Coastal Winds Avionics Reviews

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4.9 | 19 reviews

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Coastal Winds Avionics

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Bruce Benyshek 2026.04.23

First-time visit, for my biannual Altimeter and Transponder certification. A fantastic shop!! From arrival, through departure, a friendly, welcoming, and professional experience. Everyone, from Katie working the office, to Dallas, the owner, and the guys working the line: they made me feel right at home. They went far beyond expectations in helping my daughter get in and out of the plane. They were quick, knowledgable, accurate, and my kind of “airplane people,” who like talking about airplanes as much as working on them. ☺️ My airplane is a rare one, and they enjoyed learning its history, capabilities, etc, as well as the challenge of something new. 😎 Oh: and they had the best price in the panhandle!! ☺️👍🏻🇺🇸 A really enjoyable experience, and I’ll be back every two years!! My highest recommendation!

First-time visit, for my biannual Altimeter and Transponder certification. A fantastic shop!!

From arrival, through departure, a friendly, welcoming, and professional experience. Everyone, from Katie working the office, to Dallas, the owner, and the guys working the line: they made me feel right at home. They went far beyond expectations in helping my daughter get in and out of the plane.

They were quick, knowledgable, accurate, and my kind of “airplane people,” who like talking about airplanes as much as working on them. ☺️ My airplane is a rare one, and they enjoyed learning its history, capabilities, etc, as well as the challenge of something new. 😎

Oh: and they had the best price in the panhandle!! ☺️👍🏻🇺🇸

A really enjoyable experience, and I’ll be back every two years!! My highest recommendation!

First-time visit, for my biannual Altimeter and Transponder certification. A fantastic shop!!

From arrival, through departure, a friendly, welcoming, and professional experience. Everyone, from Katie working the office, to Dallas, the owner, and the guys working the line: they made me feel right at home. They went far beyond expectations in helping my daughter get in and out of the plane.

They were quick, knowledgable, accurate, and my kind of “airplane people,” who like talking about airplanes as much as working on them. ☺️ My airplane is a rare one, and they enjoyed learning its history, capabilities, etc, as well as the challenge of something new. 😎

Oh: and they had the best price in the panhandle!! ☺️👍🏻🇺🇸

A really enjoyable experience, and I’ll be back every two years!! My highest recommendation!

First-time visit, for my biannual Altimeter and Transponder certification. A fantastic shop!!

From arrival, through departure, a friendly, welcoming, and professional experience. Everyone, from Katie working the office, to Dallas, the owner, and the guys working the line: they made me feel right at home. They went far beyond expectations in helping my daughter get in and out of the plane.

They were quick, knowledgable, accurate, and my kind of “airplane people,” who like talking about airplanes as much as working on them. ☺️ My airplane is a rare one, and they enjoyed learning its history, capabilities, etc, as well as the challenge of something new. 😎

Oh: and they had the best price in the panhandle!! ☺️👍🏻🇺🇸

A really enjoyable experience, and I’ll be back every two years!! My highest recommendation!

First-time visit, for my biannual Altimeter and Transponder certification. A fantastic shop!!

From arrival, through departure, a friendly, welcoming, and professional experience. Everyone, from Katie working the office, to Dallas, the owner, and the guys working the line: they made me feel right at home. They went far beyond expectations in helping my daughter get in and out of the plane.

They were quick, knowledgable, accurate, and my kind of “airplane people,” who like talking about airplanes as much as working on them. ☺️ My airplane is a rare one, and they enjoyed learning its history, capabilities, etc, as well as the challenge of something new. 😎

Oh: and they had the best price in the panhandle!! ☺️👍🏻🇺🇸

A really enjoyable experience, and I’ll be back every two years!! My highest recommendation!

Reply from Coastal Winds Avionics 2026.04.24

Thanks for you kind words, Bruce. It was a pleasure getting to know you and your daughter. And the opportunity to work on your Socata was extremely interesting. It registered one of the tightest static systems we've ever seen. You are welcome back any time and we look forward to seeing you again in the future.

Michael Mergell 2025.11.19

Mark Magee of Coastal Winds Avionics sets the gold standard for professionalism, precision, and reliability in the avionics industry. His depth of knowledge is matched only by the care and integrity he brings to every project. Whether handling complex diagnostics, upgrades, or routine avionics work, Mark approaches each task with exacting attention to detail and a clear commitment to safety.

