An instrument that has not been updated since the last annual is not a stable, well-tested configuration — it is an aircraft flying on an old airspace picture with fixed bugs still in it. This article is the routine: what to update, how often, in which order, and what to check before the first flight of the season.
What actually needs updating, and how often
| Item | How often | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Airspace | every cycle you can manage, minimum every season | Aeronautical information republishes worldwide on a 28-day AIRAC cycle. New danger areas and redrawn TMAs arrive on those dates whether or not you updated. |
| Airports and turnpoints | at least yearly | Frequencies change, runways change, fields close. |
| Firmware | when a release affects you, and before a big trip | Read the release notes: some releases are cosmetic, some fix things you care about. |
| Terrain / maps | rarely | Terrain does not move. Update when the format or the coverage changes. |
| Declaration and task files | per flight | Not an update, a habit. |
Where the files come from
Everything lives in the LX download center on lxnavigation.com, organised by device: manuals, quick-start guides, firmware and update notices. Find your instrument's page and work from there rather than from a file somebody sent you on a forum — the version that matters is the one paired with your device.
If you register your device, update notices reach you instead of you having to remember to look.
The update itself
Modern LX instruments accept updates two ways.
Over WiFi. The instrument connects to a network and fetches what it needs. This is the fastest route for databases and the one to use during the season — a minute at the launch point rather than an evening at a desk.
By SD card. Copy the file to the card, insert it, follow the instrument's prompts. This is the fallback where there is no usable network, and it is the route to use for firmware if the release notes say so.
Three rules, in the order they will save you:
- Do not update firmware on the day you are flying. Update at home, then power the instrument up and page through it before the aircraft matters.
- Do not remove power during a firmware update. If the instrument has a backup battery, that is your protection against a flat ship battery mid-write — but do not rely on it as a plan.
- Read the release notes. They exist so that you know whether an update changes anything you depend on.
After any update
- Power up on the ground and let the instrument settle
- Check that your pilot, glider and competition ID survived — a firmware update can reset user data
- Check the polar and reference mass, and your usual ballast handling
- Check units: speed, altitude, vario, distance, temperature, pressure
- Open a navigation page and confirm the airspace draws and the warning classes are still filtered the way you set them
- Confirm FLARM traffic appears, if a FLARM is connected
- Confirm the OAT reads something plausible
- Do a short logger check: fly a circuit, download the file, confirm it validates
The pre-season check, in one list
Do this once, in the workshop, before the first good day of the year rather than on it.
- Firmware current on every device on the bus, including accessories
- Airspace, airport and turnpoint databases current
- Pilot and glider data correct in the recorder
- IGC recorder approval and, if the season involves altitude claims, the barograph calibration still in date
- Batteries load-tested, not just charged — measure bus voltage at the instrument during a radio transmit
- Every connector checked and strain-relieved; CAN terminators present at both physical ends of the bus
- GPS antenna secure with a clear view; WiFi antenna uncoiled
- Pitot, static and TE lines checked and leak-tested
- FLARM range checked from a real flight log, not from the ground
- A spare fuse set and a spare CAN cable in the trailer
When an update goes wrong
It is rare, and it is recoverable. Do not repeat the update three times hoping for a different result — note exactly what the screen says, what version was being installed and how power was supplied, then contact your dealer or LX support with those three facts. An instrument that fails mid-update usually needs a specific recovery procedure, not another attempt.
Where to go next
- Firmware, manuals and update notices: the LX download center
- Device-specific setup: the Era, iris EFIS, LX 10K and NAVIA guides in this knowledge base
- Why an out-of-date airspace database is worse than none: the LX Academy article on airspace