This project features the Piper Aerostar, an aircraft most famous for being the fastest piston twin available. Until you enter turboprops into the equation, there is nothing faster. This aircraft’s owner has a day job with a commercial airline as a Senior Training Captain, however his Aerostar is intended for recreational cross-country trips.

While the Garmin G600 and GTN750 you see here are certainly top of the line pieces of equipment, what makes this project interesting is the high level of integration between new and old systems. As we’ve stated before on this page, Maxcraft’s technicians are not only installation experts, but integration experts. It’s one thing to take a new GTN750, plug it in, turn it on, and leave half its capabilities crippled. It’s quite another to configure it for maximum functionality while also making it talk to a twenty year-old autopilot. At the end of the day, complete integration involved no less than five existing systems of various vintages, (DME, NAV/COM, autopilot, engine probes) as well as four new systems (PFD, GPS/NAV/COM, ADS-B, TAS, graphic engine monitor). As usual, one of our custom cut laser-engraved coated Maxpanels was installed as well as a matching lower panel overlay. Colour matched and treated with the same durable coating, this thin and light overlay ensured a uniform aesthetic between our new upper panel and the (mostly) unaltered lower panel.

Insight G4 Engine Monitor Insight G4 Engine Monitor
Cowling Repair Cowling Repair
Powder Coated Aluminum MaxPanel Powder Coated Aluminum MaxPanel
Antenna Installation Antenna Installation
Laser Engraving Laser Engraving
Wiring in Progress Wiring in Progress

Summary of Installed Avionic Systems

  • GTN750 GPS/NAV/COM (Garmin)
  • G600 primary flight display(Garmin)
  • GTS800 TAS (Garmin)
  • GDL88 ADS-B(Garmin)
  • G4 Graphic Engine Monitor (Insight)
  • Custom laser-engraved and Powder Coated MaxPanel (Maxcraft)
  • Matching lower panel overlay (Maxcraft)