Reply from Coastal Winds Avionics 2025.11.20

Thank you, Michael! I sure would like to meet me; I sound awesome! ;-)

Adam 2025.06.19

It's rare to find great customer service these days but Dallas and his team have it in spades. Great communication and fast turn around! Thank you!

Reply from Coastal Winds Avionics 2026.04.24

Thank you for your kind review, Adam.

Melissa Brown 2025.06.15

The folks at Coastal upgraded the panel on our Cessna 182S. Upgrades included installing a new Garmin 750Xi, a GTX 345 transponder, and installing a LS-200 landing height system. The installation went very well, was done on schedule, and at the estimated cost. We also had some additional work done at On Time Aviation Maintenance while the plane was at KMOB and the Coastal staff really helped coordinating efforts with the On Time maintenance staff. If I had one thing I could suggest to improve, that would be to perform a review of existing equipment that new devices will integrate with to ensure full functionality. Our plane has existing G5’s that didn’t include the capability to calculate wind speed and direction to provide to the 750. If we had known these needed to be upgraded, we would have upgraded at the same time. Thanks to Dallas and his staff for upgrading and taking care of our plane.

Jeremy Lee 2025.05.22

My wife and I were proud new owners of a 1957 Cessna 182A with the original steam gauges and had discussed upgrading the avionics package as we are both currently working towards our instrument rating. I called several different shops and solicited advice from all of my contacts in the aviation community for ideas, feedback, and suggestions. Coastal Winds Avionics was spoken of highly by everyone that had used them or knew of someone else who had. I made contact with Dallas and started the process. Through several conversations, Dallas and I discussed mine and my wife’s individual needs, wants, and the capabilities of the aircraft until we arrived at a plan. The vacuum system would be eliminated and replaced with a dual Garmin G5 AI and HSI package, the primary Garmin 430W GPS would be replaced with a 530W and the 430W would become the backup Nav/Com. Along the way we decided to upgrade the old audio panel with a new Garmin GMA 345, and the transponder with a Garmin GTX 327. There were plenty of surprises along the way that required creative thinking to make it possible to get all of the new equipment into the limited space available in an old 182, but they did it, and to call the end product “Incredible”, would still not be doing it justice. The team, including Dallas, Jason, John, and TJ, and Katie, all contributed in one way or another to bringing our vision to life, and we couldn’t be happier with the finished result. They even found a way to incorporate a Thunderbird logo that my wife loves into the new panel. Whether you’re doing a small change, or a complete transformation of your plane’s avionics, Coastal Winds Avionics is the place to go for quality! Thanks guys! See photos from before, during, and after.

Zack Kellis 2025.03.19

I recently had a major Avionics project completed by coastal winds. We did a double G3 X, Garmin 650, GMC 500, audio panel, and comms. The price was great, and the service was better. I enjoyed working with Dallas and Jason. They were extremely knowledgeable, and were also extremely easy to work with. I would recommend them to anyone.

Reply from Coastal Winds Avionics 2025.03.20

Thank you so much, Zack. It was our extreme pleasure to Make 7490 Great Again! We're thrilled that you had a great experience and will recommend us to others. Again... Thanks!

