Garmin GPS Options
Garmin is one of the biggest suppliers of GPS devices. They aren’t just helping soccer moms get their kids to school though. They are also developing incredibly advanced products that give pilots everything that they could want for their navigation needs.
Let’s start with the Garmin 296. It’s been outdated by some advances, but it still holds on to some innovative features that meet your basic needs. It will be able to plot out your entire flight path and lay it out over up-to-date contour maps. It will also monitor for known obstacles in your flight path. The 296 also stores your takeoff and landing times and positions, so it couldn’t be easier to fill out the reports at the end of the day.
The Garmin 396 just adds to these accomplishments. The biggest new feature is complete integretion of the best in satellite radio. This will let you monitor weather and air traffic reports in real time. There also some good options for radio stations if the flight gets a little boring.
The latest in the Garmin line is the Garmin 496. It adds to your total awareness by also monitoring your current altitude for known issues. It has a full directory of just about every airport known to man, so you can look up the layouts and even find a good place to grab a bite to eat. It also has the taxiway data to provide some help after landing.