It is not uncommon for air traffic control to pose this question to pilots on IFR flight plans approaching certain airports when the weather is VFR. In daylight, when the visibility is good, the winds calm, and the pilot familiar with the airport—and the approach is a straight in—the visual is no big deal.

But throw in weather, fatigue, low light, pilot unfamiliarity, and a circle to land, and it’s a different event.

Honeywell Aerospace is trying to mitigate these risks, expanding its navigation database to offer flight management system (FMS) guided visual procedures as a stand-alone option.

According to Jim Johnson, senior manager of flight technical services at Honeywell, the visual approaches are created in collaboration with Jeppesen. The instructions for the guided visuals look like Jeppesen approach plates but carry the caveat “advisory guidance only” and “visual approach only.” In addition, the symbology on the approaches differs in a handful of ways.

“The FMS-guided visual provides a lateral and vertical path from a fix fairly close to the airport all the way down to the runway,” says Johnson. “You can hand fly them or couple them to the autopilot.”

Visual into KTEB

One of the first guided visual approaches was created for the descent to Runway 1 at Teterboro Airport (KTEB) in New Jersey.

The airport sits in a very industrialized area with the runway blending into warehouses and business parks. Honeywell provides a video of the visual approach on its website that illustrates the value of having that helping hand. Having the extra vertical and lateral guidance from a mathematically created visual procedure allows pilots to better manage their approach, configuring the aircraft in an expedient manner to avoid “coming in high and hot” in an improperly configured aircraft.

• READ MORE: Going with Glass: The Mother of All Panel Upgrades

This is quite helpful when the aircraft needs to circle to land, says Carey Miller, pilot and senior manager of technical sales at Honeywell.

“Going into Runway 1 at Teterboro on the visual, you are not aligned with the VASI,” Miller says. “There is no vertical guidance, which can lead to a dive to the runway. Add a moonless night or gusty winds, and it can be quite challenging. Not being able to see the airport is a detriment to your energy management. The visual approaches, when coupled to the autopilot, eliminate the guesswork and the overbanking tendency that can lead to stalls.”

Adds Johnson: “The aircraft will fly constant radius turns, [and] you will be on the same ground track every time because the computer knows how to manage the vertical and lateral path. It gets rid of the pilot drifting down or turning early because of the winds.”

Airspace Guidance

The guided visual procedures created thus far have come from suggestions from Honeywell customers, including a visual approach to Chicago Executive/Prospect Heights Airport in Wheeling, Illinois (KPWK). KPWK is in Class D airspace, 8 nm from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (KORD). The Class B airspace for KORD sits above KPWK. There is a V-shaped cutout with various altitudes over KPWK.

The guided visual can help the pilot avoid clipping the Class B airspace during the circle to land—and the dreaded phone call with ATC that results.

The Creative Process

Each approach is created using software tools that take into account the airspace and terrain at the airport, then test flown in simulators to check for flyability.

According to Johnson, the suggestions for where to offer the guided visual approaches come from their customers.

“There are a lot of secondary and regional airports in the U.S. that have both terrain and airspace considerations that make visual approaches very challenging,” says Johnson. “For example, Van Nuys, California [KVNY], has both airspace challenges and a ridge nearby.”

• READ MORE: All Flight Jackets Tell a Story

In some cases, the team may opt to create a visual approach as an overlay to improve safety at airports where closely spaced simultaneous approaches are in use. As this issue was going to press, Honeywell was working on an approach to Runway 28R/L at San Francisco International Airport (KSFO). The visual approach has a briefing sheet with textual guidance, and Honeywell has literally drawn a picture of it.

During development each procedure is flown in a simulator, using a specific briefing sheet that is checked and double-checked for accuracy and usability. Each approach has the ability to be coupled with the autopilot.

Miller cautions it is important to recognize that the visual procedures are not considered instrument approaches in the traditional sense.

“Do not request it as an approach, because ATC will not be aware of it,” Miller says. This information is emphasized on the procedure briefing sheet that accompanies each guided visual approach.

The guided visual approach is loaded in the FMS just like an instrument approach. The pilots can access them with a few pushes of a button, just as they do Jeppesen approaches.

“To use the visual approaches, the customer needs to have a Honeywell-equipped aircraft, and in addition to the FMS database, for an additional $2,000 per year they receive the visual approaches,” says Miller.

To request an approach, contact Honeywell at FTS@honeywell.com. It takes approximately four weeks to put one together.

