Beechcraft & Cessna Will Show Off Upgraded Garmin Avionics At 2019 Sun N’ Fun Expo
Textron Aviation, owner of the Cessna, Beechcraft, and Hawker aircraft brands, will debut its Beechcraft Baron G58, Beechcraft Bonanza G36, Cessna Turbo Stationair HD, and Cessna Skylane piston models with the recently updated Garmin G1000 NXi avionics next-gen integrated flight deck at the upcoming Sun N’ Fun International Fly-In Expo in Lakeland, Florida, in early April. Textron will also showcase a Cessna Grand Caravan EX turboprop and a Cessna Citation M2 light jet with the upgraded avionics at the expo.
Fun In The Sun
The Lakeland, Florida, chapter of the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association) started the Sun N’ Fun Expo in 1974. The annual April event is now the world’s second largest of its type and Florida’s largest annual convention, organizers claim. The expo runs April 2 to 7 and will feature static aircraft displays, professional group meetings, daily and evening airshows, and more.
Chris Crow, Textron Aviation vice president of piston sales, says Textron launched the Garmin avionics upgrade earlier this year to enhance the G1000 NXi’s satellite-based navigation abilities, digital flight-management tools, and graphical display technologies. Textron says other equipment now standard on production Skylane, Turbo Stationair HD, Bonanza G36, and Baron G58 models includes the GFC 700 Autopilot with Enhanced Automatic Flight Control System. Factory-new G58s also come equipped with new Garmin GWX 75 Doppler weather radar, and all Cessna and Beechcraft pistons and the Grand Caravan EX offer the Garmin GSR 56 Iridium satellite receiver as an option.
Top Hawk Program Details
Textron Aviation also recently announced that 2019 marks the fifth year it’s supporting future pilots through the Textron Aviation Top Hawk Program. Under the Garmin- and Bose-sponsored program, participating universities use custom aircraft for training and other activities. Textron began delivering custom-branded Skyhawk 172 models to Ohio University, Oklahoma State University, Texas Southern University, and Utah Valley University in February.
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Source: Textron Aviation
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