Wayne Johnson 2024.12.19

When considering a panel upgrade, the drivers usually involve desired gain of function and cost. Obviously, the former has a significant impact on the latter. As I approached the upgrade process, my goals were threefold: 1. Bring my 1975 Rockwell Commander 112 into the 21st Century with an all-digital avionics package, thereby improving performance & reliability, and reducing weight; 2. Install an autopilot system that would work seamlessly with the NAV radios and airplane; and 3. Retain a 'retro' look on the panel while taking advantage of glass panel avionics technologies, and maintaining emergency pressure instrument redundancies. Although there are several excellent avionics manufacturers to choose from, Garmin appeared to offer the best turnkey systems compatibility and, ultimately, bang for the buck. After deciding what I wanted and could justify, the next step was locating suitable avionics shop capable of doing more than merely removing and reinstalling avionics, on an already patchwork quilt instrument panel. On a tip from a friend, I visited Coastal Winds Avionics, met their operations manager and installation technicians, and asked many questions... all of which they answered. Best of all, they had in-house capabilities to fabricate a new panel customized to my avionics and desired placement. This was very important to me after flying more than a few airplanes with poorly placed displays and awkward switch locations. Above all, I wanted the autopilot at the top of its stack, to avoid looking down and hunting for selector buttons while flying in IMC. The previous avionics suite included typical 1970s-1990s King radios and an analog Century III autopilot. The Commander had circuit breakers and light switches in various unrelated locations and still used OEM engine monitoring gauges, which were mounted on a subpanel and difficult to see and read at a glance. After deciding to use Garmin's GTN750 as the number 1 NAV-COM, a GNS 430WAAS as the number 2 NAV-COM, and Garmin's well proven GMC 500 series autopilot, that led to Garmin's GI 275 3-1/4" instruments for the Attitude Indicator and DG-HSI. The plane's Primary Engine Instruments were replaced with JPI's EDM-930 engine monitoring and alerting system. This attached photos tell the story from before, during and after the panel and avionics upgrade. Bottom line, nice things cost money, really nice things cost more... but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR. Thanks, Coastal Winds Avionics, well done!

When considering a panel upgrade, the drivers usually involve desired gain of function and cost. Obviously, the former has a significant impact on the latter.

As I approached the upgrade process, my goals were threefold: 1. Bring my 1975 Rockwell Commander 112 into the 21st Century with an all-digital avionics package, thereby improving performance & reliability, and reducing weight; 2. Install an autopilot system that would work seamlessly with the NAV radios and airplane; and 3. Retain a 'retro' look on the panel while taking advantage of glass panel avionics technologies, and maintaining emergency pressure instrument redundancies.

Although there are several excellent avionics manufacturers to choose from, Garmin appeared to offer the best turnkey systems compatibility and, ultimately, bang for the buck.

After deciding what I wanted and could justify, the next step was locating suitable avionics shop capable of doing more than merely removing and reinstalling avionics, on an already patchwork quilt instrument panel.

On a tip from a friend, I visited Coastal Winds Avionics, met their operations manager and installation technicians, and asked many questions... all of which they answered. Best of all, they had in-house capabilities to fabricate a new panel customized to my avionics and desired placement. This was very important to me after flying more than a few airplanes with poorly placed displays and awkward switch locations. Above all, I wanted the autopilot at the top of its stack, to avoid looking down and hunting for selector buttons while flying in IMC.

The previous avionics suite included typical 1970s-1990s King radios and an analog Century III autopilot. The Commander had circuit breakers and light switches in various unrelated locations and still used OEM engine monitoring gauges, which were mounted on a subpanel and difficult to see and read at a glance.
After deciding to use Garmin's GTN750 as the number 1 NAV-COM, a GNS 430WAAS as the number 2 NAV-COM, and Garmin's well proven GMC 500 series autopilot, that led to Garmin's GI 275 3-1/4" instruments for the Attitude Indicator and DG-HSI. The plane's Primary Engine Instruments were replaced with JPI's EDM-930 engine monitoring and alerting system.

This attached photos tell the story from before, during and after the panel and avionics upgrade. Bottom line, nice things cost money, really nice things cost more... but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Thanks, Coastal Winds Avionics, well done!

When considering a panel upgrade, the drivers usually involve desired gain of function and cost. Obviously, the former has a significant impact on the latter.

As I approached the upgrade process, my goals were threefold: 1. Bring my 1975 Rockwell Commander 112 into the 21st Century with an all-digital avionics package, thereby improving performance & reliability, and reducing weight; 2. Install an autopilot system that would work seamlessly with the NAV radios and airplane; and 3. Retain a 'retro' look on the panel while taking advantage of glass panel avionics technologies, and maintaining emergency pressure instrument redundancies.

Although there are several excellent avionics manufacturers to choose from, Garmin appeared to offer the best turnkey systems compatibility and, ultimately, bang for the buck.

After deciding what I wanted and could justify, the next step was locating suitable avionics shop capable of doing more than merely removing and reinstalling avionics, on an already patchwork quilt instrument panel.

