• READ MORE: Cirrus Delivers 10,000th SR Series Aircraft

One well-regarded avionics shop—Nexair Avionics in Plymouth, Massachusetts—has been specializing in avionics retrofits for Cirrus models for years and brought one to EAA AirVenture this week. It’s a 2007 SR22T G3 model sporting a fresh panel of new Garmin avionics, and we take a look at the airplane with Nexair sales manager Brian Wolfe.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on The Aviation Consumer.

The post AirVenture Video: Garmin Cirrus Retrofit appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

While these big projects could make sense for some, we suspect the majority of buyers look for ways to keep the budget and complexity in check.

Enter small-screen EFIS, otherwise known as a budget glass upgrade. These are generally two solid-state gyro instruments—an electronic attitude display and electronic HSI. While you’ll sacrifice screen real estate, you’ll also save big on install labor because mini EFIS units can fit the existing 3-inch instrument cutouts without having to cut new metal, and in some cases, even retaining the old-school plastic overlay.

Here’s a primer on the budget EFIS market, where Garmin and uAvionix are two standouts, with some words on the realities of a bare-bones avionics upgrade.

The $15K Upgrade

While that isn’t chump change, the $15,000 price point is a realistic budget to set, though you might have some left over. And it’s possible to come out of the upgrade closer to the $10,000 price point, depending on the equipment and options.

Still, after adding up the equipment costs and typical labor, there are always extras that add to the bottom line once the airplane hits the hangar floor.

Truth is, while the aircraft may go into the shop for a couple of electronic flight displays, you might decide to also install a new GPS navigator—or maybe a new audio system. The list of add-ons is long, especially for aircraft that haven’t seen an avionics upgrade since the Clinton years. And those extras add up quickly.

The good news is that a basic budget-priced EFIS upgrade is a fine opportunity to clean up old wiring and address problems in the supporting systems. This includes working on the pitot/static system (aging systems often have leakage, which needs to be fixed before installing the new instruments), replacing old circuit breakers, and perhaps fixing faulty panel lighting. If the aircraft has been sitting for a while (or sourced outside of the U.S.), it might not even have mandate-compliant ADS-B.

Bottom line: Before upgrading, our advice is to address the basic systems first, including the transponder, altitude reporting system, and audio systems.

And speaking of cleanup, even the most basic electronic flight instruments provide the green light for removing the vacuum system. When the system hits the rubbish bin, you’ll enjoy a generous weight saving, while also making room behind the panel for future supportability. Vacuum lines, fittings and filters take up lots of space, making it tough for techs to get their hands in it to work.

Once the fundamentals are covered, it’s time for some glass. We’ll start with Garmin’s budget-based offerings.

Small-Screen Garmin

A staple in Garmin’s lineup is the 3.5-inch QVGA color LCD display-equipped G5, which started life as an experimental EFIS before Garmin earned STC for retrofitting them in certified aircraft through an AML-STC covering nearly 600 aircraft models. The G5 is a no-frills instrument but a step up from spinning mechanical iron gyros.

The battery-backup-equipped G5 attitude indicator is $2,725, and the electronic HSI version with GPS nav interface adapter (for connecting to select VHF navs and GPS navigators) is $3,675. Two G5 instruments connected together offer reversionary ADAHRS should one fail, plus there’s a four-hour battery backup if the aircraft electrics quit.

The G5 DG instrument can work for IFR approaches with its electronic HSI but is limited to VHF nav and GPS sources with digital databases, mainly Garmin GNS 430W/530W, GTN 650/750, and Avidyne IFD navigators. The G5 can also work with Garmin’s discontinued SL30 nav/comm and the current Garmin digital nav/comm radios through an RS-232 serial interface.

