Garmin has received approval of the G5 electronic flight instrument for installation as a replacement directional gyro (DG) or horizontal situation indicator (HSI) in type-certificated fixed-wing general aviation aircraft.
When paired with select VHF NAV/COMMs or GPS navigators, the G5 can be considered primary for displaying magnetic heading, VOR/LOC guidance and/or GPS course guidance, as well as distance and groundspeed, according to company officials.
The installation of dual G5 electronic flight instruments can also eliminate the dependency on a failure-prone vacuum system, officials noted.
Installation approval is accomplished via supplemental type certificate (STC) with an approved model list (AML) containing more than 650 individual aircraft models. This is representative of the FAA’s commitment to encourage and authorize specific enhancements to aircraft to improve safety among the existing general aviation fleet, Garmin officials said.
Utilizing a new magnetometer, the G5 displays magnetic heading. A dedicated rotary knob allows pilots to select and adjust course and make heading bug selections.
Suitable for installation in place of a standard 3-1/8-inch (79 millimeters) flight instrument, the G5 measures 3 inches (76 millimeters) in depth with the back-up battery, so it can easily be integrated into a wide range of aircraft, company officials said.
It is also approved for flight under VFR and IFR conditions, officials added.
When paired with the GTN 650/750, GNS 430W/530W, non-WAAS GNS 430/530 and GNS 480 navigators, the G5 is approved as a primary source to display vertical and lateral GPS/VOR/LOC course deviation when available, as well as groundspeed and distance to the next waypoint.
In a G5 configuration that is paired with the GNC 255 or SL 30 NAV/COMM radio, the G5 is approved as a primary source to display lateral and vertical course deviation when available.
Additionally, a single magnetometer is capable of supplying magnetic heading information to two G5 electronic flight instruments simultaneously.
The G5 DG/HSI electronic flight instrument for certificated fixed-wing aircraft can be purchased through the Garmin authorized dealer network starting at $2,449, which includes the install kit, magnetometer, back-up battery and the STC.
When interfaced with a compatible GPS navigator, the G5 DG/HSI electronic flight instrument is available with the required adapter for $2,975.
A combination of dual G5 electronic flight instruments for certificated aircraft is available for $4,598.
This unit is great, but it must be able to interface with the thousands of autopilots out there. I hope Garmin is hard at work to do this!
I’d already have a dual G5 setup if not for this. Once there is an analog autopilot output, count me in.
This is exciting and encouraging stuff. But until the G5 is able to be interfaced with an autopilot, it remains a tease.
Can I replace my standby attitude indicator on my G1000 equipped CE182 with a G5?
I don’t believe it has been approved for that yet.
Does the DG integrated with a ‘slaved system’ or not.?
The G5 DG uses solid-state AHRS reference along with a GMU-44 magnetometer to emulate a slaved type DG system.
What about the ability to drive autopilots? Any news there? If not available now – is it on the list to be developed?
It certainly is the questions that everyone is asking Garmin, however it is a major certification undertaking. I am sure it is on Garmin’s to-do list but it has to be a long way off. I don’t see the G5 being something to replace a flight director or something more integrated like that. That is left to be addressed more with their G600 displays with GAD adapters.
In the LSA and EAB markets the G5 displays can be part of an autopilot system, you just have to add the controller and servos. Getting that capability into certified aircraft can be a bit more complicated but there are already other such systems being made available as I recall so I am sure that Garmin has this on their To-Do list. You can go to the Garmin website and download the G5 User’s Manual 190-02072-00 Rev. B (or later) and check out section 2.9 if you desire to read more on what it can do in this regard.