Coming Full Circle

In many ways, the visual approach procedures represent a modern treatment to the first approaches created by Elrey Jeppesen—yes, that Jeppesen—who became a pilot in 1925 at the age of 18. At the time, there was no such thing as maps purpose-built for aviation. Pilots relied on road maps—which often weren’t terribly accurate, following railroad tracks from town to town or by pilotage and dead reckoning.

In 1925, Jeppesen went to work as a survey pilot and by 1930 was working for Boeing Air Transport, the precursor to United Airlines. This was decades before air traffic control and electronic navigation systems were created. Jeppesen bought a small notebook and filled it with information about the routes he flew. In it there were drawings of runways and airports and information that pilots needed to know, like the elevation of water towers, telephone numbers of farmers who would provide weather reports, and dimensions of the runway and its distance from the nearest city.

In 1934, this evolved into the Jeppesen Company and the notebook into the en route charts and terminal area procedures we know today. Much of Jeppesen’s flying was done in the Pacific Northwest. The Museum of Flight in Seattle is the keeper of the Elrey B. Jeppesen Collection, and for many years there was a replica of his first notebook on display in the Red Barn.

We think Captain Jepp would appreciate how far the approaches he inspired have come.

This column first appeared in the January-February 2024/Issue 945 of FLYING’s print edition.

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Gaffney, who was the 2007 National Flight Instructor of the Year, serves as the director of aviation at Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant. His experience as a mass educator for the G1000 began 18 years ago with Aviation Supplies & Academics (ASA), where he created study materials for  computer-based technology (CBT) meeting FAA Industry Training Standards (FITS). He said he worked hard to keep the material in each book current as Garmin evolves and improves the G1000 system.

There is a lot going on with the G1000, and it’s easy to get bogged down in the buttonology. Gaffney’s book is direct with each chapter beginning with a clearly stated objective, reminiscent of a lesson plan, and ending with review questions to make sure the reader has absorbed salient points.

• READ MORE: Garmin Reaches a Flight Deck Milestone

According to Gaffney, the book was originally written as a Part 141 course manual and became FITS. Gaffney has been teaching the G1000 since it was introduced, and it comes across in the pages of the book.

“I have been in G1000-equipped 172s, 182s, [and] 206s from Cessna, [Daher] Kodiaks, Mooneys, Beech Barons and Bonanzas, [Piper] Seminoles, Cirrus SR20s and SR22s, and Diamond DA40s and DA42s,” he said. “Our school now has two Cirrus SR20 TRACs and two Piper Seminoles, both featuring the G1000 NXi system. All of this G1000 operational experience led me to re-release this book as a reference textbook for the university classes.”

Gaffney acknowledged that the use of the book is just a piece of the puzzle and that the best learning is multifaceted and ongoing, which is why the text is periodically updated.

“I am constantly in either an aircraft or a simulator, or use the PC sim from Garmin to stay fresh,” he said. “Garmin is always changing—for example, [the] Cirrus G7 featuring a complete touchscreen version of the G3000—and you have to stay current. I read constantly and find myself conveying my experiential knowledge as a university professor of aviation as well as the program director, where standardization is key and safety is paramount.”

The information is presented in concise text with illustrations for more visual learners.

The Complete Garmin G1000: A Pilot’s Handbook (ISBN: 97989886709) is available from Sentia Publishing, Amazon, or at brick-and-mortar bookstores for $75.

More information on the book can be found here.

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Ten years ago, the most common panel conversions were from round dial, also known as legacy or steam gauge panels, to initial glass cockpits. According to Aspen Avionics in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Advanced Flight Systems in Canby, Oregon, these days, aircraft owners are focusing on upgrading their panels with the latest in glass technology.

Usually it is a two-fold process, says Perri Coyne, director of marketing operations for Aspen Avionics. The customer picks out the panel they want, and Aspen sends them a recommendation for a shop to do the work.

“With 700-plus dealers around the world, you probably aren’t too far from a shop that can help upgrade your panel,” she says, adding that Aspen Avionics “literally holds the patent on a plug-in solution for an EFIS to replace round-dial, six-pack instruments without cockpit panel modifications.”

According to Coyne, over the years, the company mission has expanded to provide products to more and more aircraft types and OEMs.

“We have always been focused on providing avionics products that can grow with the needs of our customers regardless of aircraft and market,” says Coyne. “Our initial focus has been in the aftermarket

GA segment and over time have expanded to provide products to more and more aircraft types and OEMs. “It is our core philosophy to work with whatever our customers have installed or are wanting to install their panels,” she says.