A couple of G5 instruments have some limitations because to keep in line with the STC requirements, they can’t replace the entire six-pack of flight instruments. Legally, they’ll replace the existing AI or DG, or a single G5 attitude instrument can replace the rate-of-turn instrument. In our estimation, the tech built into the G5 is aging and compared to newer displays it shows—there is no synthetic vision and no touchscreen. Think utilitarian, and while the instruments fit in an existing full-sized instrument cutout, the G5s have square bezels. That means modifying the plastic panel overlays (or false panels, as they’re sometimes called) in aircraft still equipped.

Depending on your particular interface, and which equipment you plan to connect to (including third-party autopilots), you might need Garmin’s $525 GAD 26 digital converter box. There’s also the $412 GMU 11 magnetometer required for heading resolution on the G5 DG. Without it, the instrument will display GPS track and not magnetic heading.

Increasingly, shops tell us that Garmin’s GI 275 beats the older G5 in popularity, given the advanced feature set and overall design. With a form factor that directly replaces most 3 -inch round instruments, the GI 275 is aimed at incremental upgrades and not requiring cutting new metal—plus, you won’t have to modify the plastic overlays, if equipped.

The instruments have a modern 2.69-inch diameter (active screen size) color capacitive touchscreen and an extremely flexible electrical interface potential compatible with a healthy variety of third-party equipment. They can function as a primary flight instrument, EHSI, CDI, an MFD with synthetic vision, traffic and terrain display, and an engine monitor. However, when used as an attitude instrument and heading display, these functions are locked in place per the AML-STC requirements. The GI 275 product line can be confusing because these instruments are available in many configurations—including one that displays Garmin’s EIS engine instrument system.

But for a typical IFR installation, you’ll want the $4,195 GI 275 ADAHRS, which is the one for use as a primary and stand-alone EFIS because it has the sensors for displaying all primary flight data. Again, it’s locked to display only the flight data. Synthetic vision is a $995 option and downloadable, so you don’t have to bring it to a Garmin dealer when adding it later on.

In a budget glass upgrade, it’s common to install a second GI 275 ADAHRS to replace a round-gauge directional gyro, and it connects with the GMU 11 magnetometer for heading resolution. It can be configured as an EHSI, works with a variety of third-party nav sources, and has mapping, traffic, and weather overlay. A GI 275 ADAHRS with the magnetometer is priced around $4,700. Visit www.garmin.com.

uAvionix AV-30-C

The $2,299 AV-30-C (the “C” means it’s for certified aircraft) with a 3-inch color display fits in a traditional 3 1/4 -inch instrument cutout. The AV-30 has been slowly maturing over the past couple of years, and a recent upgrade that makes it compatible for IFR flying has kicked the capability up a few notches. In its basic form factor, an AV-30 is capable of serving as a primary attitude instrument. In a dual installation (one as an attitude indicator and the other as an electronic heading indicator), the AI is required to be locked when used as the primary, although it does display a heading tape at the top of the display.

The AV-30 is loaded with standard features. The short list includes built-in angle of attack, audio alerting, altitude alerting, and primary slip indication. The AV-30-C has an STC with approved model list (AML) that blankets a wide variety of single-engine aircraft with speeds below 200 knots. It’s approved as a stand-alone attitude indicator, as an electronic DG, as a replacement for a slip-skid indicator (it doesn’t have rate of turn—just a skid ball), and it can be used as the required backup attitude display for the majority of primary EFIS systems. It can even be used with the company’s ADS-B/transponder systems.

A dual-unit installation is fair game for removing the aircraft’s vacuum system, but that could need extra approvals or paperwork on the shop level since the specifics of removing the vacuum system are outside the scope of the instrument’s STC. A pair of AV-30s—one as an attitude display, plus electronic pitot static instruments (in certified aircraft you still have to retain the originals), and the other as a heading indicator—is a good way to give an old VFR panel a new lease on life.

