Introduction of GWX 75 Aviation Doppler Weather Radar
The GWX™ 75 is a new addition to Garmin’s suite of weather radars. Intended for a wide range of aircraft, the Doppler-based, solid-state GWX 75 incorporates exceptional range and a new, enhanced color palette that features more color contouring than traditional weather radar on the market. Optional features such as turbulence detection and ground clutter suppression are also available with the GWX 75.
The company stated that the GWX 75 provides pilots with a source of on-board weather information to assist in the analysis of convective weather threats, which aids in situational awareness and helps reduce aircraft operational costs. Pilots can tailor a unique weather picture on each individual display in the cockpit, offering superior customization.
Boasting a solid-state design, the GWX 75 offers reduced power consumption and extended life compared to earlier generation, magnetron-based weather radars. The GWX 75 offers a range of 320 nautical miles, horizontal scan angles of up to 120 degrees and to focus on an area of interest, pilot-adjustable sector scanning. The GWX 75 also retains vertical scan capabilities, which allows the pilot to focus on storm tops, gradients and storm cell build-up at various altitudes.
Utilizing the GWX 75, pilots can more confidently navigate around challenging weather with optional features such as Doppler-enabled turbulence detection and ground clutter suppression. Turbulence detection identifies turbulence in air containing certain particulates, such as precipitation, while ground clutter suppression allows the GWX 75 to separate radar ground returns and remove them from the display. Additionally, Garmin’s exclusive WATCH® (Weather Attenuated Color Highlight) helps to identify shadowing effects of short-range cell activity and highlights areas where radar returns are weakened or attenuated by intense precipitation to allow for more precise weather interpretation.
Additionally, Garmin is launching a new Weather Radar Operations eLearning course, which is available immediately via the flyGarmin® website. This course helps pilots get the most out of a Garmin weather radar by discussing a variety of topics and reviewing operational techniques, such as tilt and range management, weather radar display interpretation, as well as automation and task management. An interactive session also allows pilots to manipulate the controls of the weather radar as various features and settings are reviewed within the PC-based course. This course is available for $149 and comes with a two-year subscription. For additional information, visit https://fly.garmin.com/fly-garmin/.
The GWX 75 is designed as a direct replacement for the GWX 70 or as a new installation in a wide variety of aircraft and is compatible with select Garmin integrated flight decks, the GTN™ 650/750 series touchscreen navigators, the TXi series and G500/G600 flight displays. Customers can later upgrade from the GWX 75 to the GWX 80 weather radar with ease. Garmin has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) certification for the GWX 75 weather radars, which are expected to be available in August starting at a suggested retail price of $21,995. For additional information, visit www.garmin.com/GWX75 or contact aviation.sales@garmin.com.
Garmin Pilot App Adds Features to Apple and Android Devices
There are several new additions to the Garmin Pilot™ feature set for Apple and Android mobile devices. Among the updates, wireless real-time display and play-back of engine data is available within Garmin Pilot via Flight Stream 51 when the app is paired with an EIS-capable TXi flight display or the G1000® NXi integrated flight deck.
For Apple devices, a new document viewer provides easy access to the Garmin aviation library, as well as access to popular cloud storage providers, and the addition of weather improvements further enhance the app. New for Android, weight and balance calculations and several more features aid in flight planning. These new capabilities offer greater utility within a single application and more integration within the Garmin ecosystem.
Garmin Pilot for Apple mobile devices
Exclusive to Garmin, customers will be able to utilize Garmin Pilot on Apple mobile devices to view real-time engine information via Flight Stream 510 when the app is paired with an EIS-capable TXi flight display or the G1000 NXi integrated flight deck. Upon landing, the flight data log is wirelessly uploaded to the flyGarmin website and is stored securely within the app and on flyGarmin. Within the flyGarmin website, pilots can access detailed information related to any flight, play back the flight and download data logs. Pilot-configurable exceedances can also be set within the flyGarmin website. In the event an exceedance occurs, pilots can receive an email alert that details that particular exceedance. Utilizing Garmin Pilot alongside an EIS-capable TXi flight display or G1000 NXi, pilots are provided with a comprehensive, in-depth look at engine performance and trend data and can more easily troubleshoot and identify potential issues.
