GAD 43 Autopilot Interface Thinks Like an Autopilot, Without Iron Gyros or High Maintenance Costs

July 27, 2009/ BUSINESS WIRE — Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the GAD 43, a new adapter unit that offers enhanced autopilot interface capabilities for the G500 and G600 flight display systems, allowing attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) to provide attitude information to selected autopilots in place of a costly-to-maintain attitude direction indicator (ADI) or remote vertical gyro (VG). The GAD 43 was announced at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 27-August 2, 2009.


Providing analog attitude information for use with third-party autopilot systems, the GAD 43 adapter interfaces with the Garmin G500 and G600 for configuration and alerting, and with the GRS 77 remote AHRS unit for attitude, heading, and yaw input information. For attitude-based autopilots, the GAD 43 can emulate the system’s gyro interfaces with far more reliable AHRS data. This typically lets aircraft owners remove the existing ADI or attitude gyro, such as the familiar KI-256, and replace it on the panel with a smaller and more affordable attitude indicator as the backup instrumentation. The GAD 43 also includes analog RADAR stabilization signals, bootstrap heading output, and a baro altitude correction interface.

Garmin has already received FAA approval for use of the GAD 43 to replace the Honeywell/King KI-256 and Collins 332D-11. Additional STC amendments are underway so that the GAD 43 will be able to replace several other popular ADIs and VGs. The GAD 43 is specifically designed for use with the G500 and G600, and it is standard equipment with the newly announced version of the G600. Early G600 adopters, who installed a G600 in their plane prior to the GAD 43 being announced, will have the exclusive option of purchasing the GAD 43 for $1,495 between now and December 31, 2009. The GAD 43 is an option for the G500 and it is available at an initial list price of $2,995. For additional information visit www.garmin.com.