At press time, uAvionix released a major upgrade to the AV-30’s capability thanks to external smart adapters. The new uAvionix AV-HSI smart converter accessory adds long-awaited utility to the previously lacking AV-30 IFR interface, with support for essentially all Avidyne IFD and Garmin GTN/GNS GPS navigators. It will work with the GPS-only Garmin GPS 175/GNC 355/GNX 375 navigators, plus the legacy GPS 155XL. This means you can finally display lateral and vertical course guidance for GPS approaches—plus, the converter also works with Garmin’s GNC 255 nav/comm, Garmin nav/comms, and Trig’s TX56/57 nav/comm radios.

For autopilot interfaces, another adapter—the $299 AV-APA—is in the works for communicating with S-TEC rate-based autopilots—which includes the System 20/30/40/50 models. It enables GPS track hold, GPS desired track, GPS bearing, and GPSS digital steering when using the EHSI.

Speaking of add-on interfaces, for aircraft where panel space is limited, the $299 AV-Link can be used to stream ADS-B traffic data to the AV-30 for displaying standard ADS-B traffic symbology. Any portable ADS-B In receiver that works via the industry standard GDL90 Wi-Fi protocol can interface with the display just as it’s done with an iPad. The AV-Link, which piggybacks between the main wiring harness and the AV-30 itself, is only available in experimental installations, for now. Visit www.uavionx.com.

Aspen’s Budget Evoution

The $5,995 Aspen Avionics E5 scales back the features and capabilities built into the flagship 1000 Pro MAX but shares the same drop-in, form-fit chassis that fits the existing holes of mechanical attitude and heading indicators. With a 400×760-pixel TFT Active Matrix LCD screen, the E5 is perhaps the largest of the budget EFIS models with its 6-inch diagonal Matrix LCD screen, and it has a built-in, one-hour backup battery. The E5 shows primary attitude information with altitude, airspeed, and vertical speed, plus an EHSI into a single display with a backup battery.

For IFR capability, the E5 needs to be connected to an IFR panel-mounted navigator but doesn’t require a backup attitude indicator like the Pro models do. It does, however, require Aspen’s ACU (analog converter unit) for connecting with autopilots and VHF nav radios—an accessory that kicks up the price to around $7,000, plus the extra installation effort. You can upgrade the E5 to the Pro MAX version without changing the majority of the hardware. Visit www.aspenavionics.com.

How Much for That?

We think an important step in any budget EFIS upgrade is gathering proposals for larger-screen glass as a comparison. That means bringing the aircraft to the potential installer so they can determine what will and won’t fit.

For sure, the buy-in will be higher, especially when the project requires metal work, but for some—especially with aging eyes—the price delta could be worth it. For others, the smaller screens are a trade-off for an easier installation and lower invoice.

This column first appeared in the Summer 2024 Ultimate Issue print edition.

The post Ultimate Issue: Mini EFIS Units Keep Budget, Complexity in Check appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Leonardo Helicopters’ AW109 Trekker is the first model to use the system with the new capabilities. The company said the enhanced version helps improve overall mission effectiveness by decreasing the pilot’s workload.

• READ MORE: Auto Flight for Rotorcraft

“We are very excited to now offer a four-axis, IFR flight control system for the helicopter market,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin’s vice president of aviation sales and marketing. “This technology will provide IFR operators with advanced automated flight capabilities and bring added protections to one of the most challenging flight categories in aviation. We’re confident AW109 Trekker operators will be impressed with the performance of GFC 600H.”

The GFC 600H includes a console-mounted, push-button mode controller and display compatible with night vision goggles. High-performance digital servos and new linear actuators that Garmin developed provide crisper, more powerful responses than previous systems, resulting in smooth handling in all phases of flight.

• READ MORE: Garmin Receives GI 275 STC for Airbus Helicopters

The new system supports a range of autopilot modes, including altitude acquire, altitude hold, heading select, attitude hold, approach auto-level, radar height hold, vertical speed, and indicated airspeed. The system also can fly approaches using inputs from navigation systems.

Garmin said its system’s smart servos eliminate the need for two linear actuators and flight control computers for each axis. The result is a lighter, cost-effective system that retains the redundancy needed for IFR flight.

