1 Garmin, 2 Collins Aerospace, 3 Universal Avionics, 4 Honeywell
Garmin is 1st for 19th consecutive year, Collins climbs to 2nd, Universal places 3rd, and Honeywell is 4th for 7th year in a row. Survey results based on 524 line evaluations from a total of 432 survey forms received from operators.
Pro Pilot Staff Report
Data compiled by Conklin & de Decker
Pro Pilot’s Avionics Product Support Survey measures operators’ satisfaction with aftersale service provided by manufacturers. This is the 28th year Pro Pilot has asked its readers to rate the quality of support in product reliability, speed in AOG service, cost of parts, manuals or CDs, tech reps, and support from manufacturers.
Garmin is number 1 for 19th year in a row, with an overall score of 8.71 this year – up from 8.60 in 2022. This OEM places 1st in all categories of the survey. Its greatest improvement is in tech reps, with an 8.78 score compared to 8.50 last year.
Garmin’s Aviation Support Center is available for all operators 24/7. Staff are ready to solve issues related to AOG, account management, database, troubleshooting, basic operation, order status and warranty, service literature, software management, training, and weather radar. Its professional field service engineers are available worldwide to ensure operators talk to them and are able to solve any problems. Garmin has an AOG Expedite Service Line available all over the world to get pilots back in the air as soon as possible.
Collins Aerospace earns 2nd place this year after being 3rd for 14 consecutive years. Its overall score in 2023 is 8.10 – up from 8.00 earned in 2022. It takes 2nd place in product reliability, speed in AOG service, manuals or CDs, and tech reps categories. And it’s 3rd in cost of parts and support from manufacturer. Best category increase is in speed in AOG service with 8.51 this year, compared to 8.27 in 2022.
Collins employs proven Web-based tools to assist operators with any issues they may have. Its available portals provide a simplified interface that enables easy transactions and allows access to customized information. Collins’ 24/7 customer service offers technical publications, tech requests, order placement and status, account information, customer self-help, repair information, supplier information, service solutions, and warranty claims. According to the company website, Collins Avionics Service Program (CASP) delivers superior customer support, maximizes aircraft availability, and provides budget predictability.
Universal Avionics ranks 3rd, after being 2nd for 14 straight years. Overall score is 8.05 this year – down from 8.14 earned in 2022. It takes 2nd place in the cost of parts and support from manufacturer categories, and 3rd in product reliability and speed in AOG service. Its largest category increase is in speed in AOG service, with an 8.28 score this year compared to 8.18 in 2022.
Universal’s customer support is provided by a worldwide network of regional offices, field technical representatives, service centers, and repair stations. The company is committed to providing exceptional products backed up by outstanding support service. UniNet – Universal’s online service center – is available day and night. It enables operators to download navigation databases, technical manuals and publications, specialized online support requests, online training, and pay invoices.
Honeywell rounds out the survey by placing 4th, with an overall score of 7.85 this year, compared to 7.50 in 2022 – an improvement of 0.35. This is the most substantial overall score increase in the survey. Honeywell also receives the largest category improvement of the entire survey, with 8.33 in tech reps this year – up 0.78 from the 7.55 received in 2022.
Honeywell’s network is available worldwide, and its support teams are ready to provide operators with efficient and effective service 24/7. They are organized to offer assistance for AOG, technical support, ordering, account, warranty and service plans, BendixKing products, product stewardship, and other portal issues.
Garmin
Garmin Intl Dir of Aviation Support Lee Moore can be called on 913-397-8200. His e-mail is lee.moore@garmin.com.
Garmin GTN 650/GTN 750 and G1000 installed in our Pilatus PC-12 and Citation Mustang, respectively, have been superb. I’ve never had a problem. Also, I find our Garmin Flight Stream 510 is very useful with iPad.