Best-in-class document viewer
The new document viewer within Garmin Pilot helps pilots better organize and access a variety of informational products, including the latest Garmin library of manuals such as pilots guides and cockpit reference guides, aviation handbooks and more. The premium version of Garmin Pilot allows customers to access popular cloud storage sites like DropBox to create and add their own documents such as an aircraft flight manual (AFM) in PDF, JPG and PNG formats. Additionally, pilots can bookmark all electronic documents and highlight them for easy recall within the app.
Additional enhancements expected to be available for Apple mobile devices:
- The flight profile view within the app displays Pilot Reports (PIREPs) alongside airspace, terrain, obstacles, TFRs and weather.
- Pilots can view the Area Forecast Discussion (AFD) within Garmin Pilot, which is a plain-English narrative developed by meteorologists at the National Weather Service.
- Model Output Statistics (MOS) are accessible within the app, which displays a forecast similar in format to the Terminal Aerodrome Forecast (TAF). The MOS is updated hourly and the forecast extends 72 hours into the future.
- Within the U.S. and Europe, pilots can view base reflectivity radar, which utilizes the lowest elevation scan to display precipitation falling from the clouds better than other radar scans.
- Transitioning across multiple Apple mobile devices or adding a new device to an existing account is easier as user preferences such as weight and balance, charts, settings, downloads and more are saved to the flyGarmin website.
- The new D2™ Delta PX aviator watch connects wirelessly to the app to display wrist-based Pulse Oximeter1 and heart rate data in the navigation bar and within the Connext® menu. Garmin Pilot also supports wireless flight plan transfer to the new D2™ Delta aviator watch.
- Pilots can create a custom map shape file on a computer to design a customized map so it’s easier to reference their position relative to a specific geographic area, such as a practice area. This map file is transferred from a computer via email and then uploaded within the app.
Garmin Pilot for Android mobile devices
Garmin Pilot on Android mobile devices incorporates weight and balance calculations into a flight plan or a saved trip, taking into account fuel burn and more. Pilots can take advantage of pre-loaded aircraft types or enter aircraft weight and balance figures manually, noting the arm, moment and station of each point from the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH). Center of gravity (CG) is easily referenced in the application relative to an active flight plan. In the event CG limits entered within the app are not loaded within the envelope, pilots receive a notification. Additionally, customized weight and balance profiles can be shared across multiple Garmin Pilot accounts.
Additional features expected to be available for Android mobile devices:
- Storm cell movement displays the projected path of a storm. An orange circle paired with a line that extends from the strongest storm cells shows its potential path in 15, 30, 45 and 60-minute intervals. If hail or tornadic activity is present, a corresponding icon will also be displayed alongside the particular storm cell line.
- Pilots can also view the Area Forecast Discussion (AFD) that is disseminated in a plain-English narrative within the app.
- The new D2™ Delta PX aviator watch and Garmin Pilot connect to display Pulse Oximeter1 and heart rate data in the navigation bar and within the Connext® menu. Wireless fight plan transfer to the watch is also supported by the app.
- The newest release of Garmin Pilot for Apple and Android mobile devices was expected to be available at the 2018 EAA AirVenture fly-in, in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 23-29. For new customers, Garmin Pilot is available from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store as a free download for the first 30 days. After the 30-day trial period, customers may purchase an annual subscription of Garmin Pilot starting at $74.99. Visit www.garmin.com/aviation for additional information.
1. This is not a medical device and is not intended for use in the diagnosis or monitoring of any medical condition; see Garmin.com/ataccuracy. Pulse Ox is not available in all regions.
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