The IFR configuration of the GFC 600H has received European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval on the AW109 Trekker helicopter. Garmin said it expects FAA approval later.

The post Garmin Offers IFR Flight Control System for Helicopters appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

When equipped with SkyView HDX and the autopilot, Baron aircraft also will benefit from a yaw damper and approach capability when the autopilot is coupled with a compatible third-party IFR navigation instrument.

• READ MORE: Dynon Continues Progress on SkyView Installations in Certified Aircraft

When added to a SkyView HDX system, the three-axis autopilot starts at a list price of $11,192 for Baron aircraft, including all required hardware and servo harnesses. Other options that pilots frequently choose include the SkyView autopilot control panel ($664), which provides autoflight controls for the pilot, and the knob control panel ($335), which gives pilots the ability to adjust the values modified the most when flying with the autopilot, such as altitude, heading, track, and altimeter setting.

“We’re excited to expand the SkyView HDX and Dynon’s autopilot approval into the Beechcraft Baron series,” said Michael Schofield, Dynon’s director of marketing.

Dynon Certified products, including this autopilot approval, can be purchased and installed by any Dynon-authorized center. Dynon said additional autopilot approvals are in progress for select Mooney M20 and Beechcraft Debonair 33 aircraft. Electric trim and autopilot auto-trim are also widely available for Dynon autopilot-equipped aircraft.

The company said trim motor control and autopilot auto-trim are now available for most Dynon Certified autopilot installations with electric trim motors installed. In the past this feature was restricted to a select few trim systems, Dynon said. Now the restriction has been removed, so auto-trim can be used in all Dynon autopilot-equipped Cessna 182, Beechcraft 35 and 36 series, Piper Seneca, and Beechcraft Baron 58 series aircraft.

The post Dynon Certified Announces New FAA Approvals for SkyView HDX Avionics System and Autopilot appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The Autoland system is designed to take control of the aircraft in an emergency and land it autonomously at the nearest suitable airport. This technology is meant to bring additional safety and peace of mind to the cabin for passengers and pilots concerned about possible pilot incapacitation.

• WATCH: We Fly Garmin Autoland King Air 200

“We are thrilled to deliver our first Garmin Autoland upgrade in a King Air B200,” said Dan Edwards, CEO of Elliott Aviation. “Safety is always our top priority, and the Garmin Autoland system represents a groundbreaking advancement in aviation technology. This achievement reflects our team’s expertise and commitment to providing our customers with the latest and most advanced avionics solutions.”

The company previously performed similar upgrades to Daher TBM 940s that had not been equipped with the Autoland system—specialized by Daher as Home Safe—at the factory. The Moline, Illinois, company said the King Air upgrade “underscores Elliott Aviation’s dedication to staying at the forefront of technological advancements within the aviation industry.”

• READ MORE: Elliott Aviation Completes Home Safe Upgrades to TBM 940

Founded in 1936, Elliott Aviation provides a range of aviation services including avionics, maintenance, accessories, paint, interiors, and aircraft sales.

The post Elliott Aviation Delivers First Garmin Autoland Upgrade in King Air B200 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

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.

The post Upgrading Avionics in the New-to-You Airplane appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Editor’s Note: This video was produced by Aviation Consumer magazine.

The post Panel Planner 101 Live: Cessna T210 Avionics Upgrade appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In this episode of Panel Planner 101 Live, Aviation Consumer magazine Editor Larry Anglisano along with CiES Corp. founder Scott Philiben talk through the installation and benefits of replacing the old sensors with modern digital smart fuel sensors. Done correctly, they yield more accurate and reliable fuel quantity measurements.

Editor’s Note: This video was produced by Aviation Consumer magazine.

The post Fuel Display Upgrades: Go Digital appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Aerox said the addition broadens its line of aviation oxygen systems while expanding its global customer base.

