Glass Panel Longevity

Neil Gould wrote:
Recently, Sylvain posted:

Guy Elden Jr wrote:

Do people repair mechanical gauges or simply replace them when they
stop working?

It's a lot easier / cheaper to replace one mechanical gauge than an
entire instrument panel.

When digital watches first came out, they cost a lot more than
the old wind-ups even though they cost far less to produce. As more
manufacturers got into the act, the cost came down to more reasonable
levels.
I had an attitude indicator overhauled the other day. Cost
$675 Canadian. This stuff is only going to get more expensive as labour
goes up, since it can't be totally assembled by some robot. The life of
a gyro is rather short, too, especially in an operation like ours where
starting the airplane in cold weather is hard on gyro bearings. Engine
vibration eats gyros, and dry vacuum pumps last maybe 1200 hours.
If there are enough EFIS systems in use when a manufacturer
quits making them, some aftermarket manufacturer will find profit in
making replacement boards and displays for them under PMA rules. And as
more companies start making them, the up-front costs will come down. It
won't be instrument replacement costs that finally ground us; it will
be lawyers and insurance companies and heavyhanded regulation.

Dan