Garmin enhances Connext with wireless cockpit connectivity to mobile devices

OLATHE, USA:Garmin International Inc., a unit of Garmin Ltd., the global leader in satellite navigation, announced today an expanded Connext portfolio of products and features, to include wireless connectivity between select Garmin avionics and Garmin Pilot on an iPad/iPhone and certain Android mobile devices. When paired with compatible Garmin avionics, the Flight Stream 110 can share weather, traffic, GPS information, SiriusXM Aviation weather and SiriusXM satellite radio on mobile devices operating Garmin Pilot. The Flight Stream 210 adds two-way flight plan transfer and provides attitude information for display within Garmin Pilot.

"The same smart device you use in your everyday life is now the wireless gateway into your avionics," said Carl Wolf, Garmin's vice president of aviation marketing and sales. "Not only does a wealth of flight-critical information wirelessly arrive on your smart device to help you make better decisions faster, but you can also perform simple and rapid data entry - like flight planning and loading airways - on your smart device and beam it right into your installed avionics. Flight Stream is our latest example of the Garmin Team relentlessly pursuing technologies that make flying safer, more efficient and more enjoyable."

Flight Stream Connectivity

Flight Stream 110/210 is a small, Bluetooth wireless gateway, which is easily installed with Garmin avionics, enabling communication between avionics and up to four compatible mobile devices running Garmin Pilot. The Flight Stream 110 is designed to be paired with a GDL 88 and/or GDL 69/69A to provide the benefits of these products without the need for a compatible avionics display. The Flight Stream 210 adds connectivity with the GTN^TM and GNS WAAS series navigators, as well as back-up attitude information for display within Garmin Pilot. The Flight Stream 210 contains an internal attitude sensor, however if a G500/G600 flight display is installed in the aircraft, its high-integrity attitude source can take priority for display within Garmin Pilot, with a future software update.

Two-Way Flight Plan Transfer

Flight planning is transformed with the Flight Stream 210, enabling wireless flight plan transfer capabilities between Garmin Pilot and corresponding GTN 750/650 and GNS 430W/530W navigators. G3X^TM Touch has the Connext Bluetooth wireless gateway built-in, providing flight plan transfer capabilities. The flight plan transfer occurs with a couple of taps when the avionics are powered on. With Connext, pilots have the added convenience of completing flight plans prior to arriving at the airport, allowing more time to focus on pre-flight activities.

Last-minute flight plan amendments prior to departure are simple. Pilots can take advantage of ATC Proposed Routes within Garmin Pilot. Proposed Routes are enabled by aircraft tail number so that modifications made by air traffic control to a filed flight plan are received by Garmin Pilot. Once they are received, Garmin Pilot gives pilots the option to easily transfer the modified flight plan to a GTN or GNS WAAS navigator. Conversely, active flight plans that are manually amended while in-flight may automatically be sent from the avionics to Garmin Pilot so flight plans are identical and amendments only need to be made on one device. To help prevent unintended flight plan transfers from becoming active by others in the aircraft, pilots are required to acknowledge and accept all incoming requests before they become active in the navigator.