• READ MORE: Aerox Offers Oxygen Solutions for Turboprops, Light Jets

“Our acquisition of Fluid Power will create a balanced military and civil aviation product portfolio and will provide greater manufacturing capacity and engineering expertise,” said Scott Ashton, O2 Aero managing director and Aerox president. “Fluid Power has a 75-year legacy of servicing the aviation industry, providing sophisticated oxygen equipment as far back as the Korean War, and today provides many oxygen components for military applications.”

• READ MORE: Aerox Aviation Oxygen Systems Acquires Sky-Ox Aviation Oxygen

Aerox said the two companies’ product lines are complementary and will allow them to serve more segments of the aviation oxygen market. Under terms of the acquisition, Fluid Power will continue to operate as an independent company as part of the O2 Aero Acquisitions portfolio. The company will be rebranded as Aerox Fluid Power.

The acquisition of Fluid Power, which closed on August 31, marked the third such transaction for O2 Aero Acquisitions after the purchase of Aerox Aviation Oxygen Systems in 2020 and Sky-Ox Aviation Oxygen in 2022.

The post Aerox Aviation Oxygen Systems Acquires Fluid Power Inc. appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

So when Garmin flight test engineer—and experienced rotorcraft instructor—Jack Loflin gestures me into the right seat, I don’t hesitate. Then I do.

He’s putting me on. Is this wise?

But as it turns out, I’m not only ready for my first AS350 lesson, I am going to have the best assistant I could possibly have. The GFC 600H turned me—for a couple of amazing hours—into a helicopter pilot.

I’m not saying this is its intended application—or even a good one—but it’s an indication of just how incredible the advances in autoflight have come to the rotorcraft world, that I can even fathom what I’mabout to see and do in the AStar.

Takeoff—And a Cross-Country

The AS350 is also equipped with the Garmin G500 TXi flight display system for rotorcraft, along with the GTN 750 Xi and GTN 650 Xi, allowing for a host of other features—including H-TWAS—to supplementour short cross-country flight. Loflin has planned for us to fly from the Salem Municipal Airport (KSLE) up to the Portland Downtown Heliport (61J)—a gem in that it is one of the few public heliports located in a major metro area in the U.S. We’ll utilize it—it sits on the top of a multistory public parking lot—to pop in for lunch at Loflin’s favorite Lebanese place downtown.

From there, we’ll take off and head back southwest towards the Willamette Valley, dropping in to practice hovering and other spot landings both on-airport and off, on a sandbar in the Willamette River.

From the briefing, I know what to expect of the GFC 600H—now it’s time for Loflin to give me dual on our departure after leading me through the engine start and initial rotation from the pad outside Garmin AT’s flight ops hangar.

Garmin sales manager Pat Coleman has joined us—on our way out to the helicopter, he showed us a few projects inside the Garmin skunkworks in the hangar. Originally certificated in the AS350 in 2019, additions to the GFC 600H’s supplemental type certificate approved model list (STC AML) loom ahead. You can already find the autoflight system in the Bell 505 under a Garmin-owned STC, which came out in mid-2021. 

As we lift off and Loflin hands the controls over to me, I feel a sense of low-level anxiety, reflecting on my minimal time in the category. But that quickly melts away as I test out the three axes of flight in small increments as I follow the magenta line that leads us up to Portland proper.

Along our initial flight path, I feel only the barest sense that the autoflight system’s silent hand carries me in the background. It monitors the envelope, speeds, and other parameters to stabilize my relatively level flight. I come down to 500 feet msl to track into the city; we’re indicating about 95 knots.

We are approaching from the south-southeast—the city lies along the Willamette, making for a pleasingly situated downtown, with the heliport we’re aiming for on the western bank. Loflin points out several key obstacles as we approach—at this altitude, nearly everything becomes an obstruction, but the TXi highlights only the most critical at the moment on the multifunction display. The screen shows normal terrain shading with a yellow “obstacle” annunciation as we come up on a series of bridges.

