Garmin International yesterday announced a new range of touchscreen avionics that the company says will provide better situational awareness and are more intuitive to operate.
The TXi range includes G500, G600 and G700 EFIS units and an engine information system (EIS).
Three displays have been released with flexible panel configurations, including a 270 mm (10.6") display, and two versions of 178 mm (7") displays, in portrait and landscape orientations. The 270 mm display can operate as a primary flight display (PFD), multi-function display (MFD) and optional integrated EIS, while the 178 mm portrait display can be dedicated to any one of those functions. The dedicated EIS solution is available only as a 178 mm landscape display.
“As persistent innovators within the avionics industry, we’re redefining the flight display with the introduction of the touchscreen TXi family,” said Carl Wolf, Garmin Vice President of aviation sales and marketing.
“From a single display to a full suite installation comprising of four displays, the modular, building block design of the TXi system supports an impressive array of PFD/MFD/EIS functions and formats. With TXi, we’re excited to bring a suite of scalable flight displays that fit the panel and mission of a wide range of aircraft on the market today.”
Features of the TXi family include a touchscreen design, modern processors that support improved map and chart rendering, faster panning and contemporary single-finger zoom and pinch-to-zoom gestures. Pilots can operate a TXi unit through any combination of the touchscreen or dual concentric knobs.
The G500 system has been designed for Part 23 Class I/II aircraft with an MTOW under 2721 kg and the G600 for Class III aircraft with an MTOW up to 5700 kg. The G700 TXi is exclusively for Part 23 Class IV and Part 25 aircraft with MTOWs greater than 5700 kg
Garmin is targetting the last quarter of 2017 for Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for TXi range, which is expected include over 600 single- and twin-engined piston aircraft and turbo-prop aircraft.