Waypoints

A quiet little revolution is under way in the avionics industry. As aircraft owners and pilots, we will reap the benefits of this insurrection for years to come. A host of avionics manufacturers new and old are battling to offer pilots the most complete and innovative avionics stack.

Garmin fired the first shot in this clash last year when it introduced the VFR GNC 250 and the IFR GNC 300 TSO, both panel- mount GPS/com radios. By marrying a sophisticated GPS receiver and database to a 760-channel transceiver, Garmin became the first of the "new" avionics manufacturers to challenge AlliedSignal's Bendix/King product line seriously. AlliedSignal still holds the position of being the only company to produce a complete general aviation product line from transceiver to autopilot. Narco, once a major player, has all but disappeared. Terra Avionics, the once sleepy little company from Albuquerque, New Mexico, has made significant gains in the last couple of years. It offers a nearly complete product line, except for an autopilot, weather radar, DME, and horizontal situation indicator.

The second salvo in this industry fray actually involves Terra. Trimble Navigation, another of the GPS-spawned avionics manufacturers, recently announced its intention to purchase privately held Terra. The deal was about to close as this issue went to press. The acquisition is a smart one on Trimble's part because it instantly gives the GPS manufacturer a nearly complete general aviation product line. Trimble's financial and engineering expertise will allow it to move the Terra products quickly through the technical standards order (TSO) process, an essential step to give the radios the pedigree they need to compete effectively against the Bendix/King product line.

The latest volley in the contest was launched just last month when II Morrow lofted its new panel-mount communication radio into the market at the Aircraft Electronics Association convention in Nashville. Like Trimble and Garmin, II Morrow has been primarily a loran and GPS manufacturer. With its new product it clearly establishes itself as a company bent on competing for the entire radio stack.

Magellan, another GPS manufacturer that is fairly new to the avionics market, has no immediate plans to develop a complete radio stack, but it has entered into the communication business in a different way. It recently announced the development of a new satellite telephone that allows anyone to place or receive calls from anywhere in the world. Set up the briefcase-size equipment, aim it toward the heavens, and dial away. You'll probably be able to hear a pin drop when you tell your accountant the $7,000 price tag and the hefty per-minute charge, but when you need to reach out and touch someone from anywhere, the sat-phone may be your only answer.

In this battle for your panel space and your avionics dollars, longtime leader AlliedSignal has been a tough one to catch. Rather than sitting back and awaiting the competition, the company has poured resources into its Bendix/King product line. The result is the most complete line of GPS products available. The KLX135 moving map GPS and the KLX135A GPS/ com wedge much utility into a single box with an LCD screen. The LCD helps to keep the cost to a fraction of that of the top-of-the-line KLN90B IFR GPS. In the middle, the company has positioned the new KLN89 and KLN89B moving map GPSs with gas discharge displays.

All of the GPS development comes amidst the company's recent introduction of the Crown series of lower-cost VHF navs and coms that use LCDs and a slightly different faceplate from that of the venerable Silver Crown series. Up next is a new generation of radios that will debut in the new Cessna Skyhawk at Oshkosh in August. No details of the new radios were available, but we do know that the stack will include a new building-block autopilot that first shows up in the 172 as a wing-leveler.

Other manufacturers seek the coveted complete radio stack because they know that pilots prefer to have all of their radios looking alike, forming an attractive and cohesive panel. Airframe manufacturers won't bother to invest in reengineering an entire airplane to accommodate a different brand of avionics unless customers demand the new products. And customers are unlikely to request a piecemeal panel when ordering a new airplane. Likewise, in the aftermarket arena, pilots who buy a couple of Bendix/King navcoms and an audio panel are more likely to go ahead and buy a same-brand GPS rather than opting for another brand.

Trimble's acquisition of Terra shows just how far a manufacturer will go to build a complete product line. Charles Gunderson, Trimble's managing director of general and commercial aviation, says the purchase is part of Trimble's strategy to have a full line of avionics. Terra manufacturing will be moved from Albuquerque to Austin, Texas, where Trimble's general aviation products are manufactured. The Terra name will continue to be used, but the technology behind the products will begin to show up in other Trimble products within a year. Likewise, you'll see some of Trimble's GPS products move into the Terra stack.

The Terra name will probably be linked to products for the kitbuilt and sport utility markets. According to Gunderson's plan, GPS products and a revised Terra line will merge under the Trimble name to become the standard for higher-end general aviation aircraft, such as high-performance singles and on up the line. Trimble already has carved out a profitable niche in the commuter airline and business turboprop market. A partnership with Honeywell puts Trimble products into business jets and jet airliners.

Garmin, meanwhile, is contemplating its options in building a complete product line. It's probable that the company will develop its own marker beacon, VOR, ILS, and glideslope receivers to complement its GPS and com radios, since the phaseout of VORs and ILSs is still over the proverbial horizon. The question most under study is whether to invest in developing ADF receivers and DME equipment, both technologies with limited life spans.

II Morrow faces the same dilemma in expanding its product line. A company spokesman hints that it's likely that II Morrow will develop its own VHF navigation equipment, but the future of any ADF and DME equipment is less certain.

Some of the features resident in II Morrow's new slim-line SP96C com radio are the sorts of things that buyers can expect in the future. For example, the tiny 1.3-inch-high radio puts out eight watts, compared to the five watts produced by most of today's general aviation com radios. In addition, the radio carries an MC button that allows the pilot to monitor the standby frequency without worrying about missing a call on the active frequency. Tune an ATIS frequency into the standby window and hit the MC button to monitor the report. If the radio senses RF on the active frequency, it automatically mutes the standby frequency being monitored. The EC button brings the emergency frequency of 121.5 MHz into the standby window.

By Oshkosh, II Morrow plans to offer the radio in three ways: as a com; a GPS/com; and a GPS. The GPS will be similar in function to the company's popular low-cost Flybuddy GPS.

So while the avionics manufacturers duke it out for panel dominance, aircraft owners and pilots will be able to sit back and enjoy new features and stable prices — the fruits of competition.