Garmin | In the Air

New cast of characters giddy to Give-a-Garmin in holiday ads

Garmin — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 17:55:58 -0600

As we near the holiday season, our latest and greatest Give a Garmin holiday commercials get ready to hit the airwaves. The ads this year feature a fun cast of characters – including a fitness-obsessed Leprechaun, a cool and collected Nutcracker and our in-house Yeti .... We finished shooting the spots just weeks ago, and now it’s business as usual back at Garmin. And in the coming weeks, we plan on keeping our new colleagues busy. We'll have them introduce themselves to all of our blog readers, and we've assigned some homework. Every week through December, our Wish List Wednesday will give you gift ideas from each of our product lines for those hard-to-shop-for pilots, boaters, hikers, geocachers, hunters, runners, cyclists, golfers and travelers in your life. Starting this weekend, be sure to tune in and see for yourself.

Victor's Vectors: Driving with the aera

Garmin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 15:20:38 -0600

Are you the Garmin customer that has one of Garmin’s classic GPS models? The customer with a model that is getting a little dated, but gives you the basic features you need in the airplane. You’ve looked at upgrading, but you just fly for fun and you don’t put as many of hours on the GPS as you want. You’ve looked at the GPSMAP models, but you want to be able to use the GPS in your plane and in your car on a regular basis, and you want the maps pre-loaded on the device without needing an automotive kit. Your GPS has arrived!

The aera series has been generating a lot of buzz for their intuitive aviation use and features. However, one feature that justifies the upgrade is the pre-loaded and easy to use automotive mode that is standard on all four aera models! The Americas models come loaded with detailed, street-level maps of the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The aera allows for quick searches of street addresses or millions of preloaded points of interest like gas stations, hotels, restaurants, attractions, ATM’s and more. In automotive mode, the GPS will speak street names so you will receive turn-by-turn, voice prompted directions through the aera’s built-in speaker. The 550 and 560 even come standard with advanced routing capabilities like lane assist with junction view so that drivers will see a realistic presentation of road signs and junctions along the route, as well as arrows that indicate the proper lane for navigation.

Why wait? The aera 500, 510, 550 and 560 were built for you and have the features and pricing that you’ve been wanting.

Garmin Buzz at AOPA Summit

Garmin — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 15:48:56 -0600

It's day one of the AOPA Summit and our booth is packed with people wanting to see the aera. Although the aera is our big show announcement, we definitely don't want to overlook two other announcements that were made this morning. First, if you're planning to install new avionics to your aircraft between now and Christmas, you should check out our Soar into Savings rebate program. You can get up to $7000 in rebates on equipment like the G600, GNS 430W/530W, GWX 68, GDL 69/69A, and more. We understand the economy is tight right now, and this rebate will help you stretch your dollars a little further.

Second, we announced a new online eLearning training program where you can access online training for the GPSMAP® 396, 496, 695/696, G1000® for VFR flight conditions, and G1000 for IFR flight conditions. The training is very interactive and will walk you through each product step-by-step. You'll be a pro on the product before you know it. The online eLearning program may also be used with flight schools who are training multiple students.

One last thing, I've run into numerous people who have asked if the G3000 is on display at AOPA Summit. The short answer is no. We decided not to bring it to this show, but don't worry, it will definitely be at future aviation shows and there will be plenty of time for pilots to demo it between now and when it's flying in aircraft.

Victor's Vectors: See the aera at AOPA Summit

Garmin — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:42:18 -0600

Tomorrow is the opening day of AOPA Summit and we've heard from numerous customers who plan to attend the show so that they can see our new touchscreen portable GPS, the aera. If you're one of the many that will be at AOPA Summit, make sure you visit us at booth #1213. Since announcing the aera, many of our customers have asked how the new product line compares to our traditional GPSMAP aviation handheld series. If you're familiar with the GPSMAP series, it may be helpful to know that the aera 500 has similar features to the GPSMAP 296, the aera 510 has similar features to the GPSMAP 396, the aera 550 has similar features to the GPSMAP 495, and the aera 560 has similar features to the GPSMAP 496. For a direct side-by-side comparison of the aera product line, click on the jump to see a chart and a short video.

	aera 500	aera 510	aera 550	aera 560
5 HZ GPS update rate for near-real-time updates of panel page	X	X	X	X
Patented aviation panel page	X	X	X	X
Terrain and obstacle data	X	X	X	X
Private Airport data	X	X	X	X
XM WX capable and GXM™ 40 antenna included (XM WX subscription required)		X		X
Standard 30 arc second terrain/obstacle data	X	X
High resolution 9 arc second terrain/obstacle data for a more vivid depiction of proximity hazards (over 11 times more onscreen resolution than the standard 30 arc-second)			X	X
SafeTaxi^® with over 950 US airports			X	X
AOPA Airport Directory			X	X
One year complimentary aviation database updates (obstacles, terrain, SafeTaxi, NavData and AOPA Airport Directory)			X	X
Preloaded auto maps with voice prompted directions that speak street names, “turn right on main street”	X	X	X	X
Bluetooth capability in automotive mode	X	X	X	X
Ruggedized and waterproof (IEC 529 IPX-7 standards)	X	X	X	X
Enhanced auto features (lane assist, junction view, and speed limit notification)			X	X
NAVTEQ automotive traffic compatible (requires purchase of accessory cigarette lighter adapter with integrated FM traffic receiver)			X	X