Trade-Up Program

“The Trade In Trade Up Program is unique in that air- craft owners can trade in their ‘older’ Aspen displays to the latest generation of Aspen Max displays at a significantly reduced price and get a new two-year warranty,” Coyne continues. “The trade-in program is an integral part of our strategy to provide a path for our customers to capitalize on their initial investment and affordably stay up with the latest hardware and functional innovations without having to incur the large expense of having to start over with an entirely new platform. For instance, a new Evolution Pro Max PFD sells for $9,995.

“An owner can trade in their old display for a new Max display for $4,995, which now comes with stan- dard synthetic vision,” Coyne says. “Aspen units that can be traded in for the Max units include the E5 (our basic PFD), the VFR-only display, the ‘Pilot’ or the older ‘Legacy’ EFD1000 primary flight display (not Max). Additionally, if there is any factory warranty left on the trade-in display, we will add the remaining coverage of the warranty for the new display. For example: An owner trades in his current display, which still has six months left of warranty coverage; that six months will be added to the new display for a warranty of 30 months, versus 24 months.”

Upgrade the Experimental

It isn’t just certified aircraft owners who go shopping for a new panel; the owners of experimental aircraft are just as likely, if not more likely, to upgrade their panel. For the owners of Vans’s RV designs, that often means a visit to Advanced Flight Systems located in Canby, Oregon, a mere 3.8 miles from Aurora State Airport (KUAO), the home of the Van’s Aircraft factory.

“There are so many RVs out there now we are now seeing people who are second or third owner of an RV,” says Rob Hickman, an electrical engineer and software expert who some 20 years ago created an engine monitor for the RV-4 he was building—and it evolved into Advanced Flight Systems.

Just as the design of the RVs has become more refined over the decades, so have the avionics. Round dial steam gauges are almost unheard of, he says, “For every fifty glass panels we do there might be one panel with round-dial analog gauges installed for backups. Everything is driven by software and electronic circuitry.”

“It works better for today’s RV builders. They are not like people who built them 20 years ago. Today building an RV is more like an assembly product, and they want avionics that they can install as a plug and play.” Selecting an upgrade panel begins with questions about the type of aircraft and the type of flying the owner does. Panel real estate is a finite resource, and over the years, Advanced Avionics has developed several panel designs that work for most of their customers. The big questions, often answered through a video conference, are IFR or VFR, or is there an option to upgrade to IFR in the future? Many panels are designed with space to allow this. Once these questions are answered, Advanced Avionics creates a build proposal that includes the layout and the materials to be used and presents it to the customer.

Sometimes the customer’s desires can be complicated, says Hickman. “We get that all the time. We sell them the components—the trays and harnesses and the advanced control and EFIS and the switches and let them do what they want to do either by themselves or someone assigned by the builder to complete the installation.”

Most customers, say both Hickman and Coyne, are looking for panels to enhance IFR capabilities, but because of the cost, they often buy the components in a modular fashion—installing one feature, then later when they have the money, adding to it. It is not uncommon for aircraft owners to time the avionics upgrade with the aircraft’s annual.

“Our products are designed to be able to be installed in stages as the owner’s finances and flying needs grow,” says Coyne. “For example, an owner can install three Aspen displays (an Evolution 2500 Max system = 1 PFD, 1 MFD500, and 1 MFD1000) or choose to upgrade in stages when their budget allows.”

Advice from One Who Knows

You probably know a pilot with an airplane project that has taken years to finish. That can complicate the avionics selection, says Hiroo Umeno from Seattle. Umeno has performed avionics upgrades in two aircraft panels. The first was a Velocity, the second a Cessna 182. He says he learned along in the process. For starters, when you are building an experimental aircraft, don’t buy the avionics package before you are ready to begin taxi tests.

“I bought a Chelton Systems in the 2000s to put in the Velocity, and by the time I was ready for flight, my Chelton system was obsolete by the time the airplane first flew,” he explains. “Also, the numbers on the data sheets are nominal, and cutting the panel to that size will guarantee things will not fit, and you will be spending quality time with dremel tools.”

If possible, he suggests modeling everything in CAD software before you start manipulating materials.

Online Learning

The avionics manufacturers have libraries of online tutorials for pilots and aircraft owners to use to learn their new panels. In addition, most airports have a pretty good grapevine, and the local pilots know who has what in their airplane, and who can offer help to learn the panel.

