Garmin just released V5.13 last week, but I’m sure at least V5.1 is legal in EASA land.
Feature list includes some major and many minor tweaks, but they seem mostly of interest to those in the US (where there major market is).
It’s free apart from a little engineering time to do the install and the paperwork.
Article explaining the content
Features include connecting to Garmin iPad apps (e.g. uploading flight plans, downloading weather) and Wire-strike avoidance (which does have a European map).
Minor features include
- sync to crossload two units from one database update
- saving a button push by skipping the need to enter “1” before any frequency
- FastFind to find nearby airport, navaid data more quickly
My view is that this isn’t worth the hassle of taking the upgrade. Perhaps there are some hidden bugfixes/robustness, but I think outside the US these features aren’t enough to warrant changing anything.
Has anyone taken the upgrade who could share their experience?
Perhaps there are some hidden bugfixes
It’s either that, or the entire software industry has undergone a massive ethical transformation 
FastFind to find nearby airport, navaid data more quickly
I wonder how close that is to the IFD540 which is very slick in that respect.
V5.13
now that they implemented 2 of the 3 of my most wished for features (omitting the trailing 0 during frequency entry, station ID display), it might actually be worth it :)
Now if they implemented a battery voltage display in one of the systems pages…
I wonder how close that is to the IFD540 which is very slick in that respect.
What is the use case for find nearby airports apart from engine failure? I never felt the urge to use it, so far…
Still missing user-defined holds. Currently that’s being promised for v6 in 2015. Here’s hoping…
I will be going for this upgrade – IMO worth it for the frequency entry (8.55 makes freq entry a pain) and FastFind (the 650 keyboard isn’t great).
Word from my avionics guys is that it isn’t yet certified on EASA-reg. ETA around 6 weeks.
What is the use case for find nearby airports apart from engine failure? I never felt the urge to use it, so far…
Hard to explain without a demo but the IFD540 allows an ultra rapid airway route entry, using the knob only if you wish. I got the guy on their stand at EDNY (yeah, the same one who incorrectly told me that only Avidyne dealers are allowed to install the box ) to show me e.g. EGKA-LDLO (I did the autoroute there and then) and he did it in some tens of seconds. Basically it presents you with the likely waypoints all the way, so starting at an airport you get a list of all the possible SID terminators, first.
Airway route:
EGKA SFD Y803 DVR L9 KONAN L607 DENOX ADIXO ARCKY L607 SUXIM ABDAP GISNO ABUKA OKIBA ABTAL L173 RIXED ROKIL MUN M867 VAVOR M867 NOKDA Q100 ARNOS P125 URAVA L607 OGODI L607 CRE LDLO
Still missing user-defined holds
Has anybody ever got one in Europe? I’ve had a few holds but all were around some published waypoint. Well, where it was published is another matter 
(usually buried in one of the sid/star charts).
What is the use case for find nearby airports apart from engine failure? I never felt the urge to use it, so far…
I always programme my No 2 box Direct To the nearest airport when flying the Channel. That gives me a nice blue arrow on my PFD and a distance so I would know immediately if I can make it there or not if something happens.
Has anybody ever got one in Europe? I’ve had a few holds but all were around some published waypoint. Well, where it was published is another matter (usually buried in one of the sid/star charts).
Always around a published waypoint but only in the nav database if it is part of an approach. The point of a user defined hold is to get GPS guidance and roll steering.
around a published waypoint but only in the nav database if it is part of an approach.
Can you give an example of such a waypoint?
The hold at DIK on the STAR into ELLX.
I don’t understand.
This is DIK
I have flown this waypoint many times. It is even in my ancient KLN94. Why could it not be used as a holding fix?
