Yingling Aviation will display its single-engine Ascend 172 at the Garmin exhibit at AirVenture this year. The aircraft features a newly updated panel and avionics suite with Garmin’s recently announced GFC 500 autopilot, G5 electronic flight instrument and GTN 650 GPS. The Ascend 172 also showcases Garmin’s GMA 350 audio panel, GNC 255A nav/com and Yingling’s signature paint scheme.

The updated cockpit is “another example of how we are trying to bring the latest technology into the cockpit,” explained Lynn Nichols, Yingling CEO. “The Ascend 172 we have for sale at Oshkosh is fully equipped and compliant with all NextGen air traffic requirements and still considerably less expensive to acquire and operate than new factory models.”

The GFC 500 autopilot, which is listed at $6,995, was created for single-engine aircraft and is designed to interact with the G5 electronic flight instrument. It can be expanded with optional automatic electric pitch trim. The G5 provides pilots with onscreen autopilot mode annunciation and checks the autopilot’s self-contained roll and pitch sensors. According to Garmin, the initial STC for the GFC 500 should be completed in the Ascend 172 in the fourth quarter of this year.