None of the pilots I’ve talked to were surprised by Garmin’s decision to discontinue production of its ubiquitous GNS 530W and GNS 430W all-in-one GPS/navcoms (production of the 530 ends this month and the 430 sometime next year). Really, who could be? These hugely successful units have been in production for well over a decade. Could you imagine Apple selling the same iPhone for more than 10 years? Or even two years?
That’s not to say people won’t miss the GNS 430 and 530, more than 100,000 of which have been produced going back to their introductions in 1998. But I haven’t sensed pilots are getting teary eyed over the passing of these products, either. I chalk this up to the excitement surrounding Garmin’s touchscreen GTN navigators that are replacing the GNS line. These new units can do everything your old 430 could and a whole lot more.
