Aircraft Ownership

Garmin rebates set to expire

By Thomas B. Haines

Pilots, here’s your chance to help Santa Claus with his financial doldrums: Ask for that Garmin GNS 430 or 530 this year rather than next.

The GPS giant has been offering $500 rebates for GNS 430s and $1,000 rebates for 530s for some time, and those rebates expire at the end of the year. While Garmin has not announced 2010 pricing yet, word on the street is that there may be a price increase in the popular navigators in addition to the expiration of the rebates, meaning a potentially significant increase in costs after the first of the year.

The Garmin GNS 430 debuted a decade ago as a combination moving map, IFR GPS navigator, and VHF nav/com. The larger 530 followed a few months later. Since then, the two models have come to dominate general aviation panels, especially in the retrofit market. Current WAAS-enabled versions can host numerous additional sensors, such as satellite weather, lightning detectors, and traffic warning, in addition to built-in terrain warning systems.

November 12, 2009