GULF COAST Avionics Has Completed an extensive Garmin Touchscreen avionics upgrade on a high-performance pilatus PC-9 turboprop
This is the third Pilatus PC-9 that Gulf Coast Avionics has upgraded and the first to feature dual Garmin G3X Touch large-format touchscreen displays.
Lakeland, FL (May 03, 2017) — Rick Garcia, President and CEO, Gulf Coast Avionics announced that the company has completed an extensive avionics upgrade on a Pilatus PC-9 single-engine turboprop for a private owner.
“I have to believe that this is the most advanced and capable pair of avionics suites ever put in a legacy PC-9,” Garcia said. “With large-format Garmin G3X Touch displays in both the front and rear cockpits it is by far the best of its type we’ve ever done. This is one amazing airplane.”
“As Rick said, this is our first dual cockpit installation of the G3X Touch and GTN 650 touchscreen GPS units in a PC-9. It’s a lot to put into such a limited panel space so it did present quite a challenge for our engineers and installers,” stated Gulf Coast Avionics, Sales Representative Matt Schloss. “Mr. Hayes’ goal was to have an avionics suite that emulated that in his new CJ3. And I can tell you that he’s more than satisfied with what we’ve done with his PC-9.”
“I am very pleased with the installation and the quality of work performed by the team at Gulf Coast Avionics,” stated the PC-9’s owner, Jimmy Hayes. “The Garmin G3X avionics installation has taken a great aircraft and turned it into an exceptional aircraft.”
Schloss explained that the PC-9’s dual cockpit avionics upgrade included:
• Dual Garmin G3X Touch large-format touchscreen displays
• Garmin G3X Integrated Autopilot
• Dual Garmin GTN 650 touchscreen GPS/NAV/COMM/MFDs
• Garmin GTX 345 ADS-B “Out” and “In” Mode S extended squitter transponder
• Garmin GTX 335 ADS-B “Out” ES transponder
• Garmin GTS 800 Active Traffic Alerting System
• Garmin Flight Stream 510 gateway for wireless iPad cockpit connectivity
• Garmin G5 Electronic Attitude Indicator
“Because Mr. Hayes wanted to install the non-TSO’d Garmin G3X integrated autopilot, the aircraft had to be registered as Experimental,” Garcia said. “It really didn’t matter to us or the owner: This aircraft received the same care and attention we give every installation. The final product rivals anything you’d find in any certified aircraft no matter what its use.”