Garmin GI 275 available for Robinson helicopters
Garmin’s round-dial electronic flight instrument is a popular airplane retrofit that is now approved for installation in Robinson R22 and R44 helicopters.
Garmin called the GI 275 “a scalable, cost-conscious approach to an avionics upgrade that is a direct replacement for a variety of legacy primary flight instruments in the cockpit, including the primary attitude indicator, course deviation indicator (CDI), horizontal situation indicator (HSI), or the multi-function display (MFD).”
When installed as the primary attitude indicator, Garmin said, “the GI 275 offers improved reliability, potential weight savings and reduced maintenance.” The company noted the unit can display a wide range of data, including outside air temperature and groundspeed, and can integrate with the Garmin Pilot mobile app.
Optional Helicopter Synthetic Vision Technology (HSVT) is available in some configurations. HSVT, Garmin said, “overlays a rich, 3D topographic view of terrain, traffic, obstacles, power lines, airport signposts and more, all within the GI 275 attitude display.”
The GI 275, when installed as a CDI or HSI, allows up to two GPS sources and two VHF navigation sources. CDI sources can be selected using Garmin’s touch-screen interface while course and heading selection can be accomplished via touch-screen or knob. The instrument’s Omni Bearing Resolver, Garmin said, “allows the flight instrument to interface to a variety of legacy navigators on the market without the need for an expensive adapter… The HSI can also provide enhanced features such as map inset and traffic, terrain or weather overlay.” An optional magnetometer, not available on the R22, can also provide magnetic-based HSI guidance.
The unit can also be used as a multifunction display. Garmin explained the GI 275 is capable of displaying a moving map, weather, terrain, power lines and airport diagrams with five-color terrain shading. “For backup navigation information, a built-in VFR GPS enables convenient direct-to navigation guidance, displaying aircraft position information on a moving map. HTAWS (Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System) is available on the GI 275 and offers forward-looking terrain and obstacle avoidance (FLTA) capability to alert in advance where potential hazards may exist. The GI 275 can also be paired with Garmin’s GRA 55 or GRA 5500 radar altimeters, or other select third-party products, to display altitude Above Ground Level (AGL) while also providing visual and aural annunciations to the pilot.”
Some features are not available or supported in select aircraft and instrument panels. Garmin suggests contacting the company for compatibility questions before ordering.
The GI 275 comes with a two-year warranty and can be purchased on Garmin’s website. Pricing starts at $3,395 for the CDI and MFD, $7,895 for the attitude indicator, and $9,895 for the HSI.
