I just heard back from Garmin Europe and the official line is exactly as Wigglyamp said – end of Q1 for the AML STC. But Garmin did say that this date was dependent on EASA with the reasonable hint that they were not totally in control of the approval timelines.
Good news – Garmin have just announced that they’ve received the EASA STC for Part 23 aircraft and deliveries are now starting in Europe.
This is going to be interesting kit. The G500 was a big box which involved a lot of panel hacking and was quite pricey by the time it was all done.
The G500Txi is even bigger than the original G500 but now offers integrated primary engine instruments so that should help with panel space.
It took me quite a while to find the dimensions
Comparing to scale the portrait product (GDU700P) with the Aspen, the former is obviously not going to take the same “easy retrofit” market (Aspen on the right)
There may be few Txi installations in Europe, but it seems to be getting a good reception in the US.
I’ve read that the G500 TXi, like the G500 before it, supports the old King autopilots, by elimination of the KI256 vacuum AI and any KAS297 altitude control panel you may have. I don’t know whether the Txi does the KI256 emulation via the GAD43 route or whether (like the G600) it contains that functionality internally.
You still need a vacuum AI elsewhere however, unless you have either a dual alternator aircraft or have a battery backed up AI with the required endurance. I can’t remember whether the G5 can do this function; it has all kinds of weird restrictions in this area.
Peter the back up options are the G5 with a back up battery ( but this is not TSO’d ) or the mid continent SAM that has a TSO and a heading option.
If you put two TXI screens in the aircraft you can nominate one of these as the second attitude reference and have a Garmin back up battery system fitted.
Peter,
I had the G500TXi 7 inch display installed in my Bonanza using the G5 with the battery as a backup. I installed a GAD 29B between the G500TXi and the G5. I have an Stec 60-2 autopilot. With the latest software version, the G5 is synced to the settings on the G500 TXi, so set Baro on TXi and it is updated on G5. Same for altitude bug. If I installed the G500TXi backup battery, it is my understanding that another AI for backup was not required, but I preferred the G5 with its battery.
Peter wrote:
You still need a vacuum AI elsewhere however, unless you have either a dual alternator aircraft or have a battery backed up AI with the required endurance. I can’t remember whether the G5 can do this function; it has all kinds of weird restrictions in this area.
Garmin’s G500 TXi web page says that not only can the G5 serve as backup, you have to have the G5 as backup if you connect an autopilot.
Airborne_Again wrote:
you have to have the G5 as backup if you connect an autopilot.
The GFC 500 autopilot computer sits inside the G5.
The Mode selector panel is just that. No computer.
Servos are run from the G5 via bus cable. Neat system
