Garmin Unveils G1000 NXi Upgrade

Garmin has released a major upgrade for the G1000 integrated flight deck, the G1000 NXi (next generation), with faster processors, map overlay on the horizontal situation indicator (HSI), Flight Stream 510 capability, improved ADS-B options, new visual approaches in the procedures menu and a two-year display warranty. The G1000 NXi is already STC’d on the King Air 200—the 300/350 will be added shortly—and it saves about 250 pounds when replacing original avionics. Owners of existing G1000 King Air flight decks will be able to upgrade to the NXi system since the displays have the same footprint and connectors.

The G1000 flight deck is 14 years old and 16,000 of the systems are flying. While the NXi upgrade doesn’t change the pilot interface—no touchscreens or keyboard controller are available in the King Air installation—the system’s new displays add LED backlighting and the faster dual-core processors speed initialization time and allow faster map rendering and smoother panning. Boot-up time is almost instantaneous, according to Scott Frye, sales manager for integrated flight deck retrofit programs, and the faster processors and added random-access memory also drive speedier operation. Panning used to require moving in either vertical and horizontal directions; now it can be done in any direction. The LED backlighting reduces power consumption, makes the displays brighter and improves dimming. The new displays support advanced doppler weather radar features such as optional ground clutter suppression and turbulence detection. A new integrated ADAHRS simplifies installations, combining two separate boxes into a single LRU; the King Air installation uses two of the new ADAHRS units.

The new map overlay on the primary flight display (PFD) HSI was a highly requested improvement, according to Frye, and it supports display of Nexrad imagery andanimation, weather radar, ADS-B IN weather, SafeTaxi airport diagrams, traffic and terrain. Terrain on the HSI map overlay and multifunction display (MFD) map is now depicted with three-color terrain shading: green for 2,000 feet, yellow for 1,000 feet and red for 100 feet agl. When tuning com frequencies, an ID field shows the station ID and frequency type.

The NXi MFD, which has higher resolution than the original, now shows sectional and IFR low/high en route charts. The MFD will also allow overlay of animated Nexrad weather imagery. On the bottom of the MFD, pilots can switch on a vertical situation display, which has a terrain profile based on the active flight plan and a depiction of winds aloft. The new system can also show a preview of the departure and arrival procedures on the MFD before the pilot loads and activates them. Garmin’s SurfaceWatch runway monitoring is optional for NXi installations and upgrades. Softkeys on the bottom of the displays no longer use light gray to indicate selection; a green light underlining the text label on the button now highlights the selection, and this is much easier to interpret. 

The new system adds visual approaches to the NXi’s procedures menu. This is particularly useful when you're cleared to land at an unfamiliar airport or in reduced visibility but VFR conditions. When selecting the visual approach for a particular runway, the pilot can set customized minimums and vectors or straight-in for the intercept. The visual approach uses a three-degree glideslope, and it can be flown coupled to the autopilot. 

The NXi flight deck offers optional installation of Garmin’s Flight Stream 510 Connext wireless cockpit connectivity system, which is housed in an SD-sized MMS card that plugs into a slot in the front of the MFD. This eliminates the need to install a separate Flight Stream device elsewhere. Flight Stream 510 supports two-way flight plan transfer and sharing of traffic, weather, GPS information, backup attitude information and so on between the NXi avionics and the Garmin Pilot and ForeFlight Mobile apps. Flight Stream 510 also enables Garmin’s Database Concierge for loading avionics databases via Garmin Pilot.

Flying NXi

Frye demonstrated the NXi features in Garmin’s King Air 300 during a flight from Hawthorne to San Bernardino, Calif. We chose that route so that we could fly the coupled missed approach, a feature made possible by the Garmin GFC 700 autopilot’s optional Electronic Stability and Protection system. ESP helps pilots stay in a safe flight envelope by adding a “nudge” feel to warn of exceeding specified pitch and roll limits when hand flying. When coupled with a compatible angle-of-attack sensor, ESP can also help prevent stalls by lowering the nose. San Bernardino is backed by a steep mountain range, and this would give us an excellent test of the NXi’s HSI map.

Some of the NXi changes are subtle, such as smoother and less blocky and pixelated terrain coloring, larger engine fonts, rounded edges on the waypoints page and a clearer depiction of SafeTaxi charts. Also new is the ability to insert the departure and arrival runway in the flight plan. If the system is equipped with SurfaceWatch, which is the case with this King Air, the correct runway is painted blue on the synthetic vision image on the PFD.

I like the appearance of the new displays and I do like the new HSI map. Perhaps I spend too much time looking at the PFD instead of the big map on the MFD, but I find it easier to get as much information as possible from the PFD. Having all the traffic, terrain and weather on the HSI map seemed to make flying easier. I also like the new information box below the com frequencies; it eliminates some mental burden without adding clutter to the PFD. 

During the ILS approach to San Bernardino, the mountains east of the airport were clearly visible on the synthetic vision display, with the blue runway waiting for us at the end of the glideslope. Even with the mountains well outlined on the synthetic vision, having the HSI map right at the bottom of the PFD with its own color-coded terrain added to situational awareness. Even on a clear Southern California day, it was still good to be able to see where we were in relation to the steep topography. The visual situation display adds even more information about the aircraft in relation to the terrain, but this requires looking over at the MFD, something that I do less and less as I get closer to the ground. 

Instead of landing we flew the missed approach, which simply requires pushing the go-around button while advancing the power, watching the autopilot pitch up 10 degrees, retracting gear and flaps, then pushing the nav button on the autopilot, which then accurately flies the missed approach procedure. This is a great safety feature, freeing the pilot to concentrate on situational awareness, talking to ATC and deciding what to do next. 

On the way back to Hawthorne, we selected the visual approach to Runway 25 from the procedures menu and set the 620-foot localizer approach minimums as the minimum descent altitude (MDA) for the approach. The autopilot can fly a coupled visual approach, and we left the autopilot on for the approach into Hawthorne. Visibility was low in haze, and we were flying into the sun, making it difficult to pick out the runway visually. 

The G1000 NXi sets up a final approach fix called STRGHT for the visual approach, then draws a three-degree glidepath. Flying the visual approach procedure in the hazy weather into the sun proved extremely helpful as we didn’t see the runway clearly until about a mile from the threshold. 

Some 450 King Airs have been upgraded to the G1000 system, and they are prime candidates for the roughly $50,000 NXi upgrade. The G1000 upgrade—all will henceforth be the NXi flavor—isn’t yet available for 90-series King Airs, but Garmin expects to certify that later next year.

Meanwhile, aircraft manufacturers have announced their NXi plans. Textron Aviation service centers are offering the G1000 NXi flight deck as a retrofit using the Garmin STC in the King Air 200, 250, 300 and 350. And the NXi system is now standard on new-build Cessna 172s, 182s and T206s and Beech Baron G58s and Bonanza G36s.

Cirrus just unveiled the G6 SR20 and SR22 with the NXi avionics and other new features. Piper has upgraded the G1000-equipped Seminole and Archer to the NXi standard. 

The NXi upgrade adds a lot of new functionality and utility to the G1000, and also makes it easier to use, but in a way that doesn’t present a big learning curve for pilots used to flying the Garmin flight deck.