GNS 480, We Hardly Knew Ye

The worst fears of a small-but-loyal group of owners were confirmed this week, as Garmin International announced to its dealers it will discontinue production of the GNS 480 GPS/Comm.

"Since the introduction of our GNS400W/500W WAAS units, sales of the GNS 480 have continued to decline," the avionics manufacturer said in a release to dealers. "In order to preserve sufficient parts in stock to service the thousands of units in the field for years to come, it has become necessary to discontinue the GNS 480. The remaining stock is available on a first come, first served basis, while supplies last."

Introduced at AirVenture 2004, the GNS 480 was the first Gamma-3 WAAS-certified GPS/Comm. It offered a surprising level of features for its size, including hookups for a TIS traffic advisory system, and a basic flight management system that also displays Victor airways. The GNS 480 was also the first integrated GPS navigator approved to fly LPV "glideslope" approaches without reference to ground-based navaids of any kind, according to Garmin.

Despite its functionality, the GNS 480 was something of an orphan within the Garmin line-up, sandwiched between the immensely popular GNS 430/GNS 530 systems. When those systems gained WAAS functionality in November 2006, the 480 was further relegated to the back of the catalog.

FMI: www.garmin.com