Mike and I had been talking about refurbishing the panel on my 1976 Shrike Commander for the past two years. After a lot of preplanning and countless consultations with Mike we finally decided to do it. So in late August of 2009 we rolled the Commander into the hangar and began the disassembly process. My Commander suffered, as many planes in the aging fleet, with a tired looking panel barely equipped to handle the needs of modern IFR flying. We decided to install 2 Garmin GNS430W units along with an Aspen EFIS system. We also decided that since we were going to the extent of a refurbishment we would also do some things to make this Shrike a "one of a kind". Mike and his crew designed a new "jet" style annunciator system with a master caution warning system. By adding this it would give me better warning should anything go wrong by having all the warning lights in one place right in front of the pilot's view. Mike also added an audio warning in conjunction with the annunciator's. Mike guided me through which avionics we should keep and what to discard. All the old stuff was taken out. We moved the pilot's HSI to the copilot's side, giving the plane complete redundancy. Later into the installation process we added a Garmin GTX330 Transponder and panel mounted the Garmin GPSMAP396 portable in the center pedestal. All of the panels and overheads were re-colored and engraved to mirror the Grand Renaissance Commander. The new system has made this Shrike equipped as well as most new planes without the new plane cost. The Aspen provides a great GPSS system along with a real time E6B display that is really nice to have. The other great thing about the Aspen is that it gives you incredible bang for the buck and allows for upgrading and future expansion. The versatility is one of the primary reasons I chose this system. I cannot say enough about my experience over the past 5 months working with Mike and his team on this project. They were always available to answer all my questions and concern's with great patience and professionalism. No matter how busy Mike was he took the time, sometimes longer than others, to answer all my questions and concerns. I have owned N507JP for ten years now and thanks to Bragg Avionics I feel like I have a new airplane again to enjoy for another 10 years, Thanks Mike!
-John Papageorge
Prices reflected are subject to change without notice, installed prices may vary. Contact us for a consultation.
Bragg Avionics, Inc. ● 855 St. N. St. Johns Bluff Rd. ● Jacksonville, FL 32225 Phone (904) 564-1717 ● Fax (904) 564-1718 ● 1-877-564-1717 ● braggave@bellsouth.net
