Garmin earned FAA approval for its G1000 retrofit program for the Beechcraft King Air 200 and B200 models. The STC will apply "to most King Air" aircraft, said Garmin, because the STC "takes into account" a number of popular mods, including the Blackhawk engine upgrade program.
In addition to bringing dual solid-state attitude heading reference system (AHRS) and dual digital air data to the table, the G1000 features its well-known navigation and communications capabilities, as well as engine instrumentation, Synthetic Vision, WAAS, TAWS and RVSM support. There are also electronic flight charts, airport taxi diagrams, satellite weather and audio and more. The system will cut an estimated 100 pounds of weight from the airplanes, as well.
Perhaps most notably, the G1000 system will include the Garmin GFC 700 autopilot as a standard part of the installation package.
Garmin has appointed a small number of dealers to do the G1000 King Air 200 and B200 installations. For more details on the program, visit garmin.com/buzz/g1000.
