Beta Technologies has selected the Garmin G3000 Prime integrated flight deck for its electric aircraft, making the Vermont-based manufacturer the first to use the touchscreen avionics suite in an electric aircraft. After the inaugural flight of Beta’s first production Alia airplane on November 13, two days later the company revealed that it was the first example to be equipped with the latest Garmin avionics.
Garmin introduced G3000 Prime, its third-generation integrated flight deck, on October 16, calling it “the most connected, customizable, automated, and safety-enhancing Garmin flight deck yet.” The Kansas-based avionics manufacturer has already received technical standard order (TSO) authorization for the new system, which is intended for Part 23 turbine, advanced air mobility, and military aircraft.
G3000 Prime will also be featured in the Cessna Citation CJ4 Gen3, which Textron Aviation revealed last month at NBAA-BACE. The company expects to begin delivering the updated business jet to customers in 2025. So far, no other OEM has publicly announced plans to use the G3000 Prime avionics suite.
“We are excited for Beta to be the first electric aircraft manufacturer to announce G3000 Prime for the advanced air mobility market,” said Alex Bennett, Garmin’s senior director of aviation programs and OEM sales. “Built with a state-of-the-art user interface and highly flexible architecture, G3000 Prime is perfect to support Beta’s revolutionary Alia aircraft and their mission towards bringing a sustainable aviation solution to the market.”
Before Garmin announced G3000 Prime, an upgrade to the second-generation G3000 flight deck introduced a decade ago, Beta was already planning to use the company’s avionics in its aircraft. In October 2023, Garmin and Beta inked a deal to put G3000 avionics in both the CTOL and VTOL versions of Beta’s electric aircraft.
“Beta is a company with an insatiable passion for flying, so the team designed Alia to be an aircraft for pilots,” said Chris Caputo, Beta’s director of flight operations. “That means optimizing the pilot vehicle interface for the best flight experience possible, from features that elevate safety to ones that increase pilot situational awareness. Garmin has been pushing avionics and aviation forward for decades, and we’re thrilled to bring this gold standard to the AAM industry through our Alia.”