Panel Plays: 5 Things to Remember When Upgrading Your Panel

1. Don’t reinvent the wheel

Ask what the avionics suppliers have in stock—you’re probably not the first person to ask for that configuration.

2. Keep in mind that IFR capability is a bonus

You may not have your instrument rating (yet), but the buddy you fly with does, and now your airplane has more versatility.

3. Do the online training

While you watch the tutorials, make notes so you can have cheat sheets in the airplane, just in case.

4. Keep a copy of the manual

Make sure it’s for the current avionics in the aircraft and keep it onboard for reference.

5. Practice with the IFR panel

While you fly in VFR conditions, go through instrument procedures so you don’t have any unwelcome surprises in IMC.

This article first appeared in the June 2023/Issue 938 print edition of FLYING magazine.

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The technology company announced this week that it has been working with European regulators to finalize the permission needed by EASA-certificated operators to install the G5000 integrated avionic suite on the midsize jets. 

Garmin’s Cessna Citation Excel and Citation XLS G5000 modernization program launched three years ago, and more than 100 Excel and XLS aircraft have added the avionics package to those jets.

• READ MORE: Ten Percent of Citation Excel/XLS Jets Retrofit with Garmin G5000

Now, the company is excited to gain footing in Europe. “We are thrilled to bring this complete flight deck solution to the European market and further expand the G5000 upgrade program for the Citation Excel and Citation XLS fleet,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin’s vice president of aviation sales and marketing, in a statement.

The G5000 features for the Citation Excel/XLS include:

• Three landscape-oriented flight displays with split-screen capability
• Simultaneously viewing of maps, charts, checklists, TAWS, TCAS, flight plans, and weather
• Electronic charts and geo-referenced Garmin SafeTaxi airport diagrams across all displays
• Touchscreen controllers that as the pilot interface to the flight deck
• Fully digital automatic flight control system (AFCS)
• Autopilot-enabled Emergency Descent Mode (EDM) in the event of aircraft depressurization
• Optional autopilot-assisted underspeed protection (USP) to assist with airspeed management while enabling fully coupled go-arounds.

The upgrade also comes with fully integrated ADS-B Out solutions that are FAA and EASA compliant. Also, operators can access more airports and lower approach minimums through the PBN/RNP 0.3 with LPV/APV approach capabilities.

• READ MORE: Garmin’s G5000 Flight Deck Adds New Capabilities for Some Citations

Operators may also add additional optional features, but those in Europe will benefit from added capabilities once the integration is approved.

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The company has been pursuing the STC for several months, according to Jamie Luster, Genesys Aerosystems director of sales and marketing. They expect FAA approval by Q1 2023.

Genesys expects to acquire the STC for its avionics suite on the PC-7, and thus add the aircraft to its approved model list (AML) for the suite. Once that is in place, because of similarities between the Beech Model 3000 and T6 Texan II and the PC-7 and -9, Genesys projects approval on the STC for the suite in those aircraft to follow.

Pilatus PC-7 Genesys PC-7 Avionics 2 The initial installation is being accomplished in Genesys’ Pilatus PC-7, upon which the PC-9 and Beech Model 3000 are based, according to the company.

“The similarity of the PC-7, Beech 3000, and T-6A Texan II models lend themselves ideally to an AML STC,” Dean Boston, chief certification engineer, said in a statement. 

“This approach allows us to easily modify the design as needed to meet the T-6A’s unique requirements as well as a variety of similar trainer fleets around the world,” Boston said.

The Genesys avionics being certified on these tandem-seat trainers includes Genesys electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) displays with integrated flight management system (FMS), terrain awareness warning system (TAWS), military-grade head-up display (HUD) symbology, integrated digital flight recording, and a host of other features for tandem-seat training aircraft.

The STC architecture also includes the Genesys Digital Radio software-definable integrated VHF and UHF nav/com radio, ultra-compact sensors, engine/airframe indications, integrated radio management, and an integrated voice-warning master caution system.

Genesys Aerosystems is a Moog Inc. company, and it is a leading provider of integrated avionics systems for military and civil customers.

The post Genesys Aerosystems Pursues STC for Military Trainers appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The company said it applied for and gained approval from the FAA earlier this summer, as FLYING previewed during EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. In a statement, Avidyne said the technical standard order approval (TSOA) and supplemental type certificate (STC) approval from the FAA for the AviOS10.3 now allows the company to begin shipping new units, as well as upgrades for the large base of existing Avidyne customers.

