With the Helicopter Association International’s annual conference underway this week in Orlando, Florida, Garmin took the opportunity to announce the addition of helicopter charts to its Garmin Pilot aviation app for iOS platforms.
The app now includes helicopter route charts for the Gulf of Mexico and in eight U.S. metropolitan areas: Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles and New York. The charts depict helicopter airways and routes; heliports, including frequencies and lighting capabilities; navaid information and obstructions using symbols in three colors. In urban areas where there is a lot of helicopter activity, the charts include roads, geographical features and pictures showing easily identifiable structures.
Another new feature allows air ambulance operators to fulfill Part 135 Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) requirements. The app clearly identifies the highest obstacles with bright red symbols, including their MSL and AGL altitudes, along a planned route of flight that has been entered into the app.
The new features are available as a free update for those who already use the Garmin Pilot app. Annual subscription cost for the app starts at $74.99. The helicopter features will also soon be added to the databases of the Area 795 and 796 tablets.
Get exclusive online content like this delivered straight to your inbox by signing up for our free enewsletter.
