opened the next day on a Saturday AM. I arrived there at 8am, bought the battery, and drive 2 hours back to the airport. The mechanic met me there, installed the battery, and tested everything out. The left alternator still would not come online but I decided to go since it was VFR in daylight. The cost of the battery and "overtime" for 6 hours of the mechanic's time was over $1600.

I departed and continued testing the new system that was installed. Loved the 750 and GLD-88, but had more than a few issues. Here was the squak list I came up with on my 4 hour flight home
• Pressurization does not work at all
• My PN101 display is unstable, wiggling back and fourth 1-2 degrees constantly
• 530W does not crossfill from 750
• no GLD88 info on the 530
• transponder 1-2 hardwire switch inop
• autopilot inop (they sent it out for repair)
• left alternator dead
• prop sync light and right aux tank light intermittent
• GTN750 mic way too loud (hurts your ears)

I made it home and shared the results with Stark. They were immediately defensive and basically said they just do avionics swaps and none of these were their fault. I wasn't looking to blame them for anything, but a lot of their work is incomplete. They told me that they did not wire the GLD-88 to the 530W because they said it was illegal. Yet they never told me this before pickup of the aircraft. I got Trek from Garmin to confirm it is not illegal and Garmin supports a GLD-88 being connected to a 530W and 750. They also didn't wire the 530W and 750 together to crossfill because they forgot. They also forgot to remove the transponder 1-2 switch.

I made what I thought was a very generous offer. I would pay to fly one of their techs out to my airfield to fix up these few squaks. After my nightmare trip down there I was not going to fly back down there and leave the plane or be at their mercy anymore. Plus a round trip fuel cost was easily $1600. They refused, saying they don't make housecalls.

Things were getting more hostile as I pointed out issues with the system. I didn't want to escalate because they still had my autopilot. When it finally came back from STEC with a $2600 repair bill, they claimed I needed to pay 100% of that since it was upgraded while it was there. I tried to negotiate since they did admit that it was working and broke during their upgrade, but they refused and continued to have an attitude. Knowing that they could hold me ransom for the autopilot, I paid it.

The only refund I got from them was them charging me for the flightstream unit and installation that was never delivered. They didn't want to give that back because they said they did all of the install work, but they also told me they didn't pre-wire a connector for the flightstream since they didn't have one. So I'm not exactly sure what flightstream pre-installation work they actually did.

In a nutshell, Stark Avionionics failed to meet the agreement they signed for services provided. I think they could have easily worked with me to resolve these and I would have been reasonable and even could have been a repeat customer. But their disinterest in helping me when I was stranded on their airfield that Friday night, refusal send someone up (at my expense) to correct open issues, and hostile responses to both me and Trek at Garmin made it clear to me that they had no interest in working with me to resolve open issues.

Since I'm the one paying to fix their issues, I only have two issues of recourse. I can take them to small claims court and tell everyone I know about my negative experience to prevent others from going thru the same.

If you are considering them, I would suggest going somewhere else because the final cost for me dealing with Stark was easily $6K+ higher by the time I fixed all the issues.

As for my panel, I feel like I selected the right equipment and I do love it. I am still getting used to the GTN750, but I love the GLD-88 and traffic I now have.