Electronic Primary Or Backup Flight Instrument For Experimental Aircraft

Garmin has introduced the G5 electronic flight instrument for experimental amateur-built (EAB) and light sport aircraft (LSA). The compact and cost-effective G5 delivers exceptional performance and reliability serving as either a back-up instrument to G3X or other EFIS systems or as a standalone primary flight instrument, with optional autopilot mode annunciation.

Boasting a bright, 3.5-inch sunlight readable liquid crystal display (LCD) with built-in GPS, G5 displays attitude, ground track, altitude, airspeed, groundspeed, vertical speed, slip/skid, course (lateral) deviation, vertical deviation and incorporates a dedicated HSI page. Even more capabilities are available when integrated with G3X glass flight displays. Additionally, the G5 fight instrument can serve as part of a highly capable standalone autopilot solution when paired with Garmin’s compatible autopilot mode controllers and autopilot servos.

“Team X has taken the traditional back-up display further with the G5 by offering great readability and redundancy, which can optionally integrate with a wide array of existing avionics configurations or be used as a standalone display,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin’s vice president of aviation sales and marketing. “With the G5 flight instrument, installation is quick and easy and the integration potential is limitless, which is key when it comes to designing an aircraft panel. We’re excited to bring this innovative and safety promoting product to the experimental and light sport aircraft market and look forward to seeing how our customers uniquely incorporate it into the panels of their aircraft.”

EAB/LSA aircraft owners are offered a cost-effective path to add a primary or back-up flight instrument to their cockpits, which combines essential flight information on an easy-to-read display. Suitable for installation in place of a standard 3-1/8-inch flight instrument, the G5 can easily be integrated into an EAB/LSA cockpit. An optional four-hour back-up battery can be included with a G5 installation to provide pilots with added assurance in the event of an aircraft electrical failure. The easy to install G5 flight instrument measures 3-inches in depth when paired with the back-up battery and 2.1-inches without the battery. Installation is further simplified as the G5 incorporates pitot and static inputs that easily integrate with the aircraft’s existing pitot/static system. The G5 includes a built-in GPS antenna, however an external GPS antenna is optionally available if needed.

The fully integrated G5 electronic flight instrument serves as a dissimilar flight instrument when paired with G3X and G3X Touch glass flight displays. In the unlikely event of a G3X ADAHRS failure, the G5 doubles as a redundant ADAHRS source, which can supply the appropriate air data, attitude and heading information to G3X displays. Further expanding its redundant capabilities, autopilot mode annunciation can also display on the G5 flight instrument in the event of a G3X display failure. Customers can also leverage their existing G3X magnetometer for heading information, alleviating the need to calibrate and install a separate magnetometer. Pilots who have configured airspeed bugs within their G3X system will notice the same airspeed configurations are displayed on the G5. Depending on ambient cockpit lighting, the G5 display automatically dims and brightens independently from G3X to ensure the display can be easily viewed in all lighting environments. A dedicated rotary knob allows for easy adjustments to altitude and heading bugs, as well as barometric altitude settings, which automatically syncs with the G3X or G3X Touch flight displays.

Further expanding the utility of a standard back-up display, the G5 electronic flight instrument can be paired with the GMC 307 or GMC 305 autopilot mode controllers and GSA 28 autopilot servos to serve as a standalone autopilot solution, delivering a simple and cost-effective avionics suite. When paired with these systems, G5 displays autopilot mode annunciation alongside primary flight instrumentation. If paired with a Garmin portable such as the aera 660 or aera 796/795, the portable can easily be connected via the serial port on the G5 to allow the autopilot to couple laterally to a flight plan and vertically to a VNAV descent profile. With or without a G3X display, the G5 retains the capability to provide back-up or standalone autopilot functionality, including the ability to fly coupled GPS approaches when paired with a compatible IFR navigator. Additional autopilot modes are selectable from the GMC 307 and GMC 305 including heading, pitch, roll, altitude hold, vertical speed hold and airspeed hold. When the autopilot is engaged, airspeed protection is also provided. Additionally, Level Mode is supported, which engages the autopilot to bring the aircraft to level flight.

The G5 electronic flight instrument is anticipated to be available in April 2016 at a price of $1,199. The optional back-up battery is anticipated to be available in June for $150.

(Images provided with Garmin news release)

FMI: www.garmin.com/experimental