At Sport Aviation Expo, Garmin has introduced non-certified multi-function displays based on the portable GPSMap 695 and 696 platforms that offer owners of experimental and light sport aircraft the utility of high-end panel models at the portable price. The GDU 370 and GDU 375 are also expandable with products coming down the pike that will turn them into full MFD/PFD panels with engine monitoring and instruments. “The beauty of the GDU 370 and GDU 375 are that they are like building-blocks; they’re expandable and can be interconnected with other Garmin components,” said Gary Kelley, Garmin’s vice president of marketing. “Customers will be able to choose one, two or three GDU displays – whatever works best for their aircraft. When customers are ready to expand upon the GDU’s MFD capabilities, they can install other Garmin components that will add PFD capabilities to the GDU’s.”
On their own, the 370 and 375 are powerful navigation tools that incorporate virtually all the features of the 695 and 696. However, they are designed for panel mounting, have redundant power inputs and a front-mounted SD card slot. The higher-end 375 includesXM WX Satellite Weather. The 370 costs $3,295 and the 375 $3995 and will be available in March. At Sun ‘n Fun in late April, the company intends to introduce the G3X kit that includes the monitors and sensors that turn the MFDs into full MFD/PFD systems. The G3X kit costs an additional $9,995 and can be connected to as many as three panel displays, all of which are purchased separately.
