That’s definitely the million dollar question (literately for some Garmin resellers). Garmin aviation distributors have been given dates but those have come and gone with nothing new other than another date. Right now it’s looking like mid-November but dealers are being told not to expect their complete orders on first shipment. Unfortunately they’re not saying exactly how many to expect. What that means for the consumer is that anyone making a purchase on or shortly after the actual release date will probably not receive a unit due to the people who pre-ordered units.

If you know you’re going to want a Garmin aera 796 on or shortly after they’re released, I recommend pre-ordering a unit ASAP. You can pre-order using the following links:

Click Here to pre-order a Garmin aera 796.
Click Here to pre-order a Garmin aera 795.

Do you already own a Garmin aviation unit? You can save money on your new Garmin 796 or 795 by trading in your previous unit.
Click Here to view trade-in values and requirements.

On September 14, 2011 Garmin announced its two newest additions to the Garmin aera family:
Garmin aera 796 & Garmin aera 795

The aera 796 and 795 are already being dubbed “iPad Killers.” Suffice it to say, it is only meant to express that it is going to kill the iPad as it pertains to aviation. The iPad is a montster that shows no signs of slowing down.

The Garmin 796 incorporates the popular features of the Garmin 696, while also adding new capabilities such as a touchscreen user interface, pilot-selectable screen orientation and 3D Vision – AKA Synthetic Vision. The Garmin 795 has the same features and functionality as the aera 796 minus the XM satellite weather. Everyone familiar with Garmin’s G600 or G1000 units knows that the synthetic vistion technology is nothing short of awesome. I don’t know if the 3D Vision in the 796 and 795 will perform and display identically to that of the G1000 and G600, but based on the screen shots I’ve seen, it’s really close.

I’ll be getting my hands on both of these units within the next few days and I will be able to post my thoughts at that time. In the meantime, for detailed manufacturer descriptions and information, including a video of an in-flight demonstration of the Garmin aera 796 and a video comparing the 796 to the iPad, use the links below.

Lastly, if you know you’re going to want one of these units soon after they’re available (Garmin is stating mid-October), I highly recommend pre-ordering. My experience is that most, if not all dealers sell their entire inventory before they even receive their first shipments from Garmin. Ordering on the actual “release date” could put you into a back-ordered situation where it could take weeks to receive your unit. By pre-ordering your unit, you’re assured that your unit will ship to you on Garmin’s release date.

Garmin aera 796 description and information

Garmin aera 796 in-flight video and iPad comparison

Garmin aera 795 description and information

On February 18, 2011, Garmin announced price reductions to their aera series portable aviation units.  The new prices are as follows:

aera 560 – $1,599 (was: $1,999)
aera 550 – $1,249 (was: $1,499)
aera 510 – $1,099 (was: $1,299)
aera 500 – $699 (was: $799)

I’ve had a number of inquiries regarding Garmin’s motivation for lowering these units with most thinking that they’re preparing to release upgraded units.  This certainly is a possibility, and if so, I wouldn’t expect to hear anything until Oshkosh at the earliest.  Similar to Apple, Garmin is very good at keeping secrets and leaked information is not likely.  The aera series units are selling well, but I’m sure the US economic downturn has not discriminated against them.  So it could be just a matter of trying to boost their bottom line.

In either case, the new pricing on the aera 560 and 550 should just about eliminate future sales of their GPSMAP 496 and 495 units.  Except for the diehard users of these units who for whatever reason don’t want to upgrade to a unit that’s smaller, faster and has a larger screen (touchscreen), I can’t see a reason not to move into an aera.