Gearing Up For Your 2016 Aviation Adventures

For pilots, a new year means new aviation adventures. The opportunities are endless. Maybe this is finally the year to take that family trip to the Bahamas, or tackle that bucket list Alaskan fishing trip with friends, or head to the backcountry for some good old-fashioned bush flying. Perhaps in 2016 you’d like nothing more than to maintain the highest level of safety and efficiency for those everyday point A to point B trips. Keeping your aircraft up-to-date, with modern avionics, and maintaining knowledge/skill in applying these products can help to ensure a successful year in the cockpit.

For aircraft that have an outdated panel, upgrading to modern Garmin equipment can offer improved reliability along with cutting edge features designed to increase cockpit awareness. A freshly updated instrument panel not only makes an airplane look better, but can also greatly improve the safety and efficiency of the pilot that sits behind it. Our broad range of products are designed to take industry leading technology and adapt it to the cockpit environment. From our radios and transponders, all the way through our GTN 650/750 GPS/NAV/COMM, Multi Function Displays and Integrated Flight Decks, we keep you, the pilots, in mind.

The looming ADS-B deadline is still at the forefront of general aviation – sorry, it’s the same old broken record you probably don’t want to hear – but there’s no better time than the present to remove that proverbial monkey on many aircraft owner’s backs. Nearly four years remain until January 1, 2020, most can agree it’s probably better to ensure compliance sooner rather than later. Taking a chance on waiting until the last moment to install the required equipment, at the risk of an aircraft receiving a grounding sentence is a precarious proposition to say the least. In this case the benefits from investing in ADS-B equipment now, an investment that can enable the display of traffic and subscription free weather, seems to outweigh the risks of not having it when you need it. Our GDL 84 & GDL 88 dual-link universal access transceivers are two options currently available, which communicate automatically with most transponders, without an upgrade. Check out our full line of ADS-B products at www.garmin.com/ads-b.

For those aircraft out there already equipped with Garmin avionics, the focus turns to ensuring the pilot’s comfort and confidence in using the equipment in the cockpit environment. We offer a wide range of training opportunities, from tablet training apps, to e-courses and hands on classroom education tailored to all skill levels. In addition to keeping up your operational skills, it’s also equally important to keep the equipment’s software and databases current. Jeppesen navigation databases and FiteCharts updates are made available every 28 days and are posted on the flyGarmin website seven days before their effective date. Obstacles, Safe Taxi and Airport Directory updates are available every 56 days. For those of us that love using our Garmin Pilot equipped tablets in the cockpit, be sure to have the latest charts stored in the device.

So whether you’re planning a trip across the country or to your local $100 hamburger joint, get the most out of your airplane and your panel while maintaining the highest degree of safety and awareness in the cockpit.