Garmin (Booth No. 2853) is highlighting what it calls three major upgrades to its all-glass, G1000 integrated avionics suite–the FliteCharts, ChartView and SafeTaxi features.
ChartView brings an electronic version of Jeppesen’s chart and airport diagram library directly to the G1000’s multifunction display (MFD). In addition, pilots will see the aircraft’s present position on the chart. Customers subscribing to ChartView will periodically receive DVDs from Jeppesen for on-aircraft updating. The DVD may also be downloaded to a personal computer to display and print charts while on the ground.
FliteCharts is an electronic version of the National Aeronautical Chart Office (NACO) U.S. Terminal Procedures publication. It lets pilots quickly find and view all NACO departure procedures, standard terminal arrival routes (STARs), approach charts and airport diagrams on the MFD. G1000-equipped aircraft with FliteCharts will have access to all currently published NACO approach plates–17,500 for 2,916 airports. Garmin will offer regular updates to FliteCharts as they become available from NACO.
In addition to the terminal procedures available with ChartView and FliteCharts, Garmin’s SafeTaxi helps pilots navigate the surface at unfamiliar airports by identifying runways, taxiways and hangars relative to the aircraft’s exact location on the field. SafeTaxi information will be a standard feature integral in the basemap and will be displayed on the G1000’s MFD. More than 700 U.S. airports and diagrams will be pre-loaded on G1000-equipped aircraft with the SafeTaxi feature, and Garmin will continue to develop and offer new airport charts as NACO provides new information. Garmin also plans to offer international airport diagrams in the future, pending approvals from the necessary agencies.
Cessna’s Citation Mustang is the first aircraft to incorporate these three G1000 enhancements. All aircraft manufacturers using G1000 will also be incorporating these enhancements in the next year.