The US Federal Aviation Admininstration (FAA) has approved the Garmin G5 electronic flight instrument in type-certified fixed-wing general aviation aircraft, Garmin announced this week.
FAA approval is via supplemental type certificate (STC) covering 562 aircraft models.
The compact G5 a stand-alone Primary Flight Display (PFD) that shows aircraft attitude or turn co-ordination information, while also displaying secondary information such as airspeed and altitude. It is an enhanced replacement for the tradtional artificial horizons (AH) or as a supplemental instrument.
"The FAA’s Safer Skies initiative identified vacuum systems and gyro failures as a significant contributor to accidents in instrument meteorological conditions among GA, and with the support of the FAA, we’re excited to bring the G5 electronic flight instrument to 562 aircraft models as an attitude indicator or turn coordinator replacement,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin VP of Aviation Sales and Marketing.
“This economical installation and upgrade path revolutionizes GA by bringing modern attitude reference to thousands of aircraft that would otherwise depend on older, vacuum-driven equipment. We look forward to working with the FAA to continue to identify and address additional solutions for aging and failure-prone equipment.”
Boasting an 89 mm LCD screen that is readable in sunlight, the G5 is valid for flight under both VFR and IFR. It fits straight into a standard 79.4 mm panel hole and is 75 mm deep.
The G5 is expected to sell at $US 2149 complete with the unit, STC and battery back-up.