Richard Kaplan wrote:


Look at the space shuttle for a comparable example; even NASA is starting to
have difficulty obtaining parts for the 1970s era computers on the space
shuttle.


Well....there were only 5 shuttles built, and for a very limited purpose. Even
then, they did do a major upgrade on the "avionics" several years ago.

A better model is the Boeing 767. It was the first glass cockpit aircraft that
Boeing sent out the door. The early ships are now 23 years old. They don't
have GPS sensing and they have very limited database memory and slow processor
speed. But, the owners of those early birds have been provided the option to
upgrade the weaker components of the system without gutting the system.

Hopefully, the same will happen with Cessna, et al. I would be far more
concerned buying a Diamond with the G-1000 than a Cessna with the G-1000.

It is pretty tough to integrate all this stuff without being married to a
vendor. Honeywell or Smith "own" much of that suite in the 767.