Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the
global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the G500, a new
avionics suite designed specifically for Part 23 Class I and Class II
aircraft, which are defined as single and twin-engine piston and turbine
engine aircraft under 6,000 pounds. The G500 is similar in design to
Garmin’s G600 and incorporates two individual displays – a primary
flight display (PFD) and multi-function display (MFD) – in a customized
package designed for easy retrofit installation. The G500 communicates
and integrates with Garmin’s other panel mount products, and provides
essential information such as attitude, air data, weather, terrain, and
traffic. The G500 was announced at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin,
July 27-August 2, 2009.
“The G500 is an affordable way for customers of Part 23 Class I and II
aircraft to transform their avionics to all-glass,” said Gary Kelley,
Garmin’s vice president of marketing. “We believe many who purchase a
G500 are already flying with WAAS-enabled GNS 400/500 systems, so using
the G500 will feel like second nature. Plus, the G500 will be a quantum
leap forward for their situational awareness and safety of flight.”
The G500 system displays critical flight data in a digital format on
dual LCD displays. The bezel framing the G500’s PFD and MFD (10”w x
6.7”h) allows for easy installation into the existing instrument panel,
and is designed to take the space that is currently occupied by the
instrument six-pack (attitude, airspeed, altitude, vertical rate, turn
coordinator and directional gyro). Thanks to the G500’s large glass PFD
and MFD, pilots can quickly scan the data so that they can stay ahead of
the aircraft during all phases of flight. The MFD provides pilots with a
clear, concise picture of where they are relative to terrain and
airspace, as well as weather and traffic with optional equipment.
Garmin’s popular SafeTaxi® is a standard feature displayed on
the MFD, and it features detailed diagrams of over 900 airports so
pilots can navigate unfamiliar taxiways with ease. Garmin FliteCharts®
is also available and it allows pilots to quickly find and view all NACO
Departure Procedures (DP), Standard Terminal Arrival Routes (STARs),
approach charts, and airport diagrams on the MFD (FliteCharts disables
when data is six-months out of date). Pilots may also select the
optional ChartView, an electronic version of Jeppesen’s extensive
library of charts and airport diagrams.
For the ultimate situational awareness, G500 customers can also install
a scaled version of Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT™) software as an
option.
