System Designed For Part 27 VFR Helicopters
MD Helicopters has selected the G500H as an optional avionics
package for the MD series helicopters Garmin announced Sunday. The
G500H, is a certified, all-glass avionics system designed
specifically for the VFR Part 27 helicopter market.
“The G500H is a perfect complement to the MD 500
series,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of
marketing. “MD Helicopters has been a great partner and
we’re excited to offer their customers an avionics flight
deck that gives pilots the big picture on flight management,
weather, terrain and traffic on a large PFD and MFD.”
The G500H has been optimized for rotorcraft and offers features
like helicopter synthetic vision technology (HSVT),
helicopter-specific databases with over 7,000 heliports and nearly
30,000 additional low-altitude obstacles, XM WX Satellite Weather
with NEXRAD, and the ability to display video from a forward
looking infrared (FLIR) camera or other video sources.
The bezel framing the G500H’s primary flight display (PFD)
and multi-function display (MFD) (10”w x 6.7”h) allows
for easy installation into the instrument panel. The G500H system
includes a solid state Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS)
for superior reliability and accuracy. Garmin’s AHRS features
rapid alignment while moving, including in-flight dynamic
restarts.
The G500H also supports Garmin’s helicopter-specific
synthetic vision technology (HSVT). By adding the optional Garmin
HSVT to the G500H, the PFD will display an
“out-the-window” view of the surroundings, regardless
of the weather conditions. HSVT seamlessly blends information about
the rotorcraft’s position with topographic databases to
create and display real-time 3D images. Land, water and sky are
clearly differentiated with shading and textures that are similar
to the topographical colors found on the MFD moving map. HSVT
alerts pilots of potential ground hazards by displaying terrain and
obstacles which pose a threat to the aircraft.
The G500H includes SafeTaxi, which features detailed diagrams of
over 900 airports that assist pilots while maneuvering in the
airport environment. A trial version of Garmin FliteCharts is
included, which allows pilots to quickly find and view airport
diagrams on the MFD. Pilots may also select the optional ChartView,
an electronic version of Jeppesen’s extensive library of
charts and airport diagrams.
MD Helicopters expects first G500H-equipped helicopter
deliveries in third quarter of 2011.