The folks at Raytheon
are in a good mood... thanks to the Garmin G1000. Enthusiastic
airplane buyers are lining up to purchase G1000-equipped Beechcraft
Bonanzas and Barons after their recent debut at EAA AirVenture
Oshkosh 2004.
A total of 44 aircraft – 34 Bonanzas and 10 Barons –
have been ordered with deposits. Both will feature Garmin G1000
integrated avionics system as standard equipment for the 2006
product lines available in mid-2005.
“We expected a strong response
but 44 orders in this short time is spectacular,” said Randy
Groom, president of Beechcraft. “We’re hearing comments
such as ‘The Bonanza is good for another 57 years.’
That’s a real testament to the enduring appeal of these
legendary aircraft.”
Brad Stancil, VP – Executive Products, said the Bonanza
and Baron upgrades were designed to offer the most value in the
piston single and twin markets. “These upgrades are the most
fully integrated avionics systems in the piston market,” he
said. “We felt from the beginning that, because of their
stature in the industry, Bonanzas and Barons should have the most
extensive glass cockpits in their class.”
The dual-display G1000 system will be integrated with Garmin's
innovative autopilot, the GFC 700™. The Beechcraft Baron will
also boast Garmin’s new weather radar — the GWX
68™ — offering an early glimpse of a single-source
Garmin G1000 system.
The intuitive G1000 system line provides improved situational
awareness, increased functionality, and reduced pilot workload. The
Beechcraft Baron will be the first to feature the G1000 as a single
source for all flight functions -- sensors, guidance, radar,
communication and autopilot.
Following are some of the standard system components and
features of the G1000 on the Beechcraft Baron and Bonanza:
- The primary flight display (PFD) replaces many of the
traditional cockpit instruments and presents this information in an
integrated fashion on a large-format display, and the
multi-function display (MFD) puts all aircraft-systems monitoring
and flight-planning functions at the pilot’s fingertips
- Integrated solid-state Attitude and Heading Reference System,
which can align while in motion, including in-flight dynamic
restarts
- Integrated digital air-data computer
- Integrated engine-monitoring display
- Integrated three-axis automatic flight control system
- Integrated Mode S transponder with Traffic Information
Service
- Dual integrated radio modules that provide WAAS-capable IFR
oceanic-approved GPS; VHF navigation with ILS; and VHF
communication with 16-watt transceivers and 8.33-kHz channel
spacing
- Integrated Class-B Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS)
with worldwide terrain and obstacle database
- Integrated four-color weather radar (Beechcraft Baron
only)
- Integrated XM WX satellite weather datalink capable of
receiving on of the XM WX weather monthly subscriber Aviator
services.
- Integrated digital audio control system enabling more than 120
channels of digital radio commercial-free music and premier sports,
news and talk radio.
- Integrated design with reversionary capabilities, allowing all
flight-critical data to transfer seamlessly to a single display for
added safety during flight
XM Radio entertainment and XM Satellite Weather hardware are
included on board as standard equipment, enabling access to both
the digital audio and XM WX weather data services. In addition, the
aircraft will feature the upgrade options of L-3
Communications’ SkyWatchâ 497 traffic advisory system
and Stormscopeâ WX500 weather mapping system. Both of these
items will be displayed on the Garmin multifunction display.