The same obstruction shows on the Garmin GI 275 electronic flight instrument located in the center stack. It has many of the same functions available as those brethren STCed for airplanes—a PFD with attitude, airspeed, altitude, and vertical speed, plus MFD, traffic, terrain, and engine information.

A web of red lines depicts the location of powerlines and other high wires that threaten a helicopter’s path. In order to get the most out of the aircraft’s capabilities, you need to take it into confined areas that would be fatal to fixed wings. It’s a whole different way of looking at the world—and the obstruction data on the MFD goes from towers popping up during an otherwise uneventful flight to an entire maze to navigate down low.

Loflin coaches me so that I take us within about a quarter mile and 100 feet of the landing pad, then takes over to position the AS350 into the relatively confined space. I say “relatively” because there’s plenty of room on the heliport to accommodate at least three helicopters, maybe four, depending on how well they are parked.

He slows us to 35 kias on short approach, bleeding down to hover over the space we’ll leave the AS350 parked in while we grab lunch. It feels surreal—yet just like another one of those “only with GA moments” as the four of us take the elevator down to the street and walk out onto the rather quiet city streets.

Hover Test

We remember the code to get back to the fifth floor of the parking garage—the heliport restricts access to pilots and their guests or customers for clear reasons. It’s time to fire up again and head out to play—and really test the GFC 600H’s mettle against the best amateur rotorcraft pilot moves I can throw at it.

We follow the river out of town, over connecting lakes, and into the valley which is world-renowned for its pinot noir and chardonnay. It’s the very best view of the vines as we pass over them at a neighborly altitude. Often helicopters a reused for frost protection and other agricultural ops over the vineyards—but that is not our mission today.

Our first stop has us joining the traffic pattern at the McMinnville Municipal Airport (KMMV). To me, the airport is famous because it’s home to the Evergreen Aviation Museum—and home to the famous Spruce Goose, the Hughes Hercules eight-engined mammoth that sits barely encased in glass so its enormity can be appreciated even if you never step foot in the museum. We don’t make a stop there today—but both the Gooseand the Boeing 747 in Evergreen livery out front create easy landmarks for me to follow in the pattern.

After the approach, Loflin instructs me through slowing the AS350 down into a hover over a far reach of the taxiway. We have plenty of ramp space here to give me the leeway I need to perform my first AS350 hovering—at first highly assisted by the GFC 600H, in both attitude and yaw hold modes. Then, Loflin turns the magic off. And all of a sudden, the work that the autopilot has been performing behind the scenes becomes dramatically apparent. He takes back the controls periodically to help me along.

We step taxi over to a field northwest of the runway, an open area where we can play a little more. I get to test with and without the GFC 600H and see again just how much it is assisting me as a newb. Now, the benefit to the seasoned pilot lies in the dramatically reduced workload—just like any autopilot—taking the physical work of flying the aircraft from the pilot’s hands so they can focus on something else. And if you think about it, that’s a big change for a helicopter pilot who nearly always has to have both hands engaged with the flight controls during a flight,with only momentary transitions to change radio frequencies or manage checklists.

ESP, Rotor Style

The envelope stability protection that we enjoy in the fixed-wing versions of Garmin’s autoflight systems takes on a new cast in the GFC 600H. H-ESP, as it’s called here, provides both low speed and overspeed protection, as well as limit cueing to help the pilot keep the helicopter upright.

When the pilot maintains f light with the rotor blade plane tilted less than 10 degrees from level, the ESP system sits in the background, monitoring the flight dynamics. When it first senses the rotor plane approaching the beginning of the limit arc either up or down, ESP engages and applies the nudge that’s familiar to those of us accustomed to flying with ESP in other aircraft. If the pilot powers through that nudge and continues to tilt the rotor plane towards the upper limit of the arc, the GFC 600H applies up to a maximum level of force, opposing the pilot’s action and striving to return the rotor plane to a level state.

