S-Tec 3100 Information

Ed Coffman · #1 03-06-20, 05:47 PM

I have STEC 60-2's in all my 337's. They are rock solid. I really cant see dropping another 10 grand plus installation to fix something that ain't broke. That said, my planes all had 400 series autopilots for a while, and despite 100's of thousands of dollars spent at Autopilots Central they constantly failed. If I had one of those, the 3100 would be my choice. I have one in my 210 and love it, but I would not replace a 60-2 or 55x with one.

Just my opinion

patrolpilot · #2 03-07-20, 07:24 AM

My 400 is still working very well, but I know it is very beyond its life limit and doesn't have a lot of features like "flying by" a fix or yaw damper. It does fly a very precise ILS or LPV and is as smooth as silk as long as I act as the yaw damper.

I've contacted Garmin with a similar request for the 600 series and offered my airplane for the STC evaluation. I wonder how the two compare. The 3-axis price seems comparable. I will do some reading on the 3100. Right off the bat, it has the steam gauge compatibility. With the money involved in this, that isn't an issue with me as they will go away.

Talking to my Garmin dealer, the labor will probably match the cost of the equipment. If you already had an S-TEC, this would be the way to go.

I wonder if the 337 and P337 require much difference in the STC behind what we see. In other words, is Garmin or S-TEC doubling their effort to cover the two? Even with combined models, 50 owners are going to be tough to find.

Thanks for taking the initiative!