Garmin GNS 430
Visit Garmin headquarters in Olathe, Kansas, and you'll see a company that's feeling its oats. Why? Three reasons. First, Garmin's new GNS 430, a revolutionary new unit that's a combination communications, VHF nav, and IFR approved GPS box all in one — complete with a big color liquid crystal display. Second, the company's new GNS 530, an upsized clone of the 430 that has an even bigger five-inch color LCD. Third, the decision by The New Piper Aircraft to make dual 530s the avionics of choice for the company's new Malibu Meridian turboprop. That development marks G a r in i n 's breaking into the OEM (original equipment manufacturer) market, so the mood at headquarters is justifiably elated.
The GNS 430's one and five-eighths by three and one-quarter-inch display screen (the diagonal measurement is three and three-quarter-inches) is an attention-grabber. Its size, color, and resolution make it very readable, no matter what sort of imagery you call up. The moving map is especially impressive. It uses a color variant of the same base map as that of the Garmin 195, one of the company's more popular handheld GPS receivers. Roads, rivers, and other geographic features can be shown, as well as the boundaries of special use and terminal airspace. Three levels of decluttering let you progressively strip all but your active route from the presentation.
The left side of the 430 is the navcom portion. Once a cursor defines a frequency, you can dial it in, then flip it from standby to active mode. Incidentally, the com radio has the newly specified 8.33 kHz frequency spacing required by European regulations.
VHF nav capability also includes localizer and glideslope reception. To activate a VHF nav source, you push the CDI button at the lower left of the display. The CDI button lets your nav head depiction toggle between GPS and VOR/localizer/ILS course guidance, eliminating the need for a separate switching unit.
The right side of the radio — the GPS side, if you will — has a small rocker switch for zooming the moving map in or out, a Direct button for flying direct to a named fix, a Menu button for changing various information fields and selecting waypoints, a Clear button to revert to the previously selected display, and an Enter key. The rotating inner and outer knobs on the right side are for making entries, although pushing on the inner knob will also highlight a cursor bar. Rotating the inner knob lets you view each of the six different Nav information displays: CDI; moving map; nearest frequencies; lat/long position; satellite status; and vertical navigation. Spin the outer knob all the way to the right and the nine nearest airports appear on the screen. Of course, all the usual flight planning features are also accessible through the menu pages.
Neophytes are bound to enjoy a feature of the Clear button: Hold it down for two seconds and the display reverts to the CDI page — sort of a safety net to always bring you back to a familiar nav page. The Clear button also declutters. Press it once and the roads and towns disappear. Hit it twice and the airspace boundaries go away. Hit it a third time and all you'll see is your active route always identified by a magenta line.
As for GPS approaches, the 430 goes a long, long way toward simplifying the steps needed to name and activate an approach procedure. When you push the Proc (procedure) key at the lower right of the unit, a list of procedures pops up on the screen. "Select an approach" is one, "select arrival" is another, and "select departure" is one more. Rotate the outer knob to make the cursor bar highlight what you want to do — select an approach, for example — and then hit Enter. Now a list of approaches is presented, including any NDB, VOR, localizer, and ILS approaches. Highlight the approach you want, hit Enter twice (once to load the approach, again to activate it when the time comes) and you're ready to fly the approach. Course lines are plotted on the display, and you can use the CDI page or the moving map — with track and distance information to the right of the screen — for precise guidance throughout the approach.
Of all the IFR-approved GPSs out there, the 430 has to rank among the most intuitive when it comes to setting up a GPS approach.
Missed approach? Again, the 430 doesn't intimidate. Once over the missed approach point, just hit Direct, then Enter, and you've got guidance to the missed approach fix. An alternative method involves simply pushing the OBS button. This extinguishes the display's "suspend" annunciation, which illuminates at the missed approach point and indicates that approach sequencing has ended.
As for holding patterns, the 430 even suggests the proper holding pattern entry procedure. The holding pattern is depicted on the display (so are procedure turns), and you can follow your airplane's progress around the racetrack, but the depiction is for representational purposes only. This means that you still have to calculate your outbound legs so as to determine one-minute inbound legs. You can't fly the symbolic airplane around the holding pattern or through a procedure turn. (You'd need an air data computer to have the depicted racetrack's outbound dimensions produce perfect inbound timing and turn anticipation.) But even so, the 430's Jeppesen database does let you call up navigation guidance to an approach procedure holding pattern's inbound turn point. In this way you can avoid flying past the protected area and know exactly when to turn toward the holding course at the beginning of the hold.
The lines that depict courses to or from an approach procedure's fixes, runways, or DME arcs are plotted accurately. When tracking these courses, you can see a gnat's-eyelash-accurate portrayal of your progress.
With the 430, Garmin's got an all-in-one box with a knockout display and comparatively simple operating steps. The moving map and symbolic airplane give terrific situational awareness whether you're IFR or VFR. Just add an audio panel and a transponder (both of which Garmin also manufactures) and you've got a nice, complete, and compact avionics package. The 430's price, currently set at $8,595 for introductory customers and expected to rise to $9,250 by early 1999, makes it an especially good buy. (Some other IFR-approved GPSs sell in the same price range, but they don't have built-in VHF navcoms.) Garmin says that the 430 is WAAS (wide area augmentation system) upgradeable, so when the next iteration of GPS hardware guidelines comes around, the unit shouldn't become obsolete.
