Garmin's Next Mega-Deck

Garmin is the undisputed leader of general aviation avionics. The GNS 430 and 530 are the standard for aftermarket IFR GPS systems and the G1000 is probably the most widespread avionics system in aviation history. Having flown several different glass cockpits, I have to say that the G1000 is truly a superior product. It offers capabilities for GA aircraft that put to shame all of the military glass glass cockpits I've flown.

I've been wondering for some time what Garmin would do next. They've released several new products aimed at being smaller and cheaper than the G1000, but have been leaving the G1000 largely alone. Finally though, Garmin has released the G3000.

This flight deck truly goes to the next level. It's larger than the G1000 - enough so that you can put engine instruments, an approach plate and your enroute moving map display all on the MFD at the same time. It eliminates many of the bezzel-mounted controls in favor of a pair of small tough-screen interfaces mounted in easy reach of the pilot's hand. These screens are supposed to feature well thought-out "shallow" menus that minimize the number of touches required to get to any function. Some sources purport them to function a lot like the iPhone and say they are smart enough to ignore accidential screen touches that might happen in turbulence.

It's a gorgeous system and I have full confidence that Garmin did a great job implementing it. I expect that the market will adopt it almost as a foregone conclusion.

Sadly, you can't expect to order a G3000 in your new C-182...or even C-400 or Cirrus SR-22. This system is intended only for light turbine aircraft. According to the AOPA's article, Garmin already has agreements to offer the G3000 on two upcoming jet aircraft. I'm interested to hear who it is.

I was very surprised that Garmin didn't try to market the G3000 to the piston single market right away. Then I realized that they skipped the G2000 designation with this system. If I've noticed anything about Garmin lately, it's that they take advantage of opportunities to fill gaps and use all possible designations for their systems. I would not be at all surprised if we see a G2000 system being released for the piston aircraft market soon. In the meantime, we'll all just have to dream about getting touch screens and better menu structures on the G1000 systems we fly.