We have only flown with the Hudly Classic as of the time of this writing but wanted to provide our impressions of the following HUDs based on our testing.
Hudly Classic (Overall Score 8/10)
This is the original that has a separate projector and combiner.
Pros: Focus is good, brightness adequate, dimming is good, HDMI input. Image size is good for all RV’s except RV-10 as the distance to the windscreen makes for a small field of view when the combiner glass is on the windscreen.
Cons: Slightly more effort to mount because of the separate projector/combiner. Image size is small for RV-10 when combiner is on the windscreen, but this could be resolved by some swing arm mechanism that allows the HUD to be positioned closer to the pilot’s eyes.
Hudly Wireless (Overall Score 4/10)
Pros: High resolution, brightness OK and dimming excellent. HDMI input. Projector/combiner are one unit for easy mounting on top of glare shield. Largest image of all units tested, although image gets smaller the further the unit is mounted from the pilot’s eyes due to the flat combiner glass.
Cons: The combiner is flat, so the image appears at the unit, which causes a confusing sense when looking through it to the outside world. Combiner is tinted and has other optical qualities making the outside world harder to see when looking through it and is probably unusable for night takeoff and landings.
Kivic (Overall Score: 6/10)
Mounting this inverted on a swing arm (would require user fabrication) so it can be positioned close to the pilot’s eyes could make this a good solution for the RV-10, although this could be done with Hudly Classic also.
Pros: Light weight and one-piece design could make this a good candidate to mount on a swing away arm to allow positioning the HUD closer to the pilot. Focus is good, low cost. Brightness and dimming are good.
Cons: Uses its own app for screen mirroring, which added about 0.1 second of latency. Screen mirroring sometimes dropped out for unknown reasons, and then re-connected within a few seconds automatically. Not optically as good as Hudly Classic.
Recommended Settings: Correction for Screen Distortion: -15 (Approximately) PFD-HUD Mode: Lo-Res
Epic Eagle (Score: N/A due to size)
Pros: Focus makes image appear to be at infinite distance, which is ideal for augmented reality mode.
Cons: High-cost, Unable to dim enough for flying at night, small field of view makes augmented reality mode impractical, too large to fit in many airplanes, requires screen mirroring (no HDMI input) with current model. Future updates may add HDMI input and dimmer screen, but overall size will remain a problem.