Tail Beacon X with AV30 Question

[Scudrunner]

Up here in Canada the requirement for ADSB is still a few years out for GA and from the last I read "no sooner than 2026"

With an eye on that and planning trips down south I'm looking at options for my 337G and the UAvionix Tailbeacon X and AV30 combo made the short list.

Currently fly it mostly VFR but would like to modernize the panel a little (see pic for current setup) it would be nicer and more comforting to have some modern glass in front of me regardless of IFR or VFR.

The Tail Beacon X will make my aircraft compliant for any ADSB mandate for Canada and allow us to fly in the US so that solves that issue.

Now regarding the AV30 and the Autopilot etc.

Our Aircraft has the Cessna Navomatic 300 and gotta say it does the job and have been pleasantly surprised at how well she works and don't want to replace it at the moment.

I have a quote from my AME which I think is reasonable but need to clarify a few things next week when I get it back from annual inspection. Maybe I'm jumping the gun but I thought it would be good to get some more 337 specific knowledge as this will be his first time doing this upgrade to a 337 and want to make sure everyone's on the same page.



1. Will I be able to remove the old Attitude indicator or will I need to relocate it? maybe (ADF indicator hole)
2. Can I ditch my Garmin 327 Transponder entirely?
3. Can it couple to the Auto Pilot with Heading and or GPS (Apollo CNX80)

Thanks in advance and will post what I learn next week and as I do some more digging.

[Scudrunner]

Up here in Canada the requirement for ADSB is still a few years out for GA and from the last I read "no sooner than 2026"

With an eye on that and planning trips down south I'm looking at options for my 337G and the UAvionix Tailbeacon X and AV30 combo made the short list.

Currently fly it mostly VFR but would like to modernize the panel a little (see pic for current setup) it would be nicer and more comforting to have some modern glass in front of me regardless of IFR or VFR.

The Tail Beacon X will make my aircraft compliant for any ADSB mandate for Canada and allow us to fly in the US so that solves that issue.

Now regarding the AV30 and the Autopilot etc.

Our Aircraft has the Cessna Navomatic 300 and gotta say it does the job and have been pleasantly surprised at how well she works and don't want to replace it at the moment.

I have a quote from my AME which I think is reasonable but need to clarify a few things next week when I get it back from annual inspection. Maybe I'm jumping the gun but I thought it would be good to get some more 337 specific knowledge as this will be his first time doing this upgrade to a 337 and want to make sure everyone's on the same page.



1. Will I be able to remove the old Attitude indicator or will I need to relocate it? maybe (ADF indicator hole)
2. Can I ditch my Garmin 327 Transponder entirely?
3. Can it couple to the Auto Pilot with Heading and or GPS (Apollo CNX80)

Thanks in advance and will post what I learn next week and as I do some more digging.

[Learjetter]

1. Will I be able to remove the old Attitude indicator or will I need to relocate it? maybe (ADF indicator hole)
— relocate it. Needed for autopilot.

2. Can I ditch my Garmin 327 Transponder entirely?
— yes, if tailbeacon STC says so.

3. Can it couple to the Auto Pilot with Heading and or GPS (Apollo CNX80)
— No. AV30 STC not eligible to drive autopilot. It will accept and display GPS track via RS232, if CNX80 has RS232 output with matching format.

[Scudrunner]

Originally Posted by Learjetter

1. Will I be able to remove the old Attitude indicator or will I need to relocate it? maybe (ADF indicator hole)
— relocate it. Needed for autopilot.

2. Can I ditch my Garmin 327 Transponder entirely?
— yes, if tailbeacon STC says so.

3. Can it couple to the Auto Pilot with Heading and or GPS (Apollo CNX80)
— No. AV30 STC not eligible to drive autopilot. It will accept and display GPS track via RS232, if CNX80 has RS232 output with matching format.

Thank you for that, I reached out to Uavionix for clarification as it sounds like my CNX80 could control the transponder negating the need for the AV30 and therefore find a compatible EFIS that could drive the autopilot - Any suggestions?

Also they have this AV-APA https://uavionix.com/product/av-apa-experimental/

The AV-APA (analog port adapter) accessory enables aircraft owners with legacy autopilots to replace their old, heavy, vacuum-driven directional gyro with a more capable, lighter, digital AV-30 and potentially remove their vacuum system entirely.

The AV-APA emulates the analog heading signal used by legacy autopilots to provide heading hold as well as the ability to follow GPS tracks from a portable or IFR GPS.

Features:

Supported Modes include: GPS Desired Track, GPS Track Hold, GPS Bearing, GPS Steering (GPSS*)
Supported Autopilots include: S-TEC Systems 20/30/40/50
AV-APA Installation Kit includes connectors, connector housings, and pins
New modes and supported autopilots coming soon
*Available when installed with AV-HSI and associated software unlock.

Doesn't mention the Navomatic but if they do eventually offer a Certified version that may help.