On a tip from a friend, I visited Coastal Winds Avionics, met their operations manager and installation technicians, and asked many questions... all of which they answered. Best of all, they had in-house capabilities to fabricate a new panel customized to my avionics and desired placement. This was very important to me after flying more than a few airplanes with poorly placed displays and awkward switch locations. Above all, I wanted the autopilot at the top of its stack, to avoid looking down and hunting for selector buttons while flying in IMC.

The previous avionics suite included typical 1970s-1990s King radios and an analog Century III autopilot. The Commander had circuit breakers and light switches in various unrelated locations and still used OEM engine monitoring gauges, which were mounted on a subpanel and difficult to see and read at a glance.
After deciding to use Garmin's GTN750 as the number 1 NAV-COM, a GNS 430WAAS as the number 2 NAV-COM, and Garmin's well proven GMC 500 series autopilot, that led to Garmin's GI 275 3-1/4" instruments for the Attitude Indicator and DG-HSI. The plane's Primary Engine Instruments were replaced with JPI's EDM-930 engine monitoring and alerting system.

This attached photos tell the story from before, during and after the panel and avionics upgrade. Bottom line, nice things cost money, really nice things cost more... but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Thanks, Coastal Winds Avionics, well done!

When considering a panel upgrade, the drivers usually involve desired gain of function and cost. Obviously, the former has a significant impact on the latter.

As I approached the upgrade process, my goals were threefold: 1. Bring my 1975 Rockwell Commander 112 into the 21st Century with an all-digital avionics package, thereby improving performance & reliability, and reducing weight; 2. Install an autopilot system that would work seamlessly with the NAV radios and airplane; and 3. Retain a 'retro' look on the panel while taking advantage of glass panel avionics technologies, and maintaining emergency pressure instrument redundancies.

Although there are several excellent avionics manufacturers to choose from, Garmin appeared to offer the best turnkey systems compatibility and, ultimately, bang for the buck.

After deciding what I wanted and could justify, the next step was locating suitable avionics shop capable of doing more than merely removing and reinstalling avionics, on an already patchwork quilt instrument panel.

On a tip from a friend, I visited Coastal Winds Avionics, met their operations manager and installation technicians, and asked many questions... all of which they answered. Best of all, they had in-house capabilities to fabricate a new panel customized to my avionics and desired placement. This was very important to me after flying more than a few airplanes with poorly placed displays and awkward switch locations. Above all, I wanted the autopilot at the top of its stack, to avoid looking down and hunting for selector buttons while flying in IMC.

The previous avionics suite included typical 1970s-1990s King radios and an analog Century III autopilot. The Commander had circuit breakers and light switches in various unrelated locations and still used OEM engine monitoring gauges, which were mounted on a subpanel and difficult to see and read at a glance.
After deciding to use Garmin's GTN750 as the number 1 NAV-COM, a GNS 430WAAS as the number 2 NAV-COM, and Garmin's well proven GMC 500 series autopilot, that led to Garmin's GI 275 3-1/4" instruments for the Attitude Indicator and DG-HSI. The plane's Primary Engine Instruments were replaced with JPI's EDM-930 engine monitoring and alerting system.

This attached photos tell the story from before, during and after the panel and avionics upgrade. Bottom line, nice things cost money, really nice things cost more... but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Thanks, Coastal Winds Avionics, well done!

When considering a panel upgrade, the drivers usually involve desired gain of function and cost. Obviously, the former has a significant impact on the latter.

As I approached the upgrade process, my goals were threefold: 1. Bring my 1975 Rockwell Commander 112 into the 21st Century with an all-digital avionics package, thereby improving performance & reliability, and reducing weight; 2. Install an autopilot system that would work seamlessly with the NAV radios and airplane; and 3. Retain a 'retro' look on the panel while taking advantage of glass panel avionics technologies, and maintaining emergency pressure instrument redundancies.

Although there are several excellent avionics manufacturers to choose from, Garmin appeared to offer the best turnkey systems compatibility and, ultimately, bang for the buck.

After deciding what I wanted and could justify, the next step was locating suitable avionics shop capable of doing more than merely removing and reinstalling avionics, on an already patchwork quilt instrument panel.

On a tip from a friend, I visited Coastal Winds Avionics, met their operations manager and installation technicians, and asked many questions... all of which they answered. Best of all, they had in-house capabilities to fabricate a new panel customized to my avionics and desired placement. This was very important to me after flying more than a few airplanes with poorly placed displays and awkward switch locations. Above all, I wanted the autopilot at the top of its stack, to avoid looking down and hunting for selector buttons while flying in IMC.

