GARMIN AERA 500 SERIES

PORTABLE AVIATION GPS

I must admit that when it comes to portable GPS units I am prejudice towards Garmin. I flew with their first aviation portable GPS, the 100. There was no database for this unit. One had to plug in waypoints by latitude and longitude. Since that time I have owned several Garmin portable GPS’s. Today I fly the 396 with XM weather capability. Jessica Meyers, from Garmin, was gracious to send me a loaner 560 unit that I will test on two cross country trips. There are 4 different units in the 500 series. I will refer to the “560” as that is the unit Garmin sent me.

500 Basic Aviation GPS

510 Same as 500 with XM NEXRAD Weather available

550 Higher resolution screen. Taxi diagrams

560 Same as 550 with XM NEXRAD

All have auto databases.

When I opened the box my first observation was how thin the unit is. It is less than half as thick as the 396. Two mounts came with the unit. Since my 396 resides on my yoke I decided to use the dashboard mount and plug the unit into the external power source. Garmin removed the magnet on the base of the XM antenna. It is now rubber. I have to be sure to keep my 396 XM antenna away from my magnetic compass as it will play havoc with it.

I set up the 560 without reading the instruction books that came with the unit, this turned out to be a no brainer. It is that simple to setup and use. The 560 is the same length as the 396. Without the buttons and rocker switch, the 560 has a larger viewable screen that is 4.3 inches. The resolution is better than the 396 and the processor is faster.

Everything on the 560 is touch screen. There are no buttons or rocker switch other than the on/off switch on the top right hand corner. I first tried to push on the menus with my finger tip and got nowhere. I then used my finger nail and everything went smooth. When turned on the 560 goes to a home page with options which are: Map, Terrain, HSI/Panel, Nearest, Numbers, Active FPL, WPT Info, Direct, Position, Weather, XM Radio and Tools. I pushed the tools icon and went into setup. Ten icons appear and I continued to set up each one. I then returned to the home page. I entered 10 different flight plans for IFR and VFR trips. With the 560 you do not have to go through the alphabet and numbers for entering a flight plan. Just go to the FP icon and tap new flight plan. A key board comes up and type in the identifiers. This went fast. I can see this being easier to use when ATC changes my routing in the air. I mounted the unit in the plane turned it on, went to the FP page, open the flight plan and activated the flight plan. Looking forward to reporting on my trips.

On Saturday we had a short 50 minute trip to Winslow, AZ (INW). I powered up both GPS’s and we were off. When I started the 560, it booted up and showed where we were on the field. I followed the taxi diagrams to the run up area. Since there are no waypoints between SDL and INW, I used the direct icon and typed in KINW. On my 396 I had to use the rocker switch going through the alphabet for each letter. Enroute I noticed the airway numbers on the 560 sectional. I taped one and the option was brought up to change from sectional to low enroute chart. I will be using the low enroute charts on my next trip to Los Angeles (WHP) and then onto Palo Alto (PAO). In Winslow we stayed at a hotel that was built in 1920 and has an overrated and overpriced restaurant. Winslow is on Route 66 and mentioned in the famous Eagles song even though the Eagles have never been to Winslow. There was absolutely nothing to do in Winslow. It was a ghost town and we returned home early the next morning.

I had to do an unexpected short flight before our trip to PAO. I went to the map page and after some fiddling around was able to change the map page from sectional to IFR low enroute charts. We usually get rerouted by NoCal and will be looking forward to seeing how easy the 560 is to use to change airways and reprogram the unit. I also found that IFR High Enroute charts are available.

Off to WHP and it’s cloudy enough that I will have to fly the VOR approach into WHP. I have the route and the approach in both my 396 and the 560. Unfortunately one does not fly the outbound and inbound as printed on the approach plate. There is vectoring involved in the LA Basin. By having the low enroute charts on my situational awareness was excellent without having to pull out the paper charts other than my approach plate.

I used the car mount on top of my panel. We had turbulence on our trip. The 560 needs to be mounted on the yoke, where it is solid and touch inputs are easier to perform.

Taxi diagrams are included on the 560. I found that I did not like looking at these and taxing the airplane. I had a full page printout of the taxi diagrams and studied these before I left. Other than that I followed the taxiway signs. Considering the price difference I would probably purchase a 510 with XM weather for $700 less than the 560.

Garmin is finally getting it right in panel GPS systems. The 430/530 GPS’s solved a need for flying IFR approaches, but are not user friendly. The G1000 is better than the 430/530 but still not user friendly unless flying at least 3 times a week.

Garmin has introduce the G3000. Picture if you will 2 garmin 560’s on the console with icons for different functions. Need to change frequencies, just tap the COM icon and plug in the numbers. Need a VOR, tap the VOR icon and enter the identifier. Flying is becoming simpler with the G3000. Currently the G3000 will only be available in Fan Jets, but I look for this to move down to GA pistons in the future.

THIS AND THAT

Palo Alto, CA (PAO) has the least customer service of any GA airport I have flown into. PAO has a terminal building that looks like a trailer, and the administrative office is always locked and empty when I have been there. However they have no trouble placing a parking bill on your Airplane. We had to track down a fuel truck to get the drive through gate code. Also I was unable to rent a car at PAO. Enterprise charges $20 to drop off a car, and they are closed on Sunday and Monday. Hertz was the same.

PAO is a great airport to fly into for me as it is very close to my children’s house. The controllers are excellent running a heavily traffic airport under Class B, next to Class C and Class D Moffett Airforce Base. If departing VFR you are given a squak code on the ground and approved into Class C before departing.

ADS-B out will be required in 2020 for all airplanes flying in Class A, B, C airspace and any flight over 10,000 feet.. ADS-B out is nothing different than the transponder that we have now, except reception at ATC will be by satellite. The airlines will be able to fly more direct routes that don’t affect the small GA airplanes. The estimated costs for ADS-B out are $8,000.00 to $10,000.00 and ADS-B in $20,000.00 for panel mounted units. NavWorx has portable units that are approximately $1800.00 for out and $1700.00 for in. ADS-B In would allow us to have free weather and traffic in our planes. ADS-B out does not provide a benefit to General Aviation piston fliers.

Several Class Bravo (B) airspaces have been redone or are in the process of being redone. ATC goes through the dog and pony shows of asking public input....and then they do what the airlines want. Currently Las Vegas is requesting a 50 mile ring.

Arthur Rosen is a retired Judge, AOPA-ASN for Phoenix Deer Valley Airport (DVT), Chairman Emirates of the Scottsdale Aviation Commission, served on the Super Bowl Committee for Aviation and Aviation Expert for ABC TV-Phoenix. Arthur can be reached at Judge613@gmail.com and can be followed at Judge613 on Twitter.