Garmin Certifies the G1000 All-Glass Cockpit for the Diamond
DA40
Talk about timing... as
one of the last seminars of Friday's well-attended and organized
DiamondFest event was getting underway, (about the G1000, no less)
Garmin announced that they had received an STC from the FAA for the
DA40 Diamond Star. Diamond Prez Peter Maurer immediately shared the
news with several dozen DiamondFest attendees, including ANN's Jim
Campbell. The STC authorizes Diamond Aircraft Company to begin
delivering DA40s equipped with Garmin’s revolutionary G1000
integrated avionics system — the DA40’s premium
avionics option.
“This STC marks another significant milestone in our
partnership with Diamond Aircraft,” said Gary Kelley,
Garmin’s director of marketing. “The G1000 enhances an
innovative airframe that has an unmatched track record of safety,
offering advanced situational awareness to the pilot and making the
DA40 the first composite, single-engine piston aircraft to feature
a fully integrated, all-glass cockpit.”
The G1000 system integrates all primary flight, navigation,
communication, terrain, traffic, weather, and Engine
Instrumentation and Crew Alerting System (EICAS) data on two
10.4-inch, high-definition LCDs in the DA40 Diamond Star. These
active-matrix displays feature XGA resolution (1,024x768-pixel
count) and are capable of presenting data in brilliant,
sunlight-readable color at wide viewing angles.
Additionally, the DA40 Diamond Star configuration offers:
- A digital audio control system
- Dual integrated avionics systems that provide WAAS-capable IFR
GPS; VHF
navigation with ILS; and VHF communication with 16-watt tranceivers
and 8.33-kHz channel spacing
- Mode-S transponder with Traffic Information System
- Solid state Attitude Heading and Reference System (AHRS)
- Digital air data computer
- Weather and terrain data
- Interface to the Bendix/King KAP 140 2-axis Autopilot
The primary flight display (PFD) replaces many of the
traditional cockpit instruments and digitally integrates flight
information on a single, large-format display for easier
interpretation by the pilot. The PFD interfaces with Garmin’s
new Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS), which features
rapid alignment while moving, including in-flight dynamic
restarts.
The multifunction display (MFD) puts all aircraft-systems
monitoring and flight-planning functions at the pilot’s
fingertips. The MFD paints a composite view of the aircraft’s
environment, providing the pilot with all necessary information to
make safe decisions during every phase of flight. Engine
performance and situational data such as location, terrain,
traffic, weather and airport information are all digitally depicted
and can be quickly interpreted at a glance on the large-format
display.
The integrated design and reversionary capabilities of the G1000
allow all flight-critical data to transfer seamlessly to a single
display for added safety and peace of mind during flight.
"We are thrilled that we will now be able to deliver G1000
equipped DA40's to our customers. We are very grateful to our
customers and distributors who have been patiently waiting for this
day. We are also indebted to our employees who have exhibited
dedication and maximum flexibility in staging as many aircraft as
possible, such that we can deliver at a very accelerated rate from
July onwards. Garmin has been a committed and excellent partner
throughout this project and we are also impressed with the rapid
turnaround by the FAA Wichita Aircraft Certification Office." said
Peter Maurer, President of Diamond Aircraft Industries.
"We are particularity pleased that the certification came in
time for announcement at our Diamond Owner's Invitational
DiamondFest 2004, currently underway in London. With Diamond's
focus on accident prevention through integration of various active
safety features, the enhanced situational awareness, terrain,
weather and traffic information, offered by the G1000, is a natural
for this aircraft."
In May 2004, Diamond also received Type Certificate (TC)
approval from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the
Diamond DA42 Twin Star, which represented the world’s first
aircraft-level certification of the G1000 system. Pricing for a
G1000 equipped DA40-180 DiamondStar start at $229,500, making this
one of the best values in all glass IFR aircraft on the market
today.