Avionics News March 2012 - 24

WAAS GPS

Continued from page 23

tent WAAS GPS to “slide in” as a replacement for the TSO C129a he/she wants to slide out – and leaving everything else in place. This is not a likely option – at least, not in the short term.

Size Does Matter…

So, where are those 2-inch WAAS-approved navigators, or when are they coming? For now, the answer seems to be nowhere and not soon. Avionics company staff explained that the smaller screen space available isn’t very compatible where avionics designers are going. According to Avidyne’s Tom Harper, the 2-inch-high space leaves too little space for a display screen that can serve up a sophisticated touch-control menu-driven interface while leaving room for any required buttons or knobs. That standard, Harper said, is now two generations passed, displaced 13 years ago by a return of the larger faceplate in the form of Garmin’s landmark GNS430. And, other boxes heralded a move back to taller components with the launch of Honeywell’s Bendix/King 3-inch tall KMD250 multifunction display a decade ago. Now, the 2.7-inch all-in-one nav/comm/GPS/MFD is multiplying and increasing options for those interested in a standalone GPS. That’s not saying industry insiders gave no hope of a box dreamt about by our pilot – and many others as you will see. But, for now, the direction of new development seems to point toward a 2.65-inch height as the standard for the next generation of WAAS GPS navigators and affiliated products.

plane barely worth $40,000 to $50,000, the pilot noted. His 250-horse, four-place retractable airplane with the equipment described insures for $65,000, but shows a sale value of barely $50,000. “Is there a WAAS solution that fits into the same slot my current IFR GPS occupies?” the pilot asked. As noted, for now, no. Today, you can get very close, but not quite. Within a year to 18 months, you may see that wish fulfilled. But, it’s not a slam dunk. In the meantime, there are stand-alone WAAS GPS options that come close – within 0.7 inches, at least.

The 2.7-Inch Solution

Sound Logic: Two Birds With One Box

The many pilots who voiced their desires said what they really seek is a solution that both satisfies the ADS-B Out position-sensor requirement and a desire to embrace WAAS GPS to enhance IFR capabilities – right down to minimums on a localizer performance with vertical guidance approach. “Otherwise,” one pilot confided, “absent a slide-in option, I may opt for a blind (WAAS GPS) sensor that just works with the ADS-B Out transmitter and leave the rest of the stack alone. Going with an integrated box solution just to get WAAS GPS costs three to four times more than my IFR GPS alone, and the rest of the panel works fine.” Spending $15,000 or more to upgrade to an all-in-one WAAS nav/comm/GPS/MFD is difficult to justify in an air24
avionics news

The attentive already know that this option has been around for a while: the GPS400W, a GPS-only version of Garmin’s groundbreaking GNS430 with the WAAS enhancement. It’s in a 2.7-inch box that is gaining ground with avionics makers. For example, Garmin’s new GTN 650, the touchscreencontrol replacement for the GNS 430, is available in two other versions: a GTN 635 WAAS comm/GPS and, finally, the WAAS GPS-only GTN 625. They’re all 2.7-inches tall and 6.25 inches wide, offering features that outstrip the old boxes, such as terrain warning and detailed weather images with an appropriate input. Meanwhile, Garmin offers the GTN 725 WAAS GPS as kin to the GTN 750 and GTN 735, the 4.6-inch counterparts to the 600-series boxes. And, Avidyne continues to advance its own touchscreencontrol units, the IFD540 all-in-one FMS/nav/comm/ GPS, or the company’s new IFD510 WAAS GPS. For the operator already using a Garmin GNS530, the IFD540 is a plug-and-play replacement; ditto for the IFD510 as a replacement for a GNS500 or GNS500W.