The previous avionics suite included typical 1970s-1990s King radios and an analog Century III autopilot. The Commander had circuit breakers and light switches in various unrelated locations and still used OEM engine monitoring gauges, which were mounted on a subpanel and difficult to see and read at a glance.
After deciding to use Garmin's GTN750 as the number 1 NAV-COM, a GNS 430WAAS as the number 2 NAV-COM, and Garmin's well proven GMC 500 series autopilot, that led to Garmin's GI 275 3-1/4" instruments for the Attitude Indicator and DG-HSI. The plane's Primary Engine Instruments were replaced with JPI's EDM-930 engine monitoring and alerting system.

This attached photos tell the story from before, during and after the panel and avionics upgrade. Bottom line, nice things cost money, really nice things cost more... but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Thanks, Coastal Winds Avionics, well done!

When considering a panel upgrade, the drivers usually involve desired gain of function and cost. Obviously, the former has a significant impact on the latter.

As I approached the upgrade process, my goals were threefold: 1. Bring my 1975 Rockwell Commander 112 into the 21st Century with an all-digital avionics package, thereby improving performance & reliability, and reducing weight; 2. Install an autopilot system that would work seamlessly with the NAV radios and airplane; and 3. Retain a 'retro' look on the panel while taking advantage of glass panel avionics technologies, and maintaining emergency pressure instrument redundancies.

Although there are several excellent avionics manufacturers to choose from, Garmin appeared to offer the best turnkey systems compatibility and, ultimately, bang for the buck.

After deciding what I wanted and could justify, the next step was locating suitable avionics shop capable of doing more than merely removing and reinstalling avionics, on an already patchwork quilt instrument panel.

On a tip from a friend, I visited Coastal Winds Avionics, met their operations manager and installation technicians, and asked many questions... all of which they answered. Best of all, they had in-house capabilities to fabricate a new panel customized to my avionics and desired placement. This was very important to me after flying more than a few airplanes with poorly placed displays and awkward switch locations. Above all, I wanted the autopilot at the top of its stack, to avoid looking down and hunting for selector buttons while flying in IMC.

The previous avionics suite included typical 1970s-1990s King radios and an analog Century III autopilot. The Commander had circuit breakers and light switches in various unrelated locations and still used OEM engine monitoring gauges, which were mounted on a subpanel and difficult to see and read at a glance.
After deciding to use Garmin's GTN750 as the number 1 NAV-COM, a GNS 430WAAS as the number 2 NAV-COM, and Garmin's well proven GMC 500 series autopilot, that led to Garmin's GI 275 3-1/4" instruments for the Attitude Indicator and DG-HSI. The plane's Primary Engine Instruments were replaced with JPI's EDM-930 engine monitoring and alerting system.

This attached photos tell the story from before, during and after the panel and avionics upgrade. Bottom line, nice things cost money, really nice things cost more... but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Thanks, Coastal Winds Avionics, well done!

When considering a panel upgrade, the drivers usually involve desired gain of function and cost. Obviously, the former has a significant impact on the latter.

As I approached the upgrade process, my goals were threefold: 1. Bring my 1975 Rockwell Commander 112 into the 21st Century with an all-digital avionics package, thereby improving performance & reliability, and reducing weight; 2. Install an autopilot system that would work seamlessly with the NAV radios and airplane; and 3. Retain a 'retro' look on the panel while taking advantage of glass panel avionics technologies, and maintaining emergency pressure instrument redundancies.

Although there are several excellent avionics manufacturers to choose from, Garmin appeared to offer the best turnkey systems compatibility and, ultimately, bang for the buck.

After deciding what I wanted and could justify, the next step was locating suitable avionics shop capable of doing more than merely removing and reinstalling avionics, on an already patchwork quilt instrument panel.

On a tip from a friend, I visited Coastal Winds Avionics, met their operations manager and installation technicians, and asked many questions... all of which they answered. Best of all, they had in-house capabilities to fabricate a new panel customized to my avionics and desired placement. This was very important to me after flying more than a few airplanes with poorly placed displays and awkward switch locations. Above all, I wanted the autopilot at the top of its stack, to avoid looking down and hunting for selector buttons while flying in IMC.

