Page 14 - Feb 20 TNT

PHOTOS COURTESY OF GARMIN
Garmin Debuts the GI 275
An electronic replacement for legacy primary flight instruments.
by Rich Pickett
Garmin announced the release of a totally new instrument – the GI 275. The Garmin
GI 275 is unique, having the capability to replace a number of legacy instruments depending upon configuration and installation.
The GI 275 can serve as the pri- mary instrument for various func- tions, including attitude indicator (AI), attitude directional indicator (ADI), course deviation indicator (CDI), horizontal situation indicator (HSI) and engine indication system (EIS). With both touch-screen and knob controls, it is easy to manage. In some configurations, it can provide multiple functions in a single unit.
Since Garmin had legacy instru- ment panels in mind when they designed the GI 275, the 3.125-inch instrument is rear-mounted to reduce installation time and minimize panel customization. While the GI 275 of- fers an easy upgrade path for pilots with legacy instrument panels, the extensive capabilities will also be at- tractive to a number of other pilots who already have the latest avionics.
Attitude Indicator
The GI 275 can serve as the pri- mary attitude indicator (AI), replacing legacy instruments like the KI-256, one of the most popular gyro-based units. In its basic AI format, the ADAHRS-driven GI 275 provides the same functions as traditional instru- ments. To obtain full capabilities, you can integrate air data information and display altitude, airspeed and heading. With the addition of the op- tions Garmin SVT (their synthetic vision offering), f light path markers are available. If you want to integrate this same instrument with your au- topilot, the optional built-in interface can provide attitude information to various autopilots and provide f light director command cues. In the full- featured AI configuration, the GI 275
provides virtually all of the capabili- ties of much larger systems but in a smaller package.
When configured as a 4-in-1 flight instrument, the GI 275 can be used as a dedicated standby for Garmin flight displays and a backup to a variety of third-party systems. The built-in VFR GPS provides guidance on the moving map. When installed as a primary or standby instrument, a 60-minute backup battery is included with the unit.
For those aircraft operators that want even more redundancy, two ADAHRS-equipped GI 275 units can be installed for reversionary ca- pabilities.
With so much information in such a small package, it seems it would not be very easy to view. But I had the op- portunity to use the GI 275 at NBAA this past fall, and even with all of the data displayed on the instrument, the clarity was amazing.
Navigation Guidance
In another variant, the GI 275 can serve as either a CDI or HSI. In its simplest form, it is an electronic CDI (with vertical guidance) with a bright display. The GI 275 can accommo- date two GPS sources as well as two VHF navigation inputs. If you add the optional Garmin magnetometer, it becomes a powerful HSI. One of the challenges for aircraft owners with older navigators is the ability to inter- face with the newer displays without upgrading their systems. The GI 275 features an Omni Bearing Selector (OBS) Resolver that can work with these systems without an additional interface unit. Fewer components result in higher reliability!
With all the options and appropri- ate inputs, the GI 275 becomes an enhanced HSI, displaying a high- resolution moving map with terrain,
12 • TWIN & TURBINE / February 2020