Never Say Never

Insiders at a number of the avionics makers contacted could not and would not say there’s no hope for a 2-inchhigh WAAS GPS solution. “Our priorities are elsewhere, as noted,” Harper said. Sources at other avionics makers declined to comment, but acknowledged there may be some movement in the desired direction – just not in the short term. All cited the attention focused on their existing projects, such as Honeywell’s KSN770 all-in-one solution in partnership with Aspen Avionics, Garmin’s new GTN

•

march

2012



Avionics News March 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News March 2012

Point of Communication
AEA Now
The View from Washington
International News and Regulatory Updates
WAAS GPS
Member Profile
All in the Family
Survey Reveals Hiring Trends For the Aviation Industry
A Conversation With...
Meet the AEA Awards Nominees
Aviation Aces
Member Profile
The ABCs of Jeppesen
Business Basics
Air France Flight 447
Theory & Practice
Legal Ease
What's New
Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News March 2012 - Cover1
Avionics News March 2012 - Cover2
Avionics News March 2012 - 1
Avionics News March 2012 - 2
Avionics News March 2012 - 3
Avionics News March 2012 - Point of Communication
Avionics News March 2012 - 5
Avionics News March 2012 - AEA Now
Avionics News March 2012 - 7
Avionics News March 2012 - 8
Avionics News March 2012 - 9
Avionics News March 2012 - 10
Avionics News March 2012 - 11
Avionics News March 2012 - 12
Avionics News March 2012 - 13
Avionics News March 2012 - 14
Avionics News March 2012 - 15
Avionics News March 2012 - The View from Washington
Avionics News March 2012 - 17
Avionics News March 2012 - International News and Regulatory Updates
Avionics News March 2012 - 19
Avionics News March 2012 - 20
Avionics News March 2012 - 21
Avionics News March 2012 - WAAS GPS
Avionics News March 2012 - 23
Avionics News March 2012 - 24
Avionics News March 2012 - 25
Avionics News March 2012 - Member Profile
Avionics News March 2012 - 27
Avionics News March 2012 - 28
Avionics News March 2012 - 29
Avionics News March 2012 - All in the Family
Avionics News March 2012 - 31
Avionics News March 2012 - 32
Avionics News March 2012 - 33
Avionics News March 2012 - Survey Reveals Hiring Trends For the Aviation Industry
Avionics News March 2012 - 35
Avionics News March 2012 - A Conversation With...
Avionics News March 2012 - 37
Avionics News March 2012 - Meet the AEA Awards Nominees
Avionics News March 2012 - 39
Avionics News March 2012 - 40
Avionics News March 2012 - 41
Avionics News March 2012 - 42
Avionics News March 2012 - 43
Avionics News March 2012 - Aviation Aces
Avionics News March 2012 - 45
Avionics News March 2012 - 46
Avionics News March 2012 - 47
Avionics News March 2012 - Member Profile
Avionics News March 2012 - 49
Avionics News March 2012 - 50
Avionics News March 2012 - 51
Avionics News March 2012 - The ABCs of Jeppesen
Avionics News March 2012 - 53
Avionics News March 2012 - 54
Avionics News March 2012 - 55
Avionics News March 2012 - 56
Avionics News March 2012 - 57
Avionics News March 2012 - Business Basics
Avionics News March 2012 - 59
Avionics News March 2012 - 60
Avionics News March 2012 - 61
Avionics News March 2012 - Air France Flight 447
Avionics News March 2012 - 63
Avionics News March 2012 - 64
Avionics News March 2012 - 65
Avionics News March 2012 - Theory & Practice
Avionics News March 2012 - 67
Avionics News March 2012 - 68
Avionics News March 2012 - 69
Avionics News March 2012 - Legal Ease
Avionics News March 2012 - 71
Avionics News March 2012 - 72
Avionics News March 2012 - 73
Avionics News March 2012 - What's New
Avionics News March 2012 - 75
Avionics News March 2012 - 76
Avionics News March 2012 - 77
Avionics News March 2012 - Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News March 2012 - 79
Avionics News March 2012 - 80
Avionics News March 2012 - Cover3
Avionics News March 2012 - Cover4
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