Andrea Tombari
Comm-Multi-Inst. Pilatus PC-12 and Citation Mustang
Chief Pilot
DFIBI
Parma, Italy
Very pleased with our Garmin G5000 and the support received from the manufacturer. In my opinion, the G5000 is leading the future.
Dave Kobus
ATP. Citation Sovereign+
Chief Pilot
CP Air
Kensington CT
Reliability of our Garmin G5000 has been 100% in the past 18 months of operation.
Hunter McDonald
ATP. Learjet 75
Chief Pilot
ThorAir
Sandusky OH
I had an issue with my updates and how they were uploading into our avionics. I called tech support at Garmin, and Tech Rep Alex Hunter worked his magic and fixed the
issues.
Tim Riley
ATP/CFII. Pilatus PC-12
Captain
Bay of Dreams Leasing
San Diego CA
The Garmin G3000 installed in our Phenom 300 is very reliable. We’ve haven’t had any problems, and the support received has been very good.
Michael Fabert
ATP/Helo. Phenom 300
Pilot
Family Express
Valparaiso IN
Exceptional aftersale product support received from Garmin. I think the company makes excellent products and creates new features to help pilots fly safer at a regular cadence.
John Grunsfeld
Pvt-Inst. Daher TBM 850
Chief Pilot
Endless Frontier Associates
Boulder CO
I think Garmin avionics are very user friendly, and product support is wonderful. I also find it less expensive than others.
Engin Binkuyu
Comm-Multi-Inst. King Air 350 & Cessna 182 Skylane
Captain
Türk Silahli Kuvvetleri
Isparta, Turkey
Best avionics I’ve flown in my career. I’m also very pleased with Garmin’s aftersale product support.
Buddy Johnson
ATP. Citation Latitude
Mgr Aviation Svcs
Sable Minerals
Spring TX
Our Garmin GTN 750 has been great. We have not had any problems with it. It has plenty of features which are easy to navigate. Although turbulence can sometimes cause problems when using the touch screen, I’m very satisfied with it.
Allen Lambert
ATP/Helo. Cessna 414A
Pilot
Allen Lambert Pilot Services
Roanoke VA
Have had 100% reliability since installing Garmin avionics in our Falcon 10 and Mitsubishi MU-2s. Support has also been very good.
Bill White
Comm-Multi-Inst/CFII. Falcon 10 & Mitsubishi MU-2
Chief Pilot
Keller Companies
Manchester NH
Dual Garmin G600 TXi and GTN 750 are the best setup in the King Air B200. We’ve had no problems with this setup in the cockpit. They’re very user friendly and maintenance free.
Kevin Lee
ATP. King Air B200
Chief Pilot
Great Plains Communications
Bennington NE
Garmin GTN 750 and GTN 650 installed in our MD 500E helicopter are easy to use and very intuitive. We’re satisfied with them and the great service received from the manufacturer.
James Sineath
ATP/CFII. MD 500E
Aviation Consultant
Kansas City Police Department
Lee’s Summit MO
While Garmin avionics are great, I don’t find manuals to be pilot friendly.
K Carlson
ATP. Learjet 75
Captain
C-C
Hesston KS
Love all the Garmin products we have in our aircraft. We just ordered a Phenom 300E and it also has Garmin avionics. One big factor in the decision to purchase the Phenom 300E was the avionics. Garmin made the sale.
Louis Mickler
ATP. Citation S/II & Piper Cheyenne II
CEO
Jacob White Construction
Friendswood TX
Collins Aerospace
Collins Aerospace Senior Dir Avionics Customer Support Pete Tuchel can be reached at 319-491-6404 or peter.tuchel@collins.com.
I really like the Pro Line 21 mounted on our Citation XLS+. It’s user friendly, and the support received from Collins has been fine.
Bryan Fields
ATP. Citation XLS+
Pilot
Old Dominion
Climax NC
Collins makes a very good avionics suite. We are pleased with the Collins avionics system installed in the Global 6000 we operate.
