Garmin debuts G500H TXi touchscreen helicopter flight displays with safety features

OLATHE, Kan. Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ:GRMN), in Olathe, Kansas, is introducing its G500H TXi touchscreen flight displays designed specifically for FAR Part 27 VFR helicopters and equipped with Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System (HTAWS) support, WireAware wire-strike avoidance technology, and Garmin HSVT 3D synthetic vision.

For helicopter-specific mission readiness, the G500H TXi also features multiple video input options, night vision goggle (NVG) compatibility and a graphical map overlay within the horizontal situation indicator (HSI) for most display formats. The company’s G500H TXi LCDs includes a 10.6-inch display and two 7-inch displays, available in portrait or landscape orientation, with traditional concentric knobs for added versatility and convenience.

For helicopters already equipped with the original G500H series flight displays, full G500H TXi compatibility with existing system sensors makes for an easy upgrade path.

The Garmin G500H TXi helicopter flight displays build on the proven capabilities of the original G500H series, and offer a vastly expanded array of features, options, and panel possibilities that bring a new level of reliability, adaptability and affordability to helicopter operations. (Photo: Business Wire)

“The TXi series redefined the flight display, and we’re excited to bring the latest in electronic glass cockpit instrumentation to the helicopter market,” says Carl Wolf, Garmin vice president of aviation sales and marketing. “The intuitive design, additional processing power and proven ADAHRS attitude/heading reference all build on the proven capabilities of our original G500H series. Coupled with the greater situational awareness tools and innovative feature set of the TXi family, the G500H TXi sets the bar for the most configurable, state-of-the-art glass flight display solution for the helicopter market.”

The system’s user interface and graphical display capabilities enable pilots to access and process more high-value flight information at a glance, officials say. The G500H TXi incorporates a clean-sheet touchscreen design with modern processors that support improved map and chart rendering, faster panning, and contemporary single-finger zoom and pinch-to-zoom gestures. Through any combination of the touchscreen or dual concentric knobs, pilots can quickly access and view flight information at a glance. Modernized displays and large fonts offer improved readability, while the intuitive user-interface helps reduce overall pilot workload. To support night operations, the G500H TXi is provisioned for NVG compatibility.

Offering an array of flexible configuration display options, the G500H TXi is available as a 10.6-inch horizontal format display that can accommodate PFD information and an MFD side-by-side within the same unit. Similarly, the 7-inch portrait format displays can be individually dedicated to PFD with the HSI map or MFD functions. Another option, where panel space is limited, allows the 7-inch landscape format display to serve as a dedicated PFD with instrument tapes, a half-arc HSI and optional Garmin HSVT 3-D synthetic vision. The system can be mixed and matched with up to two of the high-resolution touchscreen displays, and most control functions can be accessed by the traditional concentric knobs or touchscreen inputs.

For hazard avoidance, the G500H TXi supports high-resolution, five-color HTAWS when it’s paired with an HTAWS-equipped GTN or GNS series navigator. Using WAAS GPS position information compared with the system’s internal databases, the HTAWS offers forward-looking avoidance capability to predict in advance where potential hazards may exist to help pilots maintain safe separation from nearby terrain, towers, or obstacles. In addition to the databases found in its fixed-wing counterpart, every G500H TXi system uses a helicopter-specific obstacles database featuring over 200,000 additional low-altitude obstacles. For added protection, an expanded version features over 700,000 miles of power lines, and the Garmin WireAware wire-strike avoidance technology uses this database to overlay powerline locations and relative altitude information on the moving map and provides both aural and visual alerting when operating near powerlines.

To provide even more situational awareness, the G500H TXi includes HSI mapping capabilities that put an MFD-like perspective map view within the HSI portion of the PFD. The HSI map view can also support the overlay of NEXRAD imagery and weather inputs from ADS-B and SiriusXM datalinks.

Designed to interface with a wide range of avionics equipment, including the new GFC 600H helicopter flight control system and the GTN series navigators, the G500H TXi provides full touchscreen continuity between the navigation, communication and flight display functions in a panel. The G500H TXi flight display system is targeted for approval on several popular helicopter models in Q4 2018 with a starting MRSP of $23,495 for the 7-inch display and $27,495 for the 10.6-inch display.

Garmin’s aviation business segment portfolio includes navigation, communication, flight control, hazard avoidance, a suite of ADS-B solutions, and other products and services.

Garmin serves five primary business units, including automotive, aviation, fitness, marine, and outdoor recreation.

Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN). Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.