Provides Compatibility With S-TEC DFCS Autopilot

New autopilot interfaces for the G600 and G500 flight displays were announced Thursday by Garmin, providing compatibility with the S-TEC DFCS autopilot and gyro emulation for the Century autopilot.

Garmin G600

Garmin says this new upgrade for the S-TEC DFCS 2100/1500 autopilot allows the G600 and G500 to provide AHRS/ADC inputs, perform heading bug coupling, NAV/GPSS coupling and full approach capability, including ILS and LPV precision approaches. This allows for the removal of older attitude sources for the DFCS 2100/1500 with the installation of dual G600 or G500 systems.

“The G600 and G500 have been extremely popular because of the way they immediately transform the panel from steam gauges to all-glass, replace costly-to-maintain gyros and provide enhanced situational awareness with features like SVT,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing. “By offering this new interface, owners of aircraft equipped with the S-TEC DFCS autopilot, such as the Piper Meridian, now have the opportunity to take advantage of the great benefits offered by the G600 and G500 systems.”

In addition, Garmin’s GAD 43 adapter unit for the G600 and G500 has been upgraded to add support for attitude emulation for the Century 21, 31, 41 and 2000 autopilots, allowing for the removal of the older Century mechanical gyros.

The G500 and G600 show critical flight data on two six and a half inch diagonal flat-panel displays. The PFD and MFD screens are mounted side by side in a single bezel that fits neatly into the “six pack” slot of the instrument panel. The PFD shows attitude, airspeed, climb rate, altitude and course/heading information over a virtual terrain image, and the MFD displays detailed moving-map graphics of the aircraft’s current position in relation to ground features, chart data, navaids, flight plan routings and more.

The S-TEC autopilot upgrade is available immediately for a list price of $6,995. The upgraded GAD 43 is currently shipping as standard with G600, and is available for the G500 for a list price of $2,995.

FMI: www.garmin.com