EFIS/Autopilot Package 1

Touchscreen Flight Displays for Single-engine Piston Aircraft

• Advanced 10.6” and 7” LCD touchscreen displays with PFD/MFD functionality and optional engine indication system (EIS) display capability
• Certified for installation on hundreds of single-engine piston aircraft (Class I, weighing less than 6,000 lbs)
• Standard SVX^™ synthetic vision shows terrain, obstacles, airports and 3-D “pathway” windows for flight route guidance
• Get fully coupled IFR approach capability by pairing G3X Touch with our GFC™ 500 autopilot and select Garmin navigators such as GNX^™ 375 or GPS 175
• Use built-in Connext^® technology for wireless flight plan transfer and more with select Garmin portables and mobile device apps such as Garmin Pilot™ and ForeFlight

This is a game-changer. It’s the price/capability breakthrough that owners and pilots of single-engine piston aircraft have been waiting for: G3X Touch flight displays are now approved and available for installation on hundreds of FAR Part 23 Class I certificated aircraft (typically, those weighing less than 6,000 lbs). With supplemental type certification (STC) provided under an extensive approved model list (AML), these 10.6” and 7” LCD displays make it easy and affordable to upgrade from legacy mechanical instrumentation to a modern glass cockpit solution.

It’s a New Day in Flight Displays

Offering extensive integration options, the G3X Touch displays are available in a variety of panel configurations to fit your needs and budget. With the capability to combine full primary flight display (PFD) attitude/directional guidance with detailed moving-map multifunction display (MFD), each G3X Touch glass display features a bright, high-resolution screen with an infrared touch-control interface that seamlessly blends with familiar buttons and knobs to put all essential flight information at your fingertips. Standard features include our SVX synthetic vision display with database-generated terrain features and built-in wireless Connext cockpit connectivity. Better still, the optional EIS provides display of primary engine instrumentation.

Multifaceted Screen Formats

Multiple screen sizes and display formats let you grow your G3X Touch suite as your needs evolve. For space-limited panels, a single 7” display can accommodate either PFD and MFD functionality or MFD and EIS windows within the same unit. The 10.6” display can be setup for either PFD, MFD or PFD/MFD functionality and also include an EIS strip for additional versatility. Or for even more flexibility, you can pair together up to three G3X Touch displays to lay out your preferred arrangement⁴ of PFD, MFD and optional EIS displays. And to help simplify installation, the primary display also offers the capability to have an air data computer and attitude/heading reference system module integrated on the back of the display unit.

Optional Integrated Engine Indications

With the addition of the optional GEA^™ 24 engine interface module and appropriate engine sensors, your G3X Touch can display primary engine indications — allowing for the removal of outdated analog gauges. The system can accommodate various engine, fuel and electrical gauges with easy-to-interpret color bands, supporting most popular Lycoming or Continental 4- to 6-cylinder engines. In addition to providing real-time indications, the system also offers a fuel computer, lean assist mode, pilot alerts/advisories and more — enabling you to optimize fuel economy while maintaining high efficiency and performance from your engine. The EIS data can also be logged to an SD^™ card in the display or wirelessly shared to the Garmin Pilot app and later uploaded to flyGarmin.com^® for analysis by your maintenance shop’s service team.

Advanced Integration Options

Valid for use in VFR- and IFR-capable installations, the certified G3X Touch displays are designed to interface with select autopilots, including our GFC 500 digital autopilot³. Fully coupled LPV/LNAV/ILS approach capability — including missed approach procedures — can be accessed when the G3X Touch displays are paired with the GFC 500 autopilot and a compatible navigation source, such as the GTN™ 750 or GTN 650 series. G3X Touch can also display ADS-B “In” weather and traffic information when connected with the new GNX 375, GTX^™ 345 transponder or the GDL^® 50R or GDL 52R receiver. This includes our exclusive TargetTrend™ and TerminalTraffic^™ technology, giving you a faster, more intuitive way to monitor ADS-B traffic targets. With GDL 51R or GDL 52R, you can also receive and display SiriusXM^® aviation weather as well as listen to audio entertainment¹.

Streamlined Cockpit Management

Making things easier and better for pilots in the cockpit is what G3X Touch is all about. That is why G3X Touch displays integrate the controls for many popular Garmin avionics. Large onscreen touchpoints and familiar graphic icons help simplify all your data entry and menu selections — allowing you to easily see and control Comm frequency selection, audio panel settings as well as transponder code entry. Growth-oriented avionics choices you can use to provide these functions include our GTR 225 Comm transceiver, GNC^® 255 Nav/Comm, GTN series GPS/Nav/Comm, GMA 245R audio panel, GNX 375 and GTX 345 or GTX 335 series ADS-B enabled transponders.