Garmin's aviation portables enter a new era with the aera

Garmin — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:44:53 -0600

Are you going to AOPA Summit later this week? If so, you'll want to plan to visit the Garmin booth early during the show so that you'll be among the first to see the new aera series. The aera is our newest aviation handheld series that is all touchscreen and multi-mode so it can transition between aviation to automotive mode with one touch. It comes in four different flavors -- 500, 510, 550, 560 -- and has the type of features you'd expect in a Garmin portable like XM WX, terrain, obstacles, SafeTaxi, AOPA Directory database, and more. On the higher-end models, you also get one-year of free aviation database updates. In addition to the aviation features, all aeras have the same capabilities of a high-end Garmin nuvi automotive navigator. Now you can literally go from your airplane to your car with one-touch of the screen. Watch the video to learn more.

Victor's Vectors: Big savings on avionics

Garmin — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 17:00:00 -0500

Listen up if you're a bargain hunter! We've just launched a " Soar into Savings” program where customers can earn up to $7,000 in rebates on a variety of panel mount avionics. The rebates apply to customers selecting a combination of the G600, GNS 500W series, GNS 400W series, GTS traffic series, GWX weather radar series or the GDL 69 or 69A. The rebates expire December 31, 2009, and rebate submissions must be postmarked by January 31, 2010.

NBAA Day 2: G1000 retrofit for the CitationJet

Garmin — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 15:07:23 -0500

The general rule of thumb for those attending NBAA is that people visit the exhibit hall on day one and static display on day two to see the aircraft. Since I didn't want to buck the trend, I visited our static display today and saw the newest G1000 retrofit platform, the Cessna CitationJet. We're expecting to receive Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) on this G1000 program in 2010, and once we do it will pave the way for CitationJet operators to install the G1000. These customers will then be flying with the best of the G1000 -- from fully integrated autopilot to synthetic vision technology (SVT) to SafeTaxi.

This is our third G1000 retrofit program. The first two were for the King Air C90 and King Air 200 series, and customers have been very pleased with the advantages of flying with Garmin glass. After all, many of these customers are going from steam gauges to glass and that's an amazing leap forward in technology, not to mention safety of flight and enhanced situational awareness. Check out this online demo to learn more.

G3000 Wows NBAA Convention

Garmin — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:57:30 -0500

The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention is in full swing and attendees are buzzing about new product announcements. Yesterday we announced the G3000, and today, HondaJet and PiperJet announced that they've selected the G3000 for their cockpits. The G3000 is Garmin's first touchscreen-controlled, all-glass avionics suite for Part 23 turbine aircraft. It replaces mechanical knobs and switches with infrared touchscreens that serve as the primary way to access the system. NBAA attendees have been able to get a first hand look at the new avionics suite, but since we know not everyone can attend the show, here's a glimpse of what the G3000 looks like and what the media is saying.

Go flying with new G3000 and G1000 retrofit for CitationJet

Garmin — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 15:20:00 -0500

Today is a huge day for Garmin's aviation team because we announced the G3000 and the G1000 retrofit for the Cessna CitationJet at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) convention in Orlando, Florida. The G3000 is Garmin's first touchscreen controlled flightdeck for Part 23 turbine aircraft. The hallmark of the system is that it's simple to use. It incorporates icons similar to what you would find on a desktop computer, and it has common sense functions like "back" and "home" that lets pilots quickly retrace their steps. Since we've delivered several million consumer-based touchscreen products, we were able to leverage that knowledge while designing the G3000. One of the unique aspects of having touchscreen in an airplane is that there is bound to be turbulence. Therefore, the G3000 has a patent pending, infrared touchscreen technology, audio and visual feedback, and unique icon animation to help pilots know exactly how the system is responding to their input.

The G1000 retrofit for the Cessna CitationJet will be available exclusively through Cessna's company owned Citation Service Centers. The STC is expected in the second quarter of 2010, and it will let CitationJet owners (model 525, serial number 0001-0359) fly with advantages of the G1000.

Victor's Vectors: Looking for Traffic

Garmin — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 11:26:46 -0500

During my last flight, I was talking to ATC and was advised of traffic in my vicinity. It was a bit hazy and the sun was low to the horizon, which is not the ideal situation for looking for other aircraft, but I thought with ATC’s help I should be able to spot it. However, I could not locate the traffic even after several updates from ATC and several attempts to locate it on my part. It came within a couple of miles of my position without me ever getting a positive identification of its location. I hate to say it, but this was not the first time that an aircraft got by me without me seeing it. It really made me wonder how many aircraft are out there flying along that I never see, especially when I am not under ATC flight following! After the flight, I remembered that Garmin has announced some new traffic systems that would have answered that question and would have helped my search immensely. The GTS series of traffic systems are active traffic sensors with ADS-B compatibility. These innovative systems provide accurate, dynamic traffic surveillance. For more information you can watch the video interview on Avweb or check out the videos and information on Garmin’s website. With Garmin’s GTS series it takes the guess work out of traffic.