Garmin announces G5 adapter for third-party autopilots
Garmin will offer an adapter that will enable its G5 electronic flight instrument to interface with several third-party autopilot systems, the company announced July 18.
The forthcoming GAD 29B adapter will permit the G5 directional gyro/horizontal situation indicator to provide heading and course error to drive the autopilot. With a compatible navigation source, the G5 will be able to interface with certain autopilots for coupled flights in heading and navigation mode. When interfaced with a Garmin GTN 650/750W, the G5 can provide GPSS roll steering navigation from the navigator to the autopilot, Garmin said. “Pilots can simply select GPSS on the G5 and the heading mode on the autopilot and the autopilot will fly smooth intercepts, holding patterns, procedure turns, and more,” the company said.
The GAD 29B is expected to be available in September. The GAD 29B will be priced at $699 by itself, or it can be purchased with a G5 and GMU 11 magnetometer for $2,975, a Garmin spokesperson said.
Garmin said it is working on an amendment to the existing G5 supplemental type certificate that allows owners to mount the G5 flush with a certified aircraft’s instrument panel. That STC is anticipated in September and would apply to the more than 650 aircraft in the current STC’s aircraft model list.
The G5 was approved in July 2016 as a non-technical standard order attitude indicator in type-certificated fixed-wing general aviation aircraft. A second STC, announced in March, enables owners to install two G5s and eliminate the dependency on the airplane’s vacuum system for attitude and heading information. AOPA’s Sweepstakes 172 has two G5 units installed in the panel. You can view the Sweepstakes 172 at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 24 through 30.