Here's an intriguing fact: The 430 and 530 have slots for a second data card. Garmin representatives haven't quite figured out how to take advantage of this extra capability, but there has been open speculation. Ground proximity software? A directory of fuel prices and availability? Airport services information? Garmin hastens to emphasize that there's still some tweaking to be done before the 430 goes on the market in the first quarter of 1999, so final decisions like these have yet to be made.
The day on which AOPA Pilot visited, a giddy internal e-mail was circulating around Garmin. "The King is dead. Tomorrow is history. Long live Garmin," it said. The company's march toward its goal of providing complete (including flight control systems) panel-mounted avionics suites seems to be moving toward high gear. Garmin International, 1200 East 151st Street, Olathe, Kansas, 66062; telephone 913 /397-8200; or visit the Web site ( www.garmin.com). — Thomas A. Horne
DigAv-Viewer
Here's an inexpensive VFR flight planning program that allows you to plot the safest route through high terrain. The new $59 software program, called DigAV-Viewer, from Digital Strategies will let you avoid not only airspace (using a scanned and digitalized VFR sectional chart) and large bodies of water, but unfriendly terrain as well. Yet, the final course from departure to destination will be as direct as possible. You'll also be able to determine distances between fuel stops.
The digitized terrain model is the highlight of this easy-to-use program. A slide bar on the left side of the screen allows you to determine what altitude will safely clear all terrain on the route. But let's say that you want to cross the Rocky Mountains in a light piston single. Obviously, a flight at 13,000 to 15,000 feet without oxygen Is not possible. Bring down the slide bar to set the altitude that you prefer and watch as terrain dangerous to your route appears in black and red. Then you can pick waypoints that take you through lower terrain or simply go south to El Paso, Texas, and avoid the highest mountains altogether. The points that you choose will appear as latitude and longitude numbers, and those can be copied down and entered manually later in a GPS.
DigAV-Viewer requires a minimum of a 66 MHz 486 computer with 16 megabytes of RAM and 48 megabytes of hard disk space. It also requires a CDROM drive and a mouse. Obviously, when using any graphically intensive program, having more speed and memory is better. For information, write to Digital Strategies, Post Office Box 859, Burlington, Massachusetts, 01803-5859; telephone 781/229-6444; or visit the Web ( www.digav.com). — Alton K. Marsh
Briefly Noted
Operators of turbine aircraft can replace or upgrade standby instruments with BFGoodrich's GH-3000 electronic standby instrument system (ESIS). The self-contained three-inch ESIS displays attitude, slip/skid, navigation, and airdata information on one display. The GH-3000 replaces traditional standby attitude, airspeed, and altitude indicators with one digital instrument that provides a backup display with nearly as much information as a primary flight display. The inertial measurement cluster of the GH-3000 eliminates the need for a mechanical gyro and has no moving parts. The $50,000 unit is currently STC'd for some medium to large business jets and large helicopters. More STCs will follow. — Peter A. Bedell
AOPA member Endre Berecz has introduced Digitalert, a new aircraft security system that uses cellular phone technology to alert owners of break-ins or theft. The portable system can accept as many as eight sensors that monitor doors, windows, and cowl access panels. If a sensor is tripped, Digitalert will call the owner's cellular phone displaying the number of the security system. The $875 system is self powered for as many as 30 days on a set of batteries. For more information, contact Solid State Electronics, 800/8884096 or 954/587-6340; or via e-mail ( [email protected]). — PAB
Real Gasket Corporation has announced the availability of pushrod tube conversion kits for Continental A65 to 0-300 engines. The kit converts the tubes to an independently serviceable, spring-loaded pushrod tube system like that used in larger Continental 470-, 520-, and 550-series engines. The conversion will also allow access to the lifters. Cylinder removal is not required to complete the conversion. List price for the kit is $90 per cylinder. For more information, contact Real Gasket at 800/635-7325 or 541/754-3622. — PAB
Sigtronics has introduced its new 8 Series lightweight headsets (S-58 and S-68) that weigh in at 11.9 ounces. The S-58 features the familiar "Sigtronics blue" ear cups while the -68 is black with gold-plated hardware. Minimum advertised price for the -58 is $237, while the -68 is $267. Each headset includes a new Flex Boom microphone configuration and gel ear seals. Stereo and helicopter versions are also available. For more information, call 909/305-9399 or visit the Web site ( www.sigtronics.com). — PAB
Unless otherwise stated, products listed herein have not been evaluated by AOPA Pilot editors. AOPA assumes no responsibility for products or services listed or for claims or actions by manufacturers or vendors. However, members unable to get satisfaction regarding products listed should advise AOPA. To submit products for evaluation, contact: New Products Editor, AOPA Pilot, 421 Aviation Way, Frederick, Maryland 21701; telephone 301/695-2350. Links to all Web sites referenced in this issue can be found on AOPA Online ( www.aopa.org/pilot/links/links9810.shtml).
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