Dynamic Maps and Charts

G3X Touch flight displays also incorporate dynamic moving map capability, enabling you to view terrain features, airports, airspace boundaries, navaids, flight plan routings and more — with an aircraft reference symbol overlaid on your current position. To suit your preference, G3X Touch also has the ability to display VFR sectionals and IFR en route charts². Our FliteCharts^® database or optional ChartView^™ charts from Jeppesen^® also offer you georeferenced approach plates and procedures². Plus, when your aircraft touches down, our built-in SafeTaxi^® diagrams help you navigate the airport environment safely, with your aircraft’s position overlaid onto taxiways, runways, ramps and other accessible locations².

Wireless Cockpit Connectivity

For even more capability, G3X Touch flight displays feature built-in wireless Connext cockpit connectivity that lets you stream information between your avionics and select Garmin portables or mobile device apps such as Garmin Pilot^™, FltPlan Go and ForeFlight. This wireless feature makes it easy to use your tablet or smartphone to create flight plans ahead of time in the comfort of your home or office, then quickly upload the data to your avionics while you’re preflighting at the airport. You can also use the Connext link to stream GPS position and backup attitude information.

Reliably Reversionary

In configurations where multiple displays are installed, the G3X Touch system offers extra peace of mind. In the unlikely event of a display shutdown or failure, a reversionary mode enables your remaining operational touchscreen to consolidate and present all essential flight information, including EIS data when installed. The displays have GPS receivers built in as well, providing extra redundancy. (Note: The GPS receiver built into the display is certified for VFR navigation only.) When installed with an optional G5 electronic flight instrument³ as backup instrumentation, G3X Touch will automatically sync baro and bug settings as well as provide miscompare alerts. Additionally, the GFC 500 autopilot³ can even remain operational using only the G5, in the unlikely event of a display failure.

It All Makes Sense

STC’d retrofit installation of a G3X Touch system in your aircraft is simple and straightforward. And no matter which upgrade package you choose, you’ll have the peace of mind that comes with our industry-leading Garmin warranty, backed by our No. 1-ranked product support team. See your authorized Garmin installation center for more details on what’s available in G3X Touch solutions for your aircraft.

¹Compatible subscription required; SiriusXM functionality may be limited or unavailable on select mobile apps
²May be limited or unavailable in some areas; see flyGarmin.com for details
³Not available for all aircraft; see authorized Garmin dealer for details
⁴Some limitations may apply; see authorized Garmin dealer for details

It’s the Autopilot Solution GA Aircraft Owners Have Been Waiting For

• Cost-effective, precise and smooth in-flight characteristics, built-in self-monitoring capabilities and lower cost of ownership when compared to older autopilot systems
• Designed for existing light single-engine piston, fixed-wing aircraft, initially available for select Cessna, Beechcraft and Piper models with more to follow
• Leverages certificated G5 electronic flight instrument¹, G500 or G500 TXi² for input and display of altitude preselect, heading, vertical speed, airspeed target and flight director cues
• Robust feature set, including safety features such as underspeed and overspeed protection, a dedicated return-to-level (LVL) mode button, Garmin ESP^™ (Electronic Stability and Protection), Flight Director (FD), coupled approaches and missed approaches when paired with a compatible navigator and much more
• Offers 2-axis (pitch and roll) capabilities with optional pitch-trim; yaw damper optionally available on select aircraft

The revolutionary GFC 500 autopilot brings unprecedented levels of capability, reliability and affordability to light single-engine, fixed-wing general aviation aircraft. GFC 500 leverages our advanced attitude-based flight control technology developed for the popular GFC 700 autopilot, which drives our most advanced glass flight deck systems

To help prevent incidents caused by loss of control, the FAA and other regulators encourage the use of key technologies, such as angle-of-attack indicators and autopilots, to help increase situational awareness, reduce pilot workload and enhance safety of flight. GFC 500 is the right product — at the right price — for certified light GA aircraft. Boasting a superior feature set, GFC 500 incorporates a number of safety-enhancing technologies, including Garmin ESP, underspeed and overspeed protection, automatic LVL mode, vertical navigation (VNAV) mode³, flight director (FD) command cues and more.

Smart Technology, Easily Accessible

Drawing on top-end Garmin flight control technology from our GFC 700, GFC 500 provides crisp, precise response and optimum performance over the entire airspeed envelope of your aircrcaft. Rather than depending on failure-prone mechanical gyros, the GFC 500 system is digitally controlled, using solid-state attitude and air data sensor reference — giving you ultra-smooth roundouts, intercepts and more while also enhancing the reliability of the system. Incorporating our crisp, easy-to-read 3.5” G5 electronic flight instrument¹, a mode controller and “smart” servos, the autopilot’s architecture supports full pitch-and-roll axis control capabilities with optional pitch trim for automatic and manual electric trim. Additionally, yaw damper capability is optionally available for select aircraft models.

