Avionics

Garmin has received FAA approval for its software update and service bulletin to correct a previously reported possible runaway trim issue with its popular GFC 500 autopilot. In December, the FAA alerted GFC 500 operators who have the optional GSA 28 pitch trim installed of the possible problem, which could lead to loss of control. […]

Pilots in border regions are wondering why the FAA has deleted much of the aeronautical information from non-U.S. airspace from its latest sectional charts. The late December release of the sectionals omit detailed airspace information in Canadian airspace, and the changes reportedly apply to Caribbean and Mexican regions along the border and off the coast […]

Ligado, the cellular service provider whose proposed 5G network may interfere with GPS transmissions, is allegedly on the ropes financially. Ligado has until the end of this week to respond to a lawsuit filed in the New York Supreme Court by Inmarsat, the British satellite communications company that owns the radio spectrum that Ligado intends […]

Remember when you were a student pilot prepping for the cross-country flights with a sectional chart, using your plotter to calculate the true course to the destination? Then using magnetic variation (east is least, west is best) to get magnetic course. GPS navigation and all our apps have changed that, but the basics remain. You […]

The FAA has posted a notice alerting operators that Garmin has issued Service Alert 22109 Revision A regarding its very popular GFC 500 digital autopilots. The notice only affects those autopilots with the optional GSA 28 pitch trim system installed, associated with Garmin’s Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SA01866W. That configuration, approved for certified, experimental and […]

An autopilot can be the most complex, costly and frustrating retrofit you can make to an aging aircraft. You might tame the dragon with careful pre-installation planning, which includes buying the right system and selecting a competent shop to put it in. Unfortunately that doesn’t always happen and it’s a setup for serious aggravation. We’ve […]

Garmin announced today (Dec. 13) that the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has granted approval for its G5000 flight deck in the Citation Excel/Citation XLS. Carl Wolf, Garmin vice president of aviation sales and marketing, said, “Since the program certification three years ago, well over 100 Excel and XLS aircraft have committed to upgrading […]

Avionics sales have increased for the ninth consecutive quarter, according to the Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) third-quarter (Q3) 2022 Avionics Market Report. AEA found that Q3 sales rose 4.6 percent from the second quarter of 2022 and 23.2 percent compared to the same time period last year. For the first nine months of the year, […]

The European Union says it will allow airline passengers to use their 5G cellphones in flight, but it hasn’t set a timeline for the rollout. The EU has assigned frequencies it says won’t interfere with communications and avionics for cellphones meaning passengers will be free to use their phones as usual on most flights. “5G […]

Jeppesen says it has addressed some issues caused by a “cyber incident” that occurred Nov. 2. The company updated its website on Sunday to report that its NOTAM service is up and running and can be trusted. It’s still working on other services. The disruption also affected ForeFlight’s NOTAM service but that was fixed Sunday. […]