Garmin introduced its new GTN 650Xi and GTN 750Xi all-in-one touchscreen navigators on Wednesday. The GTN 650Xi and 750Xi are Garmin’s fourth-generation GPS/Nav/Comms and feature faster map rendering and smoother panning than their predecessors along with an ultra-high-resolution display and wide viewing angle. They were designed as slide-in upgrades to the previous generation GTN 650 and 750.
“Garmin was the first to introduce the all-in-one navigator with the iconic GNS 430/530,” said Garmin Vice President of Aviation Sales and Marketing Carl Wolf. “Over time the GNS WAAS and the industry-first GTN 650/750 touchscreen navigators were added to the lineup along with state-of-the-art features such as voice control, wireless connectivity and more. As the leader in GPS cockpit navigation, we have brought the most widely adopted navigators to the industry and with the GTN 650Xi and GTN 750Xi, we’re excited to add one more to the family.”
GTN 650Xi and GTN 750Xi functions include ILS and LPV instrument approach procedures, visual approach guidance, approaches with RF leg types, VNAV and graphical flight plan editing on the moving map. According to Garmin, the GTN 650Xi and GTN 750Xi have received FAA approval and are available for fixed-wing single-engine and multi-engine piston, turbine and experimental aircraft with approvals for helicopters and business aircraft in the works. Retail price is listed at $12,495 for the GTN 650Xi and $17,995 for the GTN 750Xi.
All this new avionics stuff is starting to make GA instrument panels look like pieces of art !! I would love to have a panel that looks like that!
Playing with all those “TV sets” in the cockpit is going to become a full time job … what’s going to happen to looking outside to ‘see and avoid?’
”Smart aircraft”. It’s a flying dude thing!
I’m likely to be in the market soon, and surprised the price for these is still this high when so much of the other avionics have gotten so much more affordable. It’s no longer a no brainer to buy Garmin.
I had a chance to fly an Archer with a brand new 650 installation. Light to moderate turbulence, and I wound up killing the master and flying the last 50 miles with my handheld.
Touch screen suck
I trained on a 430, and the first time I flew with someone with a 650 I found the touch screen a bit frustrating. Now that I have a 650/G5 combo of my own, I’ve found it’s not as bad as it seems. In turbulence you can still hang onto a knob and tune your radios the old-fashioned way, and the ridges around the bezel let you stabilize your hand enough to do the rest of the stuff. Or you delegate it to your copilot. Worst case, I can switch to NAV/COM 2 and shoot an ILS the old-fashioned way. The Xi series don’t seem to be that much more expensive than their predecessors, but I’m happy with my 650 as is.