The previous avionics suite included typical 1970s-1990s King radios and an analog Century III autopilot. The Commander had circuit breakers and light switches in various unrelated locations and still used OEM engine monitoring gauges, which were mounted on a subpanel and difficult to see and read at a glance.
After deciding to use Garmin's GTN750 as the number 1 NAV-COM, a GNS 430WAAS as the number 2 NAV-COM, and Garmin's well proven GMC 500 series autopilot, that led to Garmin's GI 275 3-1/4" instruments for the Attitude Indicator and DG-HSI. The plane's Primary Engine Instruments were replaced with JPI's EDM-930 engine monitoring and alerting system.

This attached photos tell the story from before, during and after the panel and avionics upgrade. Bottom line, nice things cost money, really nice things cost more... but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Thanks, Coastal Winds Avionics, well done!

When considering a panel upgrade, the drivers usually involve desired gain of function and cost. Obviously, the former has a significant impact on the latter.

As I approached the upgrade process, my goals were threefold: 1. Bring my 1975 Rockwell Commander 112 into the 21st Century with an all-digital avionics package, thereby improving performance & reliability, and reducing weight; 2. Install an autopilot system that would work seamlessly with the NAV radios and airplane; and 3. Retain a 'retro' look on the panel while taking advantage of glass panel avionics technologies, and maintaining emergency pressure instrument redundancies.

Although there are several excellent avionics manufacturers to choose from, Garmin appeared to offer the best turnkey systems compatibility and, ultimately, bang for the buck.

After deciding what I wanted and could justify, the next step was locating suitable avionics shop capable of doing more than merely removing and reinstalling avionics, on an already patchwork quilt instrument panel.

On a tip from a friend, I visited Coastal Winds Avionics, met their operations manager and installation technicians, and asked many questions... all of which they answered. Best of all, they had in-house capabilities to fabricate a new panel customized to my avionics and desired placement. This was very important to me after flying more than a few airplanes with poorly placed displays and awkward switch locations. Above all, I wanted the autopilot at the top of its stack, to avoid looking down and hunting for selector buttons while flying in IMC.

The previous avionics suite included typical 1970s-1990s King radios and an analog Century III autopilot. The Commander had circuit breakers and light switches in various unrelated locations and still used OEM engine monitoring gauges, which were mounted on a subpanel and difficult to see and read at a glance.
After deciding to use Garmin's GTN750 as the number 1 NAV-COM, a GNS 430WAAS as the number 2 NAV-COM, and Garmin's well proven GMC 500 series autopilot, that led to Garmin's GI 275 3-1/4" instruments for the Attitude Indicator and DG-HSI. The plane's Primary Engine Instruments were replaced with JPI's EDM-930 engine monitoring and alerting system.

This attached photos tell the story from before, during and after the panel and avionics upgrade. Bottom line, nice things cost money, really nice things cost more... but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Thanks, Coastal Winds Avionics, well done!

When considering a panel upgrade, the drivers usually involve desired gain of function and cost. Obviously, the former has a significant impact on the latter.

As I approached the upgrade process, my goals were threefold: 1. Bring my 1975 Rockwell Commander 112 into the 21st Century with an all-digital avionics package, thereby improving performance & reliability, and reducing weight; 2. Install an autopilot system that would work seamlessly with the NAV radios and airplane; and 3. Retain a 'retro' look on the panel while taking advantage of glass panel avionics technologies, and maintaining emergency pressure instrument redundancies.

Although there are several excellent avionics manufacturers to choose from, Garmin appeared to offer the best turnkey systems compatibility and, ultimately, bang for the buck.

After deciding what I wanted and could justify, the next step was locating suitable avionics shop capable of doing more than merely removing and reinstalling avionics, on an already patchwork quilt instrument panel.

On a tip from a friend, I visited Coastal Winds Avionics, met their operations manager and installation technicians, and asked many questions... all of which they answered. Best of all, they had in-house capabilities to fabricate a new panel customized to my avionics and desired placement. This was very important to me after flying more than a few airplanes with poorly placed displays and awkward switch locations. Above all, I wanted the autopilot at the top of its stack, to avoid looking down and hunting for selector buttons while flying in IMC.

