ACE moves into the NextGen with new Garmin G700 TXi Avionics

As some of you are aware, there is a huge transformation in the modernization of America’s air transportation system. This transformation, led by the FAA, is called NextGen. Its goal is to make flying even safer, more efficient and more predictable. NextGen includes several new technologies for aviation. One such advancement is in avionics technology. The glass cockpit, new digital technology replaces, legacy, analog round dial instrumentation that has often been referred to as “steam gauges”.

 

NextGen has also brought about the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) technology that helps make the GPS technology extremely accurate, with more integrity and better availability. WAAS provides service for all phases of flight – including en-route navigation, airport departures and airport arrivals. WAAS technology provides better aeronautical information that makes pilots jobs safer and more efficient.

 

With the help of Garmin, ACE in the process of modernizing its fleet. As an example, the FAA recently issued ACE a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) to install the Garmin G700 TXi Primary Flight Displays (PFD’s) in our B1900C aircraft. With the Garmin GTN 750 Touchscreen GPS/NAV/COMM/MFD WAAS capable radios and the G700 PFD’s our pilots can now take advantage of the advanced capabilities of the latest avionics’ technology.

 

 

The combination offers many enhanced features. With Garmin’s 10.6” screens our pilots can now navigate with ease. The G700 TXi has a map overlay on the HSI portion of the PFD, showing an overhead view of terrain, traffic, weather and more. 3D synthetic vision views are also provided on the Primary Flight Displays, displaying a frontal view of terrain, traffic and weather providing our crews enhanced situational awareness, which was never possible before.

 

 

Another new NextGen feature is the Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast system, also known as ADS-B. ADS-B is a new technology supporting the FAA’s Air Traffic Control System (ATC), which will shift aircraft separation and air traffic control from ground-based radar to satellite-derived positions. This allows ATC to handle a growing volume of air traffic with greater efficiency and reliability.

 

With ADS-B, the GTN 750’s can now display aircraft and weather where our pilots can now navigate safely to avoid any potential hazards.

 

ADS-B on the GTN 750

 

 

To top it off, ACE worked hand-in-hand with the Genesys-Aerosystems company in Mineral Wells, TX to obtain the NextGen STEC 3100 Digital Autopilot STC for our B1900C aircraft to be coupled with the Garmin systems.

 

 

The S-TEC 3100 Digital Flight Control is a fully featured , attitude-based autopilot that gives our pilots a list of workload-reducing and safety-enhancing capabilities that were previously unavailable on aftermarket autopilots.

 

We welcome the NextGen technology. We want to be able to provide our flight crews the latest and greatest when it comes to technology. This will provide better safety and more efficiencies in our daily operations year round. Our plan is to schedule the installation of the G700’s, the GTN 750’s and the S-TEC 3100 with the rest of our fleet starting this fall.