William Tebeau
ATP. Global 6000
Captain
L Brands
Columbus OH
My experience with Collins has been excellent. The Pro Line Fusion installed in our 2 Gulfstream G280s works wonderfully. And the product support that comes with it has been exceptional.
Rick Stoulil
ATP. Gulfstream G280
Chief Pilot
Hormel Foods
Austin MN
Pleased with our Collins equipment. In 11 years of service, we’ve only lost 2 adaptive displays. It’s solid equipment for the professional flight deck.
Carl Griffiths
ATP. Citation CJ4
Flight Dept Mgr
GW Aviation
Mount Pocono PA
Have been happy with our Rockwell Collins avionics package and equipment. Our jets are still under warranty, and this has been helpful for us.
Rob Balzano
ATP. Gulfstream G280
Dir of Aviation
Micron Technology
Riva MD
Collins Pro Line 21 is what we have installed in our King Air 300. Operators receive very good service and support, if they have insurance.
Ernesto Rodriguez
ATP. King Air 300
Captain
Lozcar Intl
Monterrey, Mexico
Our Pro Line 21 installed in our Challenger 300 has been incredible. I love this system. In 7 years of operations, we’ve never had a single issue.
Joseph Frey
ATP. Challenger 300
Captain
First Call
Fallon NV
Very satisfied with our Collins Pro Line 21 and FMS-3000 furnishing the Citation CJ4 we operate. They are solid and reliable.
Dave Bassignani
ATP. Citation CJ4
Chief Pilot
Golden State Lumber
Petaluma CA
I have Collins Pro Line Fusion installed in our Legacy 500, and Garmin G3000 in our Phenom 300. I think both are good, but prefer Collins 100% over Garmin. Garmin is like an iPhone, while Collins is more for professional pilots.
Christopher Bell
ATP. Legacy 500 and Phenom 300
Pilot
Hoteles Dinámicos
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
Been operating Collins Pro Line 21 for a while, and I find it quite reliable. It’s a very solid avionics suite.
William Phillips
ATP/CFII. Citation CJ4
Chief Pilot
PFGC Air
Henrietta NY
The Collins Pro Line 21 installed in our Citation CJ4 is an older platform. However, I find it to be very reliable.
Nolan Kirkman
ATP. Citation CJ4
Chief Pilot
Insteel
Pilot Mountain NC
We operate a King Air 250 manufactured in 2016, equipped with Collins Pro Line Fusion. It hasn’t been easy since we’ve had plenty of issues with service bulletins, TCAS II, and screens.
Lionel Menegozzi
ATP. King Air 250
Chief Pilot
Industrias Juan F Secco
Santa Fé, Argentina
Reliability is what I find in the Pro Line 21 Advanced installed in our Challenger 350. I’ve operated it for the past 2 years, and its performance has been outstanding.
Myles Buhlig
ATP/CFII/A&P. Challenger 350
Captain
Solairus
Lexington KY
Universal Avionics
Universal Avionics Customer Support & Services Dir Robert Clare can be phoned at 520-295-2300 or 800-321-5253. His e-mail is rclare@uasc.com.
Universal InSight platform is an amazing upgrade from older systems. It’s intuitive, and it has multiple options for preferred inputs – not to mention very clear graphics as well as flight deck appearance. It deserves 10 out of 10!
Brian Barber
ATP. Citation VII/Excel
Chief Pilot
Black Hat Ventures
Cape Coral FL
Having Universal UNS-1B in our Learjet 60 has been a pleasure. It’s very reliable. And the product support that comes with it has been very good.
James Kessen
ATP. Learjet 60
Captain
East Bay Holdings
Frankling WI
Universal Avionics has worked efficiently. Its instruments are easy and reliable, and bring me where I need to go.
Bee Ngak Tong
ATP. Citation Sovereign & Learjet 35/45/60
Captain
Seletar Jet Charter
The Gale, Singapore
Universal UNS units are reliable and predictable. We receive good communication from them regarding bulletins. Old school plus legacy – and good for years to come. Thanks, Universal!