The previous avionics suite included typical 1970s-1990s King radios and an analog Century III autopilot. The Commander had circuit breakers and light switches in various unrelated locations and still used OEM engine monitoring gauges, which were mounted on a subpanel and difficult to see and read at a glance.
After deciding to use Garmin's GTN750 as the number 1 NAV-COM, a GNS 430WAAS as the number 2 NAV-COM, and Garmin's well proven GMC 500 series autopilot, that led to Garmin's GI 275 3-1/4" instruments for the Attitude Indicator and DG-HSI. The plane's Primary Engine Instruments were replaced with JPI's EDM-930 engine monitoring and alerting system.

This attached photos tell the story from before, during and after the panel and avionics upgrade. Bottom line, nice things cost money, really nice things cost more... but YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR.

Thanks, Coastal Winds Avionics, well done!

Reply from Coastal Winds Avionics 2024.12.20

Thank you so much for the review, Wayne. It is always a pleasure working with a customer that understands exactly what they want and is so helpfully collaborative. We are so happy that you are pleased with the outcome. Thank you again for choosing Coastal Winds Avionics! And make sure to thank your friend for tipping you off to us!

Alan C 2024.06.03

I wish I could add more stars for the work performed by CWA. I have a PA32RT300, and had the GFC 500 AP w/ Pitch/Trim and GI275's installed. All the old stuff removed including Century III and vacuum system. If you're looking for a place that stays in constant communication through the process, performs the highest quality of work, takes pride in their work, and gets the job done on-time then this is the place. This is truly a first class service shop skilled at working through the challenges of working on old GA planes. I can't thank them enough for their efforts and results!

Heatley Land and Lawn 2024.04.03

We had Coastal Winds update our 172 M (N3551Q) to a G3x, GC 500 Auto pilot and G5 . We opted for the full gauge upgrade package as well. They even arranged for a ferry pilot to return the aircraft to our home airport in TN. Im away in California working but my wife who is also a Pilot says the quality of the panels and installation totally blew her mind. They even engraved our before landing information into the new panel. Cant say enough good things about how nice they were to deal with. Highly recommended. A++

Reply from Coastal Winds Avionics 2024.04.03

Thank you so much for the glowing review. It's a pleasure to work with someone who clearly knows what they want and that holds us to a higher standard. We knew we had to bring our 'A' game to satisfy you and couldn't be more happy that you are so pleased.

D S 2024.03.22

Highly recommend stopping in and seeing Dallas for any of your avionics needs. We are an hour flight and 3 1/2 hour drive away from Mobile but will always make the trip to Coastal Winds when we need work done. If you’re looking for a shop that you can trust and with great communication, you’ve found it here!

Highly recommend stopping in and seeing Dallas for any of your avionics needs. We are an hour flight and 3 1/2 hour drive away from Mobile but will always make the trip to Coastal Winds when we need work done. If you’re looking for a shop that you can trust and with great communication, you’ve found it here!

Reply from Coastal Winds Avionics 2024.04.03

Wow! Great review. Thank you so much.

Jerry Jackson 2023.06.18

Great customer service! Highly recommend!

Reply from Coastal Winds Avionics 2023.06.19

Thank you so much, Jerry! We appreciate the opportunity to work with you on this.

Kurush Hyderabadwalla 2023.02.23

Reply from Coastal Winds Avionics 2023.02.23

This is not a customer of ours. Google refused to remove the review since their policies were not broken by the user simply entering a rating with no verbiage.

Drew Terry 2023.01.25

Couldn’t be more pleased with our panel upgrade that was just completed on our Baron 58. Dallas, John, and their team did an amazing job and were great to work with. I would highly recommend them to anyone without hesitation.

Couldn’t be more pleased with our panel upgrade that was just completed on our Baron 58. Dallas, John, and their team did an amazing job and were great to work with. I would highly recommend them to anyone without hesitation.

Couldn’t be more pleased with our panel upgrade that was just completed on our Baron 58. Dallas, John, and their team did an amazing job and were great to work with. I would highly recommend them to anyone without hesitation.

Reply from Coastal Winds Avionics 2023.02.02

Thank you, Drew. Yours was a fun project and we're happy that you're pleased with the way it turned out. That new powder-coated and screen-printed panel and yoke medallions with the Baron 58 logo you requested turned out great! Thanks again for trusting us with your business.

