Also Adds AOPA Database, Other New Capabilities
Garmin announced Monday that the G500/G600 will soon have new
features and capabilities thanks to a software upgrade expected by
the fourth quarter of 2010. The new features will include
compatibility with Garmin’s GSR 56 Iridium voice and data
service with worldwide weather capability, AOPA Airport Directory
database support, a video input display option, third party radar
interface, and display support for radar altimeter.
Garmin G600
“The G500 and G600 continue to be
a favorite with aircraft owners who want a glass cockpit, as well
as aircraft manufacturers that want to offer Garmin-glass but
don’t have the panel real estate for a G1000,” said
Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing. “We
believe our new GSR 56 Iridium system will be one of the most
popular upgrades to the G600 suite since it gives pilots the
worldwide weather and voice and data connectivity that they often
need for their operations.”
Garmin’s Iridium based transceiver, the GSR 56, has
worldwide weather capability and informs pilots of METARs, TAFs,
and winds aloft around the globe. In addition, radar and satellite
imagery are available for the United States, Southern Canada and
Western Europe. Additional regions are expected to receive radar
and satellite imagery in the future.
The GSR 56 also offers Iridium voice and data service
(subscription required) that lets pilots or passengers make
worldwide Iridium-based calls from the airplane’s cockpit or
cabin while in-flight or on the ground. From the cockpit, the
dialing interface is provided through the multi-function display
(MFD) side of the G500/G600 and incoming call messages are
prioritized with other aural messages.
Several other new standard or optional features are expected to
be available with the G500/G600’s new software:
- An electronic version of the AOPA Airport Directory will be
available as an optional, subscription-based database download.
AOPA’s popular U.S. pilot guide includes FBO listings, fuel
and service information at over 7,400 U.S. airports.
- Customers will have the ability to display video from a third
party forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera or other video sources
for enhanced vision system (EVS) or live-cam video monitoring.
- Customers with select third-party radars will now have the
option to interface their G500/G600 with ARINC 708 compliant radars
including the Bendix/King RDR series ART 2000
antenna/receiver/transmitter units, as well as the RS-181A and
RS-811A sensors used on the RDS 81/82 series. In addition, the
G500/G600 will display select third-party radar altimeter readouts
on the PFD.
Garmin G500 Chart Display
The G500/G600 will be available in right or left-side PFD
configuration. The G500 and G600 show critical flight data on two
six and a half inch diagonal flat-panel displays, which means the
attitude display is over 50-percent larger than a traditional
three-inch instrument.
The PFD and MFD screens are mounted side by side in a single
bezel that fits neatly into the “six pack” slot of the
instrument panel. The G600’s PFD shows attitude, airspeed,
climb rate, altitude and course/heading information over a virtual
terrain image, and the MFD displays detailed moving-map graphics of
the aircraft’s current position in relation to ground
features, chart data, navaids, flight plan routings and more.
The G600 has an Approved Model List Supplemental Type
Certification (AML STC) that allows it to be installed on nearly
800 different makes and models of normal and utility category
aircraft, which typically includes single and twin piston and
turbine engine aircraft with a certification weight up to 12,500
lbs. The G500 also has an AML STC that allows it to be installed on
over 500 different makes and models. The G500 is 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. Since the G600’s introduction in
July 2007, Garmin has continued to upgrade the system so that
customers have the advantages of flying with the latest technology
without having to replace the original physical equipment. In July
2009, the G600 was upgraded with synthetic vision technology
(SVT™), GAD 43 autopilot interface adapter, and support for
the optional GWX 68. Garmin anticipates the new features –
GSR 56, AOPA airport.
Directory database support, a video input display option, third
party radar interface, and display support for radar altimeter
– to be available by the fourth quarter of 2010.