Aviation General

Garmin G1000 Integrated Flight Deck Retrofit – Now Available for the TBM 700

3 August, 2011

Garmin (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation the global leader in satellite navigation, announced the delivery of the first DAHER-SOCATA TBM 700 upgraded with the G1000 integrated flight deck. The first delivery went to the French Ministry of Defense and is part of a contract to upgrade 27 TBM 700 aircraft in service with the French military.

G1000_1 “We are proud to expand our line-up of G1000 retrofit platforms to include the TBM 700 and honored by the French MoD’s decision to upgrade their fleet of TBM 700s,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing. “G1000 retrofit programs have been well received because they bring leading edge capabilities to older cockpits. We know the TBM 700 operators that choose to upgrade to G1000 will appreciate the advantages of flying behind a fully integrated system with world class situational awareness tools and capabilities.”

 
“We are thrilled to work with the French Ministry of Defense on the modernization of their TBM 700 fleet, which is made up of A and B models,” said Nicolas Chabbert, senior vice president of the DAHER-SOCATA airplane division. “This upgrade gives them the most up-to-date technology and features while still allowing them to benefit from the range, speed and economical operating costs of the TBM 700.”

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has approved a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the installation, and the STC has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) validation.

The G1000 installation on the TBM 700 has a large 15-inch multi-function display (MFD) and two 10.4-inch primary flight displays (PFD). It also includes Garmin’s GFC 700 three-axis, fully digital, dual channel, automatic flight control system (AFCS). The GFC 700 includes features you would expect in this class of aircraft such as coupled SBAS (EGNOS/WAAS) LNAV/VNAV and LPV approaches.

Also available to TBM 700 operators is Garmin’s synthetic vision technology (SVT™) that presents a 3D depiction of terrain, obstacles, traffic and the runway environment on the G1000’s PFD so that the image replicates what pilots would see outside the cockpit on a clear day. SVT also includes pathways (or Highway-In-The-Sky) that are depicted as 3D “flying rectangles” and help pilots stay on course when flying en route legs, VNAV legs, GPS/WAAS vertical approach procedures, ILS approach procedures, and arrival and departure procedures.

The G1000 avionics suite has features such as an FMS with SBAS approach capabilities, Class-B terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS), dual integrated solid-state attitude and heading reference systems (AHRS), and dual integrated digital air data computers. Other optional features include Garmin ChartView powered by Jeppesen, XM WX Satellite Weather™ with a GDL 69 series datalink receiver and global connectivity with worldwide weather and voice communication using Garmin’s GSR 56 Iridium transceiver.

The TBM 700 marks the fifth aircraft model that is approved for the G1000 field upgrade. Others include the Cessna CitationJet and the Beechcraft King Air C90, 200 and B200. The King Air 300/350 models are also expected to receive certification later this year. TBM 700 installations are performed through DAHER-SOCATA and their authorized facilities, and owners interested in this cockpit upgrade should contact DAHER-SOCATA.