Garmin this week unveiled its latest app, Garmin Pilot, which is available immediately in the Apple App Store. The app brings dozens of enhancements, an all new flight planning interface, a remarkably handy little bulls-eye waypoint inspector and a menu system based on the one on its touchscreen GTN navigators and G5000 panel-mount systems. Our first trials with the app were promising. We found the navigation far easier than that of Garmin’s previous app, and the integration of the various functions was far more satisfying.
The new symbology and layouts were eye-catching, and familiar to pilots with experience flying Garmin’s panel-mounted products. “The new design,” said Garmin’s Ben Kowalski, “follows through on our commitment to give our customers a consistent experience across Garmin’s aviation lineup.”
Garmin Pilot replaces the company’s already popular Pilot MyCast, a product that evolved over the past decade from being a phone-based weather-only app to a full-fledged flight companion. The rebranding, said Garmin’s Jim Alpiser, is in recognition of “how far the product has come and how capable it is today.”
The rebranded Garmin app product enters a market that is by far the most vibrant in light GA. With ForeFlight introducing new features and launching new partnerships, Aspen creating panel-mount hardware to take advantage of the capability of iPad apps, and Jeppesen working its way into airline and business cockpits around the world, Garmin has its work cut out for it. With the launch of Garmin Pilot, it’s clear that the company is in the market to make a big impact.
See our full review of Garmin Pilot in a coming issue of Flying.
