Announces Lower G3X System Price, Plus New Autopilot, AOA Options

Garmin International has announced seven new, affordable products for experimental and light sport aircraft that offer enhanced capabilities, reduced weight and simplified installation. Garmin’s new lower cost and lighter weight Air Data Attitude Heading Reference System (ADAHRS) and new Engine Indication System (EIS) interface module enable a significant reduction in the G3X price, with highly capable systems starting at $4,375. In addition, Garmin has introduced new product options that bring enhanced capability to the G3X system including a fully integrated Garmin autopilot, an angle of attack probe and a remote mount ADS-B receiver.

“These new products are designed by our dedicated experimental engineering team, many of whom are pilots and homebuilders, and they have created the kind of smart, cost-friendly avionics that they want to have in their own aircraft,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin’s vice president of aviation sales and marketing. “With these product enhancements and new system options, we’re bringing unprecedented technology and capability to the amateur-built and light sport aircraft market at a remarkably affordable price, continuing our commitment to help enhance situational awareness.” Garmin Introduces G3X Integrated Autopilot Garmin’s new integrated autopilot draws on Garmin’s top-end flight control technology to offer the most sophisticated capabilities available in this class of autopilot including flight director cues, coupled approaches, coupled VNAV, automatic trim and more.

The GSA 28 “smart” autopilot servo is a brand new design developed specifically for the experimental market. Weighing only 1.4 pounds, it is over 40 percent lighter than most experimental autopilot servos. A gear train with engagement clutch and ability to back drive the brushless DC motor provide multiple levels of protection without the need to use a shear pin. The engagement clutch also decouples the motor from the flight controls, which minimizes the friction the pilot will feel when the autopilot is off. Each servo also provides a built-in interface to drive a customer-supplied trim servo. When the autopilot is off, the servo provides speed scheduling for the manual trim commands. When the autopilot is on, the servo automatically trims the aircraft to constantly keep it in trim.

Plus, servo software updates are done over the CAN bus using the G3X SD card, eliminating the need to send the servo back to the manufacturer for updates. With the optional GMC 305 autopilot control panel (pictured, below), pilots gain a dedicated autopilot user interface, as well as additional autopilot functionality including airspeed hold, independent flight director, and optional yaw damper. A control wheel integrated into the GMC 305 makes for easier pitch, vertical speed and airspeed adjustments. Plus, for added safety, the panel’s advanced Level (LVL) mode button commands the autopilot to help restore the aircraft to straight and level flight. And because the servos interface directly with the ADAHRS, the GMC 305 control panel allows for standalone operation of the autopilot in the unlikely event of a display loss.

A two-axis Garmin autopilot option for G3X is expected to be available in May for $1,500 (installation kit sold separately). The optional GMC 305 control panel can be added for $750.

Lighter, Lower-Cost ADAHRS, Optional Angle-of-Attack

Garmin has also introduced a new lower-cost and smaller ADAHRS unit. The GSU 25 ADAHRS provides highly accurate and reliable referencing of the aircraft position, rate, vector and acceleration data, while providing the flexibility to be mounted in any of 16 different vertical or horizontal positions. For enhanced system redundancy, G3X customers now have the option to install multiple ADAHRS units, or add one to their existing G3X installation. The ADAHRS unit also supports new G3X features like optional Angle of Attack (AOA). The AOA system provides accurate, real-time measurement of wing performance to provide stall margin indication to the pilot both audibly and visually. The GAP 26 pitot/AOA probe is available in three versions: unheated, pilot-controllable heated or fully-regulated heated for protection against inflight icing.

The GSU 25 ADAHRS is expected to be available in April for $799. The optional AOA probe is expected to be available in April and can be added for $199 (unheated) or $299 (heated). The fully-regulated heated version is expected to be available in July for $449.

Dedicated EIS Interface Module Brings Increased Installation Flexibility

With Garmin’s introduction of the new GEA 24 stand-alone EIS interface module, homebuilders now have greater flexibility in the installation location, and the new design incorporates standard-density connectors for easier wiring. The GEA 24 enables aircraft-specific tailoring of instrumentation inputs for display of engine gauges, color bands, alerts, fuel, flaps, trim and other vital sensor data on the G3X. The GEA 24 interfaces with most popular engine models including the Rotax 912iS, and sensor kits (sold separately) are available for most popular engine configurations. The GEA 24 is expected to be available in April for $599.

Remote ADS-B Receiver Delivers Subscription-Free Weather, Datalink Traffic

As the leader in ADS-B solutions, Garmin has also introduced the GDL 39R remote mount ADS-B receiver for fixed installation in light sport and experimental aircraft. The GDL 39R combines a duallink ADS-B receiver and a GPS receiver into a single product that streams ADS-B traffic and subscription-free weather information to the G3X displays, select Garmin portables and mobile devices like the iPad. The GDL 39R is expected to be available in June for $799.

Interface Support for IFR Operation, Advanced Navigation

For IFR operation and advanced navigation capabilities, aircraft owners can use the new GAD 29 ARINC 429 adapter to interface up to two GTN or GNS navigators and/or a GTS 800 active traffic system to the G3X. The GAD 29 is expected to be available in July for $425. The G3X system is modular and expandable, allowing existing G3X owners to bring new capabilities to their system by adding new features such as multiple ADAHRS, AOA, a GMC 305 autopilot control panel, or a complete Garmin integrated autopilot with GSA 28 auto-trim capable servos.

(Images provided by Garmin)

FMI: www.garmin.com/experimental