In the case of a low speed limit approaching, the yellow “LOWSPD” annunciation appears on the pilot’s primary flight display. Similarly, if a maximum speed limit is anticipated, the yellow “MAXSPD” highlights. A LVL mode returns the helicopter to a zero fpm vertical and zero bank angle lateral attitude when actuated.

Flying the Approach

Coming back into Salem, we opt for another one of the system’s enormous safety benefits—the ability to fly a coupled approach. The AS350 we’re in is placarded “VFR Only,” and many helicopter pilots do not possess an instrument rating. It’s not that they wouldn’t ever need the skill, but it comes up less often than it does for airplane pilots.

That is, until it takes on critical importance. Recalling the accident that took Kobe Bryant’s life and those of his family and friends in January 2020, it’s sobering to contemplate what would have been different if the pilot had been able to maintain situational awareness.

The GFC 600H, when integrated with the NXi, allows even a non-rated pilot to engage an approach as a safety tool in lowering visibility. We had set up the RNAV (GPS) approach to Runway 31 at KSLE and I engaged the AP through a similar mode controller as other Garmin autoflight systems in the series. Though I cannot tell you how many times I’ve watched the approach proceedings unfold on an MFD over the course of my career, it’s wild to see it happen in a helicopter. Our speed on the approach isn’t too slow—though it’s slower than what most of us are accustomed to—but the outcome is the same. We’ve returned to a safe position from which to hover-taxi to our final landing point on the airport.

That’s when it really hits me—the GFC 600H makes the helicopter as easy to keep in level flight or a stabilized approach as an airplane. I mean, Coleman had said it in our initial conversations, but it turns out not to be just a marketing line. The autopilot shadowing me allowed me to manipulate the controls in a way more akin to my ingrained skill controlling an airplane. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my rotorcraft lessons before, but flying a helicopter without this felt like pirouetting on the head of a pin—a delicate balancing act full of nuance and retraining my muscle memory.

While this isn’t a panacea—what happens to the pilot who flies with it on all the time when it breaks, and they suddenly have to hand-fly? But that’s a question we ask in the fixed-wing world too—and we make sure to train both VFR and IFR flight without the automation as a result, to keep those skills sharp.

The other piece is that it made the rotorcraft rating feel approachable—and one less barrier to entry, perhaps. But most of all, the real capability of the GFC 600H changes the game for safety.

This article was originally published in the March 2023 Issue 935 of FLYING

Genesys Autoflight for Helicopters

Genesys helicopter’s speed range, with altitude-command and altitude-hold functions. Fly-through system engagement is available in all flight regimes, from startup to shutdown, and the system features rugged, redundant flight control computers. Total weight installed is less than 35 pounds, and it operates in a fail-operable manner. The GRC 3000 is currently certificated on the Airbus EC-145e and the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk.

Aerosystems (formerly S-TEC) entered the autoflight arena in 2014 with its HeliSAS two-axis VFR autopilot and stability augmentation system for light rotorcraft on the AS350 as well as the EC 130, followed by the Bell 206B/L and 407, and the Robinson R44 and R66. A three-axis option is available for the Bell 505. The company has delivered more than 1,000 units to date.

The HeliSAS incorporates the ability to track heading and nav functions (VOR, LOC, GPS), with course intercept capability, and manage forward speed, vertical speed, and altitude.

With units weighing less than 15 pounds, the HeliSAS also features an auto-recovery mode to return the helicopter to a neutral attitude when the pilot loses situational awareness. And according to the company, its system has also allowed pilots with no prior rotorcraft experience to maintain the helicopter in a hover “with very little practice.”

Genesys also makes an IFR autoflight system, the GRC 3000. The two- or three-axis autopilot includes auto-recovery to near-level flight attitude throughout the

This sidebar was originally published in the March 2023 Issue 935 of FLYING.

The post Auto Flight for Rotorcraft appeared first on FLYING Magazine.