John Gronemeyer
ATP/A&P. Citation Excel/XLS
Owner & Pilot
Contract Aviation Services
Granbury TX
Honeywell
Honeywell Americas Business & General Aviation Senior Director of Customer and Product Support Tim Valente can be reached directly at 941-320-9099, and by e-mail at tim.valente@honeywell.com. Visit aerospace.honeywell.com for full service e-commerce solutions. Honeywell’s 24/7 dedicated worldwide technical support and orders teams can be reached by calling 1-800-601-3099 (US & Canada) or +1 602-365-3099.
Excellent support is all we have received from Honeywell. I have no complaints at all.
Mikeldi Valdes
ATP. Citation X/Beechjet 400 & Learjet 75
Captain
Aerotaxis Metropolitanos
México City, Mexico
I wish I could see Honeywell tech reps more often these days.
Charles Belanger
ATP. Falcon 7X/900EX
Captain
Future Electronics
Sainte-Thérèse QC, Canada
Very satisfied with Honeywell and its great avionics products. They’re always reliable and easy to use.
Jon-Michael Calhoun
ATP. Falcon 7X/900/2000
Chief Pilot
Lowe’s
Charlotte NC
Honeywell continues to provide product improvements to legacy avionics while introducing new technologies on newer platforms.
Brent Keyes
ATP. Gulfstream G550
Dir of Aviation
Graham Capital Management
Royal Palm Beach FL
As I manage the airplane, I make sure the avionics and airplane are well taken care of – ie, check hangar humidity, crank engines, APU, and avionics – at least once a week when the airplane is not being flown. I’ve been dealing with Crew Lead Gordon Smith at Duncan Aviation FXE (Exec, Fort Lauderdale FL) during the past 15 years or so. And I always get the best service from these guys.
Eduardo Baro
ATP. Hawker 800XP
President
Compass Aviation Intl
Hobe Sound FL
I have been on a version of Honeywell my whole career flying Hawker 800XP, Gulfstream V/G550, and Global Express. I must say that I’m very satisfied with this avionics manufacturer.
David Graham
ATP. Gulfstream G550/G450
Standards Captain
Jet Edge–VistaJet
Morganton NC
We have Honeywell PlaneView installed in the Gulfstream G650ER that we operate. It has been a good and reliable platform for our operations.
Greg Dyer
ATP. Gulfstream G650ER
Client Aviation Mgr & Captain
Solairus Aviation
Tracy CA
Cost has not been an issue due to our subscription to Honeywell’s parts programs. We do not keep manuals, but rely heavily on tech support. Sometimes, data downloads can be a challenge, such as the current issue with Jeppesen.
Cynthia Federici
ATP/CFII. Falcon 2000XLS
Chief Pilot
GG Aircraft
Asbury NJ
Based on my experience, Honeywell has pretty reliable products. I understand that once in a while something breaks. However, the product support team has been there for us.
Jim Kohler
ATP. Gulfstream G550
Aviation Director
Brokerage and Management Corp
Newark DE
Generally speaking, the Honeywell NZ-2000 is more reliable than most newer avionics. AOG support from the OEM is quick and efficient, and there are plenty of parts available.
Xavier Fernández
ATP. Falcon 900 & Global Express
Chief Pilot
Aspen Trading
Coral Gables FL
Love both Honeywell and Garmin avionics. I have no issues going from one to the other. They’re both very intuitive.
Ross Budd
ATP/CFI. Pilatus PC-12 & Cessna 400
Chief Pilot
Purple Llama
Francestown NH
Honeywell and its reps, like Stephen Hammack, who are SMEs and fly the avionics, have always provided me with fantastic customer support.
Jeff Lindstrom
ATP. Pilatus PC-12
Aviation Mgr
Jet Capital
Castle Rock CO
For a full view of the 2023 Avionics Product Support Survey… click here