“We have faced several challenges in getting AviOS10.3 to market,” said Avidyne president and CEO Dan Schwinn in a statement, “including, of course, the global pandemic and supply chain crises. Avidyne has continued to innovate, and we are pleased to bring these new capabilities to our current and future customers.”

Schwinn said the update included “several significant new functions and features” that FMS customers will find helpful.

New Features

The product’s visual approach feature provides stabilized guidance into any runway in the database, even if there is a published approach to the runway.

“In addition, our implementation of visual approaches allows pilots to select straight in, base, or downwind entries, plus glideslope angle with intuitive operation,” said Avidyne’s vice president of worldwide sales, John Talmadge.

The software update also has features for helicopter pilots. Talmadge said those included RADALT display, power line database, half-mile zoom range, and a three arc-second high-definition terrain database option.

Other key features of the system include:

• Visual approaches
• VNAV (advisory on IFD5XX)
• Support for tandem/remote VHF COM/NAV tuning in dual installations.
• CDI scaling for oceanic mode
• GI275 interface
• Map zoom down to 1/2 mile
• Power lines added to the database
• RADALT display (via 429)
• RF legs
• Additional ADS-B weather products
• Display of ADS-B traffic and weather from portable devices
• Extended support for flight operational quality assurance (FOQA)
• Support for twin-engine aircraft on fuel calc page
• Ability to import user waypoints from CSV file
• Improved Wi-Fi configuration to ease integration with Stratus, Foreflight, and other Wi-Fi-connected devices.
• Improved pilot setup and configuration pages
• Up to 10 user profiles
• Weight calculator
• Certified TAWS (option)
• 3-arc second HD terrain data (option)

Field Loadable

While the new IFD and FMS units will ship with the new software already integrated, the company said AviOS10.3 is available as a field-loadable upgrade through authorized Avidyne dealers for existing owners. However, while the AviOS10.3 software is available from Avidyne at no charge, the company said customers should note that dealer installation labor is not included. The upgrade allows customers to enable an approved terrain avoidance and warning system (TAWS) for the new IFD and ATLAS systems. The TSO’d TAWS feature for new IFD, and Atlas systems is a $7,999 option per aircraft, including the higher resolution three arc-second terrain database.

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The company said its fourth-quarter income was $286 million or $1.48 per share, which beat projections of $1,44 per share. Still, it was a decrease from the fourth quarter of 2020, where sales were $333.55 million, or $1.73 a share for the quarter.

However, Garmin President and CEO Cliff Pemble celebrated the company’s “remarkable year,” saying Garmin saw double-digit annual revenue growth in four out of five segments.

“We are entering 2022 with a great lineup of recently introduced products and have more exciting product introductions planned throughout the year,” Pemble said in a statement.    

For all of 2021, the company reported a profit across all segments of $1.08 billion, or $5.61 per share, and $4.98 billion in revenue.

Aviation Segment Rides Surging Airplane Demand

Garmin’s aviation division saw net sales grow 13 percent against the fourth quarter of 2020, topping $177.5 million. Year over year, sales rose 14 percent in 2021, to more than $712.5 million. 

Robust airplane sales from manufacturers drove this.

“Aviation also ended the year with unusually high levels of backorders, which carried into the new year,” Pemble shared on the call. “The pandemic highlighted the unique value proposition of general aviation aircraft, and OEMs are reporting robust orders from both new and existing customers. Aftermarket demand is also strong as customers invest in new cockpit systems.”

The company singled out its G3000 integrated flight deck, which Heart Aerospace selected for the all-electric ES-19 regional airliner that is in development. 

• READ MORE: Garmin Releases Its Latest Aviation Smartwatch

For the seventh consecutive year, Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) named the company a supplier of the year, highlighting Garmin’s contribution to various aircraft systems, from design to innovative flight decks.

Pemble pointed out that the company hopes to ride the “bell curve” of surging general aviation demand and hinted that the company might increase capacity to meet the demand.

“We’re prepared with plenty of factory capacity. We have always focused on a strong supply chain in aviation so that we can meet the needs of our customers,” Pemble said.

Looking ahead, Garmin expects 2022 revenue to increase about 10 percent to $5.5 billion and adjusted 2022 earnings of $5.90 a share. Analysts currently expect the company to generate 2022 sales of $5.33 billion and adjusted earnings of $6.27 a share.

Following the call, Garmin’s share price dipped 1.7 percent to $117.

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