Mark Whyte 2021.12.21

The team at Coastal Winds Avionics were very professional, fast, and accommodating. I called and requested a short notice appointment fully expecting not to get it due to how busy they were. John was able to squeeze me, complete the maintenance and got me going with no changes to my schedule. The price was reasonable, and workmanship impeccable. I highly recommend Coastal Winds Avionics. Ask for John, he'll take care of you.

The team at Coastal Winds Avionics were very professional, fast, and accommodating. I called and requested a short notice appointment fully expecting not to get it due to how busy they were. John was able to squeeze me, complete the maintenance and got me going with no changes to my schedule. The price was reasonable, and workmanship impeccable. I highly recommend Coastal Winds Avionics. Ask for John, he'll take care of you.

The team at Coastal Winds Avionics were very professional, fast, and accommodating. I called and requested a short notice appointment fully expecting not to get it due to how busy they were. John was able to squeeze me, complete the maintenance and got me going with no changes to my schedule. The price was reasonable, and workmanship impeccable. I highly recommend Coastal Winds Avionics. Ask for John, he'll take care of you.

Scott Smith 2021.10.14

Over the past 2 years I have been planning and full panel upgrade in a Grumman Tiger. During that time I evaluated many layouts and shops to perform the work and to have a future relationship with, I found Coastal Winds Avionics via a recommendation. From my first interaction and throughout the process of a complete modern panel upgrade, I was never pressured or influenced to spend more money. They performed the quoted work and came in under budget which was a better price than several other shops I looked at to perform the work. They have been very attentive to my numerous calls and very friendly each time.

Over the past 2 years I have been planning and full panel upgrade in a Grumman Tiger. During that time I evaluated many layouts and shops to perform the work and to have a future relationship with, I found Coastal Winds Avionics via a recommendation. From my first interaction and throughout the process of a complete modern panel upgrade, I was never pressured or influenced to spend more money. They performed the quoted work and came in under budget which was a better price than several other shops I looked at to perform the work. They have been very attentive to my numerous calls and very friendly each time.

Over the past 2 years I have been planning and full panel upgrade in a Grumman Tiger. During that time I evaluated many layouts and shops to perform the work and to have a future relationship with, I found Coastal Winds Avionics via a recommendation. From my first interaction and throughout the process of a complete modern panel upgrade, I was never pressured or influenced to spend more money. They performed the quoted work and came in under budget which was a better price than several other shops I looked at to perform the work. They have been very attentive to my numerous calls and very friendly each time.

Over the past 2 years I have been planning and full panel upgrade in a Grumman Tiger. During that time I evaluated many layouts and shops to perform the work and to have a future relationship with, I found Coastal Winds Avionics via a recommendation. From my first interaction and throughout the process of a complete modern panel upgrade, I was never pressured or influenced to spend more money. They performed the quoted work and came in under budget which was a better price than several other shops I looked at to perform the work. They have been very attentive to my numerous calls and very friendly each time.

Over the past 2 years I have been planning and full panel upgrade in a Grumman Tiger. During that time I evaluated many layouts and shops to perform the work and to have a future relationship with, I found Coastal Winds Avionics via a recommendation. From my first interaction and throughout the process of a complete modern panel upgrade, I was never pressured or influenced to spend more money. They performed the quoted work and came in under budget which was a better price than several other shops I looked at to perform the work. They have been very attentive to my numerous calls and very friendly each time.

Aron Stefanides 2021.09.29

Dallas and his team have now worked on three airplanes for me. All jobs have been performed to our satisfaction in a timely manner! Love his crew at KMOB.

Michael Mahoney 2021.08.19

Excellent, prompt service. Did everything that was asked and communicated throughout the avionics repair on a regular basis. Would highly recommend.

Jim Hoisington 2021.06.22

Dallas and his guys are outstanding. They did a big install for me, GTN650, 2 X G5's and a transponder. Got it in and out on schedule. Panel turned out looking great. The G-5 were recessed so even better. Had a couple of minor issues not attributable to CWA. Quick fix by Dallas and back in the air. This will be my permanent avionics shop.

Brian Reyes 2020.02.06

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Aircraft maintenance company in Mobile, Alabama

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