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Garmin® G3X™: An Affordable, Customizable Glass Cockpit for Experimental and Light Sport Aircraft

Dépèche transmise le 27 juillet 2009 par Business Wire

Garmin® G3X™: An Affordable, Customizable Glass Cockpit for Experimental and Light Sport Aircraft

OSHKOSH, Wis.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation, today announced the features of the G3X, a non-TSO’d glass cockpit for retrofit installation in experimental/kitbuilt and light sport aircraft (LSA). The G3X is a customizable PFD/MFD combination that features one, two or three all-glass displays; magnetometer; ADAHRS (combined air data and AHRS unit); engine monitoring; and temperature probe. Thanks to its building block design, customers can create a high-performance panel that is tailored to their aircraft. The G3X features were announced at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., July 27-August 2, 2009, and the system is expected to be available by the end of the year.

“Customers in this market segment are unique because their aircraft are often custom-made,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing. “Customers can adapt the G3X system so it suits whatever is needed for their plane, and since it’s a Garmin, it has the ease-of-use, quality and reliability pilots know and expect. The G3X brings tried, tested and proven G1000-like features to the LSA and experimental aircraft markets for a fraction of the cost.”

The heart of the G3X is what’s behind the scenes: GSU 73 ADAHRS and engine interface, GMU 44 magnetometer and GTP 59 air temperature probe. These components are based on Garmin’s industry-leading G1000, so G3X customers will have the advantage of flying a robust system that is unlike any other on the market. As the GSU 73, GMU 44, and GTP 59 work together, they provide the data that will drive the primary flight display (PFD) and multi-function display (MFD). The GSU 73 ADAHRS design, sophisticated algorithms, and robust integrity monitoring are derived from the G1000 AHRS, which includes the ability to align itself in flight.

The face of the G3X is the GDU 370/375, a large, seven-inch portrait screen display that resembles Garmin’s GPSMAP 695/696 portable. Since the G3X is customizable, customers can choose to install one, two or three GDU 370/375 displays. In a single-display G3X system, the GDU 370/375 offers a split-screen mode with PFD information on the display’s top half and MFD information on the display’s bottom half. Pilots who choose to install more than one GDU 370/375 display will have full reversionary capability, similar to the G1000, allowing all flight-critical data to transfer seamlessly to a single display for added safety during flight.

The GDU 370/375 has a high-resolution, sunlight readable screen that uses Garmin’s latest technology to ensure that pilots will be able to read the vibrant display day or night. The bezel that frames the bright screen has multiple keys on the bottom and right sides. The soft keys at the bottom of the display control the most commonly used features of the current page, such as turning the weather products on/off. The dedicated keys on the display’s right side have specific functions such as nearest, direct to, flight plan, zoom in/out and menu. Also on the display’s right side is a rotary knob/joystick that looks similar to the G1000’s joystick, and it lets pilots enter airport identifiers, pan the map, or scroll to page and sub-page groups.

The back of the GDU 370/375 has connection ports for external GPS and XM antennas (GDU 375 only), and a 50 pin connector for power/ground and interfaces. These rear connectors make it possible for customers to install the display easily and elegantly, without unsightly wires protruding from the panel. Customers may choose between interior and exterior antenna options. The GDU 370/375 also has a built-in VFR GPS receiver.

The GDU 370/375 has many of the same capabilities found on Garmin’s other high-end aviation products such as obstacles and terrain data, IFR map mode, FliteCharts^®, SafeTaxi^®, and AOPA Airport Directory data. The GDU 375 includes XM WX Satellite Weather that gives NEXRAD, METARs, TAFs, TFRs, winds aloft, echo tops, precipitation type at the surface, lightning strikes, storm-cell data, AIRMETs, and SIGMETs, PIREPs, icing forecast information and several other important weather products. The weather data may be laid directly over the unit’s moving map. XM WX subscription data is available from XM WX Satellite Weather. The GDU 375 also provides a user interface for the more than 170 channels of XM audio. Weather and music requires an XM subscription. The GDU 370 does not include XM WX Satellite Weather and is not upgradeable to include weather support.

The full G3X system is expected to be available in the fourth quarter of 2009 starting at a street price of $9,995. The GDU 370 and GDU 375 MFDs are currently available from Garmin dealers for $3,295 and $3,995, respectively. For additional information, visit www.garmin.com.

About Garmin International Inc.

Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (Nasdaq: GRMN), the global leader in satellite navigation. Since 1989, this group of companies has designed, manufactured, marketed and sold navigation, communication and information devices and applications – most of which are enabled by GPS technology. Garmin’s products serve automotive, mobile, wireless, outdoor recreation, marine, aviation, and OEM applications. Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in the Cayman Islands, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit Garmin's virtual pressroom at www.garmin.com/pressroom or contact the Media Relations department at 913-397-8200. Garmin, GPSMAP, SafeTaxi and FliteCharts are registered trademarks, and G3X is a trademark of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.

All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.

Notice on forward-looking statements:

This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. All statements regarding the company’s future product introductions are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on management's current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 27, 2008, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983). A copy of Garmin’s Form 10-K can be downloaded at www.garmin.com/aboutGarmin/invRelations/finReports.html. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.