The G1000 project - "The next step"

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ememic99
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Re: The G1000 project - "The next step"

Post by ememic99 »

tapiac2 wrote: Mon Nov 04, 2019 3:56 pm The immediate reply was as if Mr. McFadzean's letter did not exist: "There are no GIA63W units available for upgrade".
Six weeks after Mr. McFadzean's letter, is the "process" not in place yet? Was his reply limited to US and Canada owners?
Does the right hand know what the left hand is doing?  I am left speechless.
This shows one more time what we all know but are reluctant to admit to ourselves: They simply don't care. It's the same attitude established by previous DAI owner - they care until the sales is done and that's where they customer support ends. Maybe I sound a bit bitter but it's better to accept the reality because it's the only way to develop correct strategy for resolving an issue. If you analize the reply we got, it contains a list of options for which nobody can confirm that are available and pricewise the majority of options are totally unacceptable. Plus the service and parts behind each option are totally unknown and obscured. So nobody can convince me that this letter was written with the idea to help the owners and to make positive move in direction of establishing correct customer support.
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Re: The G1000 project - "The next step"

Post by Boatguy »

CFIDave wrote: Mon Nov 04, 2019 3:49 pm Russ: In my email to Diamond I also asked the question about NXi Phase I vs. Phase II support going forward (e.g., how long are they going to support two different software release trains). While I'm sure Diamond's response won't answer all of your concerns, we're at least starting a "conversation" between Diamond and owners.

I would encourage you to post the list of NXi "missing features" (e.g., Visual Approaches) so we can more easily point these out to Diamond in our continuing communications.
Dave: I agree on having started the "conversation". I'll start begin that thread later this week.
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Re: The G1000 project - "The next step"

Post by CFIDave »

Another update:

Today (Nov 6) I got a phone call from Ed Hollestelle, who manages Diamond's maintenance operation in London.

He called to let me know that he's actively working on a detailed response to our questions, but that it's taking longer to provide answers than originally anticipated, so he wanted people on DAN to know this. For example he mentioned the challenge of determining core values for components removed as part of various upgrades, something apparently not included in Scott McFadzean's original letter to us.

When I asked Ed for an ETA of when we might see Diamond's response, he was unable to commit to a specific timeframe. However, he said that this effort is near the top of his priority list, which is why he called to assure us that Diamond is working on answers.


Again, as soon as we receive a written response from Diamond, I will post it here on the DAN forum.
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Re: The G1000 project - "The next step"

Post by ememic99 »

CFIDave wrote: Wed Nov 06, 2019 3:48 pm Again, as soon as we receive a written response from Diamond, I will post it here on the DAN forum.
Thanks for your continuous effort and not losing the hope :)
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Re: The G1000 project - "The next step"

Post by Colin »

I like Ed. I wish he had more power.
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Re: The G1000 project - "The next step"

Post by TwinStarScott »

On both your points Colin - I completely agree!
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Re: The G1000 project - "The next step"

Post by gordsh »

Colin wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 4:31 pm I like Ed. I wish he had more power.
Ed has always been a stand up guy when ever I have an issue or take my plane in for service.
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Re: The G1000 project - "The next step"

Post by TwinStarScott »

The email below was sent yesterday, with a hard copy to be mailed on Monday, December 16th (via USPS):

Mr. McFadzean,

First, let us say thank you for your letter of September 17 and that we are pleased to have begun a dialog with DAI. Your letter was a good first step, but also raised a number of questions.

It is our understanding that with regard to the legacy hardware upgrades you have delegated this responsibility to Ed Hollestelle who is working with CFIDave. There remains considerable ambiguity about whether Ed Hollestelle will be addressing all owners, or only those in North America, as well as concern about the responsiveness of inquiries from owners and transparency of the proposed pricing. None the less we appreciate that there is now someone assigned to this issue and look forward to learning more about their progress.

Still remaining are a number of areas of concern for current and potential owners of Diamond aircraft. These include:

1) Hardware and software upgrades for DA62 owners.

2) Missing features in Diamond’s G1000NXi implementation.

3) DAI’s commitment to software updates and hardware upgrades for both the G1000 and G1000NXi.

4) Parts availability and service centers.

We understand that DAI faces a variety of challenges and as owners we want to be part of the solution to contribute to DAI’s sustained success. In order to do that we need a better understanding of the nuances of these issues and how owners can contribute to mutually satisfactory solutions. We agree that meeting in person is the best way to make real progress and accept your offer.

We propose that we meet with you in Olathe, Kansas in February. Olathe is centrally located for U.S. owners and provides an opportunity for both DAI and owners to conveniently meet with Garmin management. That said, while we do not expect that owners, DAI and Garmin would meet at the same time, that may well be to everyone’s advantage. As Garmin customers we intend to seek meetings with Garmin management. We will leave the decision of who should participate in which meetings to the discretion of yourself and Garmin management.

