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.

FMI: www.raytheon.com