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Permalink Reply by Raymond Paul on December 28, 2014 at 4:16am

Hi Steve, Raymond here in zimbabwe. I have a club member here who knows his way around the MGL eFis unit. If you still stuck let me know and I can connect you via email to him and he can send you the files to upload to your unit if this helps.

Seasonal greetings

Raymond

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Permalink Reply by Richard Simmons on February 18, 2015 at 7:12pm

Steve,
Now that you have more time in your plane, has the MGL met your expectations?
What about making your screens? Have you gotten that part figured out?

I too am using M G L. I went withthe enigma. Wish now I would have gone up one but too late for that.

Also, what ELT did you use?

Thanks,
Rich

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Permalink Reply by Steve Freeman on February 19, 2015 at 3:58pm

HI Rich,

The MGL unit is fine.  It gives you everything you need to know and much more.  The hardware is great, it is pretty easy to install (especially if you use their pre-made harnesses) and it seems to work really well.

The only thing I will says is their documentation sucks.  This would not be a huge issue if they were better about support but lately that leaves something to be desired.  When I first started working with them they were great and very responsive.  Over the past year, not so much and I would not endorse them as robustly as I once did.  I would not NOT endorse them but I would offer any endorsement with the caveat of, be prepared to deal with less than stellar support.

When you can reach Matt he is great to work with but sometimes he fails to respond to emails and voice mails.  I don't think he does this intentionally I think they have just gotten very busy and are not dealing well with the growing pains.  When you do get Matt he is very knowledgeable and will be able to help you resolve your issue.

Matt has not replied to the email where I asked for some help with the screen design.  Frankly, I have given up on him and the screen design tool.  The screen design tool is very buggy and very poorly documented.  If you want to sit down and figure it out I am sure you can but be prepared to get frustrated.

When I bought the system Matt told me they would custom make screens because they felt it was something they needed to do for good customer support.  Yeah, OK.  Good luck with that.  I am still waiting going on two years.

The screen set that comes with the unit is fine especially if you are a weekend VFR flyer.  In some ways there is far more information than you would ever need.  But, it is great that it is there.

As said earlier, the documentation is lacking.  This would not be too bad but the system is very complex and some operations require a very strong understanding of the core principals of the system.  The learning curve is long but once you get it...not so bad.  One of the hardest things is remembering where in the system you can find things.  There are dozens of menus to choose from and many of the menus have sub-menus.  If you don't access the system regularly believe me it is very hard to remember where some things can be found.

All in all - great system -  I would give it a 7 out of 10 stars.  If they would take the time to better document the system I would give it 10/10.

I can't remember for sure which ELT I have.  But it is is AmeriKing.  I purchased it new from AC Spruce.  If I remember right it was about $475.  I have all of the documentation at my hangar if you want to know specifics like model #.

Steve

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Permalink Reply by Walt Snyder on February 19, 2015 at 6:36pm

Rich, 

I think you're going to fine yourself very happy with your Enigma, though I understand the feeling of "If I just had steeped it up one more notch". I've had an Enigma for years in an open sport plane, and I could not have been happier with it. I have an Odyssey in my 750 now, but I also have AP and other features that I felt I needed the Odyssey for. I've given the Enigma a trial by fire with it being exposed and open, from 32 degrees over mountains to landing in over 120 degrees in the desert, and rain and wind between all of that. Just kept working.

I'm one that learns much better by doing instead of reading directions, and to be honest, kinda figured out all of the ins and outs of it while I was flying, instead of sitting on the ground, and found it easy to do. I do have the luxury of being able to fly over to where MGL is based and sit down with Matt, though every time I did that, he always pulled the manual and pointed to the answer I could have found on my own.

I do know that when I've called now with a question on the Odyssey I can get an answer, but that may be because he's afraid I'll fly over and take his time up telling flying stories and asking questions :)  I haven't had to call for a while, so it sounds like they may be busier like Steve said. What made me feel it was a stand up company was when I flew to SnF from Ca, and I had a glitch with the screen, he sought me out on the flight line, sat in my plane, pulled out my Enigma, and put a brand new one in, no questions asked. That's hard to find.

Going back to the Enigma, below shows the screen in flight, and coupled with my 496, I was comfortable going anywhere with it. It really reduced workload with ease of use, and information available. There was a learning curve, like Steve pointed out, but once learned, it's great. 

Walt Snyder

MGL Avionics Pilot Stories... Walt Snyder Walt Snyder has probably flown his Quicksilver Sport 2S open-air sportplane to more places than just about anyone has in such a light aircraft. He has accumulated over 30,000 miles, and landed at more than 300 airports while making 4 long trips all around America from his home base in California. West Coast to East Coast and back, several times. LA to NY to LA. You get the picture.  “Every flight instrument and engine instrument you could possibly want was now in my lap in the Enigma, easy to read, and easy to reach and use.” ~ Walt Snyder Walt made a special retractable pod that houses an Enigma EFIS - total situational awareness that can be folded away and removed when leaving the aircraft in unsafe locations. Walt Snyder’s ‘office’, cross-country at 55 mph:

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Permalink Reply by Steve Freeman on February 19, 2015 at 8:42pm

Hi Guys,

I just want to clarify...when you can get a hold of Matt he is great.  The only problem is lately he seems very busy and (for me) has forgotten to return calls and emails.  But when I do get him he has always been extremely helpful and accommodating.

He knows the documentation is lacking and has promised to fix it but instead of fixing the documentation for the legacy equipment they keep putting out new equipment.  They should do both.

Enough said!

Steve

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Permalink Reply by joseph aloof on March 27, 2015 at 6:57am

hi steve is there a number i can call you i have a great amount of questions every thing you wrote 100 % true with matt i bought this unit from a kid that needed money for his school loan so i bought it,now im seriously rethinking of not ever using the glass cockpit if your not computer savy your screwed,,,thx i just started to fly i have 1 one hour on the plane and im not to happy with the screen,, im flying behind a corvair ,    954-703-9179  cell

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Permalink Reply by Steve Freeman on March 27, 2015 at 8:06am

HI Joseph,

If you are flying behind a Corvair you might be better off trying to reach out to Dr. Andy Elliot.  He has the Enigma and a Corvair as well.  Andy is also freaking brilliant I am only competent!
If Andy can't help you reach back out to me and we will figure it out.

Steve

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