Most of these issues involve all Diamond owners irrespective of geographical location, but we realize that a contemporaneous meeting in Wiener Neustadt is probably not feasible. We are working to identify owners outside the United States who will participate via video conference.

We believe meetings across two days would provide sufficient time to discuss the issues, explore solutions, consult with Garmin and identify next steps. This could mean traveling on a Monday and meeting Tuesday and Wednesday. For the sake of discussion let’s initially schedule our meetings for the week of February 17. A more detailed agenda can be worked out in January. We further propose that DAI reimburse owners for their transportation expenses to these meetings, while the owners pay for their own lodging and meals.

We also understand that to be productive these discussions will need to touch on sensitive issues, not all of which will be resolved in one meeting and not all of which need to be discussed outside of the meeting. We commit that all owners who participate in the meetings will hold the meetings in confidence and that public disclosure of the contents of the meetings will be limited to our jointly agreed upon statements.

We look forward to your response and meeting in person.

Happy Holidays!

Boatguy, DA40 NG
Ememic99, DA42 TDI
CFIDave, DA62
Colin, DA42 TDI
TwinStarScott, DA42 TDI
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Re: The G1000 project - "The next step"

Post by CFIDave »

More info from my phone call with Ed Hollestelle, head of maintenance at Diamond Canada earlier this week:

For owners wishing to enable WAAS GPS navigation in their Legacy G1000 aircraft (including the ability to fly LPV approaches), originally-installed GIA63 units must be replaced with GIA63W units. However there's a major challenge: Garmin's GIA63Ws are no longer in production, having been replaced with GIA64Ws (as part of G1000 NXi Phase II hardware in new aircraft). Unfortunately new GIA64Ws aren't certified for, and aren't software-compatible with, Legacy G1000 aircraft. So for Legacy G1000 owners interested in a WAAS upgrade, there's now a shortage of GIA63Ws, which have become quite scarce and valuable.

Diamond is hoping to increase the supply of good used GIA6Ws by encouraging G1000 NXi owners (in 2017-2019 DA40NG, DA42-VI, and DA62 models) to upgrade their aircraft from G1000 NXi Phase I to G1000 NXi Phase II. As part of this upgrade, pairs of GIA63Ws will be replaced by pairs of new GIA64Ws, and Diamond is planning to offer an $18K trade-in credit for each pair of GIA63Ws returned to Diamond.

But even when GIA63W units can be obtained, there's an additional complication - there are 3 different models of GIA63Ws that could potentially be used for WAAS upgrades:

"-00" and "01" models (I'm not entirely certain, but believe these were produced in Legacy G1000s from 2007 through 2012)

"-20" models (included in 2013 through 2017 in Legacy G100s, as well as G1000 NXi Phase I aircraft)

For DA40 2004-2007 owners upgrading to WAAS, the good news is that ANY of these GIA63W variants can be installed to replace the aircraft's original (non-WAAS) GIA63s.

The problem is what to do for DA42 TDI owners (generally 2006-2008 DA42s).

Only -00 and -01 GIA63Ws can be used to upgrade DA42 TDI (Thielert/Continental) aircraft to WAAS due to G1000 software limitations. And these units are even harder to obtain: -00 and -01 GIA63Ws were only standard in 2008 (through 2012?) DA40 aircraft, as well as a much smaller number of 2009+ DA42 Austro NG aircraft.

So DA42 TDI owners in search of a WAAS GPS upgrade are basically out of luck unless they can persuade Lycoming DA40 XLS owners to become GIA63W "donors."

For DA40 XLS "donor" aircraft owners, Diamond is willing to swap out -00 or -01 GIA63Ws for newer -20 GIA63Ws at no cost. There's no real benefit to the owner of a "donor" DA40 aircraft, but it will help create a supply of -00 and -01 GIA63Ws for Diamond to install in DA42 TDIs.

So the big question for us to consider on DAN is: How do we create an incentive for DA40 XLS owners to swap out their GIA63W transponders to help fellow Diamond owners wtih DA42 TDI aircraft who need WAAS?

The eventual long-term solution would be for everyone to migrate their aircraft avionics to G1000 NXi Phase II hardware/software with newer GIA64Ws, but this would likely be very expensive and isn't (yet) certified for Lycoming DA40s or DA42 TDI aircraft.

Much to consider... :scratch:
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Re: The G1000 project - "The next step"

Post by pietromarx »

How does one tell whether one has the -1, -2, or -20 unit installed? Don't say a sticker on the PCB ... :)

Thanks
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