Story ID: 
Cessna Caravans Get Garmin Avionics Software Upgrade
By: Hanneke Weitering
Caption: New 2024 models of the Cessna Caravan and Cessna Grand Caravan EX will feature additional enhancements to their Garmin G1000 NXi integrated flight decks.
Word Count: 302
New-production Cessna Caravan and Cessna Grand Caravan EX models will come with added enhancements to their Garmin G1000 NXi integrated flight decks, Textron Aviation announced on Monday at EAA AirVenture. According to the manufacturer, the updated avionics software system will improve the pilots’ user experience and deliver better performance.
Garmin G1000 NXi avionics have been standard equipment on the Caravan family of single-engine utility turboprops since 2017. Beginning in 2024, additional features will include Garmin’s GDL 60 data transmitter, the GTX 345DR diversity transponder, and the touchscreen GI 275 electronic standby display.
The GDL 60 datalink provides high-bandwidth connectivity options for both the cockpit and the cabin, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and LTE network capabilities. It gives pilots the ability to share flight data with smart devices and update databases automatically over wireless network connections.
With the GTX 345DR, users have full ADS-B Out/In capabilities with the added redundancy of a dual-diversity transponder system. Diversity transponders have antennas mounted both on the bottom and top of the fuselage, enabling more reliable surveillance by a combination of space- and ground-based ADS-B receivers. Garmin has also expanded the ADS-B In applications to include CDTI-assisted visual separation (CAVS) and runway occupancy awareness.
Optional upgrades for the 2024 Caravan family include the Garmin GWX 8000 weather radar, which now has lightning and hail detection and auto mode, as well as a taxiway routing feature that provides visual guidance for pilots maneuvering around an airport.
Some earlier optional features have also been updated. For example, the synthetic vision technology refresh has newly enhanced terrain, airport signs, and runway depictions, and it integrates with the taxiway routing feature. The Sirius XM Weather service provided through the GDL 69A SXM has also been upgraded to include new products, according to Textron Aviation.