GULF COAST AVIONICS receives an FAA Fieldapproval
for a extensive Garmin Touchscreen avionics
upgrade on a Citation 501-series Business Jet

Avionics transformation gives the legacy Citation’s operator

new-generation capabilities and situational awareness.

Lakeland, FL, March 05, 2015 — Rick Garcia, President and CEO, Gulf Coast Avionics Corporation announcedtoday that the company recently received an FAA field approval for an extensivedigital panel upgrade on a legacy Cessna Citation 501 business jet.

“The customer wanted to upgrade the capabilities of hisCitation 501 and the only way to do it cost-effectively was to work with theOrlando FSDO to earn the field approval,” Garcia stated. “I really have tocomplement our Chief Inspector, Sarah Smith and the entire engineering andinstallation group. This was not an easy task, but the result is a beautifuland very capable Citation.”

“As you can imagine there was a lot of paperwork anddocumentation that went along with the physical installation process. As far aswe know, this was the first field approval for this package in the 501,” Ms.Smith stated. “We are very grateful to the Orlando FSDO representatives for allof their cooperation and guidance as we worked through the process.”

Smith explained that the Citation 501 panel upgradeincluded:

• Dual Garmin GTN 750 Touchscreen GPS/NAV/COMM/MFDs

• Dual Garmin GTX 33 transponders

• Garmin GMA 35 remote audio processor

• Garmin GDL 69 XM WX satellite receiver

• Garmin GPSS roll steering integration with the GTN 750 andlegacy autopilot

• Garmin TAWS-B interface

• BendixKing RDR-2000 weather radar interface

• Jeppesen electronic charts capability

“Our engineering team also designed new metal instrument panelsthat were laid out to the owner’s specifications,” Ms. Smith said. “Interfacingthe new avionics with the legacy radar, TCAS and autopilot was prettystraight-forward for our team.”

“The customer was absolutely thrilled when he saw it for thefirst time,” Garcia said. “While the finished panel is fantastic, it was theresult of a lot of really hard work and dedication by our professional team. Ican tell you that at every level this is not a project that many shops wouldwant to take on.