Tue, Aug 14, 2007
Pilots Must Rely On Standby Attitude Indicator Inflight
In response to inquiries regarding Columbia Aircraft's announcement late
Monday night the planemaker was halting production,
due to the reported lack of critical avionics components needed to
finish the aircraft... Garmin confirmed to ANN the avionics
manufacturer has stopped shipments of its GRS 77 AHRS (Attitude
Heading Reference System,) used in the manufacturer's popular G1000
glass panel avionics system.
"Garmin recently observed a sudden increase in failure rates
during aircraft manufacturer product flight tests of new GRS 77
AHRS (Attitude Heading Reference System) units used in G1000
installations," the company tells ANN. "Internal system monitors
detect the component failure in the GRS 77 that results in a
continual "red-x" of attitude information on the Primary Flight
Display.
"After communication with Garmin's OEM partners and the FAA, it
was determined that in all G1000 installations, continued safe
flight can be conducted with the standby attitude indicator and
other available instruments. If pilots should experience a failure
of the GRS 77 AHRS, they should follow standard procedures and
refer to the standby attitude indicator."
Garmin is publishing a
Service Advisory to the field, and states it is "aggressively"
working with suppliers and OEM partners to resolve the issue and
resume deliveries. Other functions of the PFD -- HSI, airspeed, VSI
-- remain operational if there is an AHRS failure.
The G1000 avionics system is widely used in several general
aviation aircraft, including Cessna single-engine piston aircraft
and the Citation Mustang light jet. Cessna tells ANN it has
temporarily halted piston aircraft deliveries while it
awaits a fix for the AHRS issue, but unlike Columbia plans to
continue production.
ANN will continue to follow this story closely, and report as
new information becomes available
More News
Chaff Thin, narrow metallic reflectors of various lengths and frequency responses, used to reflect radar energy. These reflectors, when dropped from aircraft and allowed to drift d>[...]
“Today, XB-1 took flight in the same hallowed airspace where the Bell X-1 first broke the sound barrier in 1947. I’ve been looking forward to this flight since founding>[...]
“Teaming up with the EAA and Berlin Express for this event in Cincinnati will give warbird fans a unique opportunity to see the aircraft that helped defend freedom and gave t>[...]
Hazardous Weather Information Summary of significant meteorological information (SIGMET/WS), convective significant meteorological information (convective SIGMET/WST), urgent pilot>[...]
Aero Linx: The Nebraska Aeronautics Commission The Nebraska Aeronautics Commission was created by the 1935 Legislature to oversee the development of aviation in the state. The Comm>[...]