VoiceFlight has received an STC for its VFS101 voice-recognition system for Garmin’s GNS 430W and 530W GPS/navcoms. The VFS101 enables the pilot to verbally enter flight-plan waypoints using the phonetic alphabet, which takes a fraction of the time of twisting the knobs on the 430W and 530W units.
In addition to loading a flight plan, the pilot can enter and expand Victor airways, go direct to a waypoint and amend or clear an already loaded flight plan. A voice activation switch, similar to a push-to-talk button, activates the system.
The VFS101 weighs 0.75 lbs and can be mounted behind the instrument panel or in the avionics stack. The navigation database must be updated in conjunction with the GPS navigation card updates. Free database downloads are available on the VoiceFlight website.
VoiceFlight’s VFS101 was the first speech recognition product to receive an STC in 2009, but at that time the STC didn’t cover WAAS-enabled GNS 430/530 systems. The current STC covers units installed in Cessna 182s. The VFS101 will be launched at this year’s AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, July 25-31.
