Garmin has secured approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration to install its G5000 avionics suite in the Beechjet 400A and its successor, the Hawker 400XP. The supplemental type certificate (STC), secured on 29 August, is hoped to give a new lease of life to the out-of-production light business jet duo, which were introduced in 1990 and 2003, respectively.
“The G5000 modernises the cockpit, increases aircraft utility, offers significant weight savings and provides operators with a solution to fulfil global next-generation airspace initiatives,” says Garmin, which has already launched a retrofit programme across its dealer network.
Garmin
Phil Straub, vice-president and managing director of aviation for the Olathe, Kansas-based company, describes the STC as “a monumental accomplishment” for Garmin. “Based on customer interest and the volume of early adopters, the response of this retrofit programme has exceeded our expectations,” he says.
“The G5000 offers an elevated level of situational awareness and advanced flight deck capabilities that surpass other solutions available on the market today, while solving a broad range of worldwide operational requirements,” Straub adds.
AirTeamImages
The G5000 instrument panel consists of three 12” LCD displays that provide the pilot and co-pilot with technologies including synthetic vision, electronic charts, XM weather, wide-area augmentation system/local performance with vertical guidance approaches, automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast compliance, engine indication, and traffic collision avoidance system information. “The G5000 flight deck is estimated to provide a weight saving of 150lb [68kg] or more compared to the current [Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4] system, allowing additional baggage, passenger and fuel load flexibility,” says Garmin.
More than 630 Beechjet 400As and Hawker 400XPs were produced before production of the latter was halted in 2011, following the collapse of the light business jet market. Flight Fleets Analyzer records a global in-service fleet of about 600 aircraft.
The Garmin 5000 flightdeck features in a number of aircraft including the Cessna Citation Latitude, Longitude, Sovereign+, Bombardier Learjet 70/75 and the Bell 525 Relentless.
Source: Flight International