With the optional GAD^™ 29 nav data adapter, GFC 500 will interface with the GTN^™ 650 and GTN 750 and legacy GNS^™ 430 and GNS 530 (WAAS and non-WAAS) series navigators to fly a wide range of precision, nonprecision and GPS-guided approaches as well as holds, procedure turns, missed approaches and more. GFC 500 also includes built-in GPS roll steering capability, which allows smoother navigation tracking and eliminates the need for external roll steering converters. Flight director cues are displayed as command bars on the G5 electronic flight instrument as well as optionally on a G500 or G500 TXi flight display². The command bars are always in view when the autopilot is doing the flying — and may also be used for visual guidance when you’re hand-flying the aircraft. With support for a remotely installed Takeoff/Go-around (TOGA) button, the flight director can be cued to automatically indicate and capture the correct pitch attitude required to fly a missed approach and then follow the missed approach procedure loaded in your compatible GPS navigator. Up to 2 G5 electronic flight instruments can be interfaced with the GFC 500 autopilot in your aircraft, providing full reversionary display capability.

Mode Control at Your Fingertips

A mode controller is included with your GFC 500 package, and its compact size and mark-width design require only minimal space in your avionics stack while providing easy access to all autopilot modes and functions. You can select advanced lateral and vertical modes such as pitch hold, altitude preselect, altitude hold, vertical speed and indicated airspeed hold as well as roll, track and selected heading. An intuitive control wheel integrated into the GFC 500 mode controller allows for easy and precise pitch, vertical speed and airspeed adjustments, while separate knobs allow quick twist control of heading and altitude. For added safety, a dedicated LVL button on the controller lets you command the autopilot to automatically return your aircraft to straight-and-level flight — and thus help avert a potential loss-of-control situation.

Silky-smooth Servo Control

For maximum reliability and safety, the GFC 500 servos incorporate brushless DC motors and a gear train that eliminates the need for a mechanical slip clutch and shear pins. This design results in enhanced system efficiency — while also reducing maintenance/inspection requirements. The servos also provide virtually no control system friction with the autopilot turned off, decoupling the motor drives so you can easily hand-fly or override the system without fighting the controls. The servos weigh only 1.4 lbs each, making them more than 40% lighter than most other autopilot servos of their class. Each servo is operated by its own built-in microprocessor, which provides the “smart” logic to significantly improve sensor performance, response and self-monitoring capabilities — while simplifying overall system configuration and installation.

Hand-fly with Stability Protection

Any pilot who’s ever been startled to attention by a stall warning horn in a busy cockpit will appreciate the proactive stability augmentation of our ESP technology, which is standard on the GFC 500 system. When the aircraft is being hand-flown, this ESP feature functions independently of the autopilot — although it uses the same control servos — to nudge the controls toward stable flight whenever pitch or roll deviations exceed the recommended limits or underspeed/overspeed conditions occur. In the event of pilot incapacitation, after the system detects that it has been activated for a specified period of time, the autopilot will engage with the flight director in level mode, bringing the aircraft back to level flight and helping to avoid the onset of inadvertent stall/spins, steep spirals or other loss-of-control scenarios. Additionally, ESP can be manually disabled to allow for intentional flight maneuvers.

An Autopilot Knows Its Limits

With the autopilot engaged, GFC 500 also provides overspeed and underspeed protection. In a high airspeed situation — for example, if you’re descending and your aircraft is approaching VNE or VMO — the system will increase the aircraft’s pitch attitude, preventing a further increase in airspeed and potential structural damage. Likewise, at the other end of the speed spectrum, GFC 500 provides underspeed (stall) protection. For example, in the event the pilot does not immediately advance the throttle to full power, with the autopilot engaged while flying a missed approach sequence, the autopilot will help prevent an aircraft stall by reducing pitch attitude and provide the pilot with an “airspeed, airspeed” audible alert.

It’s a Total Peace-of-mind Investment

There is no substitute for a safe and vigilant pilot. But there are times when a “helping hand” at the controls can have a significant impact on the safety, comfort and enjoyment of your flight. Backed by a comprehensive warranty and the industry’s No. 1-rated product support team, our GFC 500 autopilot system is a price- and peace-of-mind breakthrough for pilots who want to add these valuable capabilities to their existing light piston GA aircraft. With supplemental type certification (STC) completed for select Cessna, Beechcraft and Piper models with more to follow, it’s easy to select an approved installation that meets your mission requirements and budget. See your authorized Garmin installation center for more details on configuring a GFC 500 autopilot system for your aircraft.

¹Required. G5 sold separately.
²G500 or G500 TXi require G5 as the standby flight instrument and the GAD™ 29B adapter.
³VNAV mode requires GTN series navigator.