I am not expert in this at all, so just a perception from some very limited knowledge.

Garmin equipment is light, modern, inexpensive and has great 'features' in terms of screen size, synth vis, WAAS, safe-taxi etc etc, ahead of or much cheaper than PL21.

But, Garmin's "FMS logic and function" still has some traces of DNA from Garmin products in the 90s and not standard turbine-style FMS.

The new GTN boxes we fitted to our C90 are inferior in this respect to the decade-old CNX80/GNS480 boxes I flew with 1000hrs in our 421. Flight plan management is more clunky, procedure management likewise, airways route entry, no ad-hoc holds, Baro-VNAV to give guidance even on VFR runways. Garmin implement fuel, planning mass & balance, v speeds and performance in less complete ways.

I can absolutely see why a pilot would prefer PL21 to G1000. As an owner I'd baulk at some of the repair and maintenance costs, and the weight saving in a KA limited in full fuel payload is very significant.

I think Garmin are closing the gap with the G3000 and 5000, and the PL21 is just too dated. Any updates seem to cost 10x the Garmin equivalent.

My analogy would be my old Blackberry (pre-OS10) and smartphones. The latest android and iphones are great for someone who lives through social networking, tweeting/twerking/blogging the day away with app-tastic fun. For someone wanting the most effective phone, email and text communication for business, the old blackberry was better. But I still got a big screen Android phone.....

Why would that happen? I use "direct to enter enter" every flight and I've never landed in OK.

Yeah, I'd use "KOPF". Sorry, I didn't think anyone would assume what you did. Touche'

One must assume that since there is more than one airport in Miami you'd need to at least type in which one.

I think you are contradicting yourself in this post.

Show me one plane being built with Proline 21. All Cessna jets are going Garmin as well as Embraer, TBM, Cirrus, etc. The future is Garmin for all manufacturers. Any plane that will hold it's value has Garmin. I wouldn't buy anything but the planes I just listed unless you want to lose your butt.

There's a distinction between owner and pilot - a pilot might prefer a PL21 to a G1000 for the logic/function reasons I mention. I agree an owner could prefer G1000, and certainly G3000-5000, for all the economic reasons you mention.

As a pilot, just getting rid of the big pedestals associated with the PL21s is nice, the way they have done in the CJ2 & 3.

I never strap in to fly an airplane without forgetting something that means I have to clamber back in and out of the pilot seat.

Please explain the difference..... I fly 300+ hours a year and attend all the same training my "pro" counterpart attends. How are we different? We fly the same skies, same airways, same approaches, same ATC. What's the difference?

I meant pilot not owner/pilot.
If someone told me "you must fly 500hrs in a B200 as a pilot, we will pay, the economics don't concern you but you must chose between a PL21 or G1000 model airplane", I might choose PL21.

If I were buying my own airplane to fly as owner/pilot, like you, I think Garmin is the smart choice. It can't help Beech KA sales that they are last-man-standing with PL21 (OK, there's the CJ4 and the Avanti).

Speaking of Avanti, did you consider the latest one. 100kts faster than a Pilatus and bigger cabin, similar range-payload?

I think he is differentiating between an owner who doesn't fly and the pilots who fly for them. One has capital invested and one doesn't.

I'm still not understanding why one would chose PL21 over Garmin...... We fly the same skies, airways, approaches and ATC. Why choose PL21? Garmin does everything better.

Avanti? We've beaten that horse to death here. The company is bankrupt. Avanti is great on paper. I would've bought one over PC12 in a second. Reality is not as nice. Parts? Service? They have lots of service issues according to my research. Once again, there's a reason they're cheap and lots of them on Controller.

CJ4 will be Garmin as the new CJ3+ is Garmin.

If you're talking about G1000 vs Proline 21, you're mistaken. The G1000 has more colors and a larger MFD in some installations but the PL21 is superior at everything else. It is much easier to enter/modify/change your arrivals, departures and approaches with the proline. The VNAV is easier to use, vertical guidance for visual approaches works great, holds are super easy etc. You can do just about anything by pressing a couple buttons, especially using copy and paste to modify routes and procedures. If core functionality and ease of use are what you want, the PL21 is best and that is why he is saying the pro pilots prefer it over the Garmin. If you place more value on a big screen with lots of colors or synthetic vision and terrain map then you'll like the G1000 better. The G3000 may change my opinion, haven't had a chance to try it yet since not many planes have it.

Having flown identical king airs with all three, If I'm not paying for it, I'll take PL21 or Universal over Garmin 500/1000.

Garmin looks nicer. ProLine or Universal is a better FMS.

How much easier can "DIRECT-> Enter Enter" be?

Select airport, select approach, ENTER.

I'm not sure what you're talking about?

If what you say is true, how come nobody is building anything with Proline anymore? Where's SVT on Proline?

Back up your comments with more than just opinion. Look at the marketplace.

How much easier can "DIRECT-> Enter Enter" be?

Select airport, select approach, ENTER.

I'm not sure what you're talking about?

If what you say is true, how come nobody is building anything with Proline anymore? Where's SVT on Proline?

Back up your comments with more than just opinion. Look at the marketplace.

The one thing I have been waiting on with the G1000 is unpublished holds.

The other comment I would make is the G1000 as an FMS is a lot better with the GFC700. Without that the integration isn't really prime time. VNAV, FLC, etc.

I found the synthetic vision to be a game changer.
Though I am not PL21 trained so have always found it difficult.