When Garmin announced in October that they were discontinuing one of their most popular aviation units, the Garmin 396, I knew something bigger was on the horizon. Or, in the Garmin aera 510′s case, something “smaller” was on the horizon.

Introducing the Garmin aera 510

FINALLY! Garmin implemented their touch-screen technology from their popular automotive units and put them into their new Garmin aera series aviation portables. Actually, it would probably be more accurate to say that they’ve taken their aviation technology and put it into their nuvi automotive line. Regardless, I think they hit the mark with the new Garmin aera 510 aviation portable.

In a nutshell, they took the Garmin 396, put it into a nuvi widescreen body and lowered the price by almost $200. The Garmin aera 510 has a larger screen than the Garmin 396: 3.81″W x 2.25″H; 4.3″ diaginal (aera 510), 3.2″W x 2.1″H; 3.8″ diaginal (GPSMAP 396), and a much smaller body: 5.3″W x 3.3″H x .9″D (aera 510), 5.7″W x 3.2″H x 1.9″D (GPSMAP 396). The aera 510 is also almost 5 ounces lighter than the 396.

Garmin aera 510 & Garmin 396 Side-By-Side Comparison

As I mentioned previously, I’m glad to see Garmin has finally given us aviation portables with touchscreen technology. I was surprised to find that it doesn’t display your aircraft’s position over the charts and plates, like the Bendix/King AV80R Ace, but I don’t think we’ll have to wait too long for that feature.

Garmin announced today their “next generation of aviation portables.” Named the Garmin aera series, there are four new aviation portables to choose from – aera 500, aera 510, aera 550 and aera 560.

Featuring crisp 4.3-inch QVGA wide-format displays with menu-driven tap-and-drag user interface, the garmin aera series “dual boot” models let you transition seamlessly from runways to roadways with Garmin’s Aviation and Automotive moving-map navigation.

For those familiar with Garmin’s GPSMAP Aviation Portables, the features of each Garmin aera can be compared to the GPSMAP as such:

Garmin aera 500 compares to Garmin 296
Garmin aera 510 compares to Garmin 396
Garmin aera 550 compares to Garmin 495
Garmin aera 560 compares to Garmin 496

Aviation Features and Specifications

• Easy-to-use touchscreen interface
• Bright 4.3” diagonal, color touchscreen display; 480 x 272 pixels; WQVGA TFT display with white backlight
• XM weather and audio capability (aera 510, 560 only)
• Lithium-ion battery – lasts up to five hours, depending on usage and settings
• Flight Plans: 50 with up to 300 points each
• Flight log: At least 30 most recent flights
• Auto time zone – aera will automatically adjust your time zone while navigating
• High-sensitivity GPS receiver with WAAS position accuracy for improved performance and reception
• Simplified PC connectivity, using USB mass storage for easy data base updates at http://fly.garmin.com
• Unit dimensions – 5.3”W x 3.3”H x 0.9”D
• Weight – 9.5 oz (270g)
• Rugged and waterproof (IPX-7)
• Interface with SL30 and SL40 for frequency tuning
• GTX 330 interface capability for TIS traffic

Automotive Features

• Preloaded street maps of North America1 (Atlantic version displays European street maps & Pacific version displays Australia and New Zealand street maps)
• Turn-by-turn directions with voice guidance – “Turn right on Main Street”
• Bluetooth wireless technology– enabling hands-free calling
• Micro-SD™ card slot for optional mapping and data storage
• Trip computer records mileage, max speed, total time and more
• Lane Assist – lane guidance will direct you to the lane that you need to be in while navigating (550/560)
• Junction View – you will see a realistic image of some major junctions (aera 550, 560)
• Garmin Connect™ Photos – associate your favorite images with saved locations and visit Garmin Connect at http://connect.garmin.com to download new images with included coordinates
• Built-in travel kit includes features such as picture viewer, world clock, currency and measurement converters and calculator
• Popular optional accessories include: Navtec traffic updates via GTM 20 (550/560) and motorcycle mount

Product Comparison

Garmin announced today that they are giving $300 back via mail-in rebate for Garmin 696 and Garmin 695 units purchased between October 7th, 2009 and December 31, 2009.  All rebates must be postmarked by January 31, 2010.  Prices after mail-in rebate are (click unit for more info, download rebate form or to purchase):

• Garmin 696 – $2,995
• Garmin 695 – $2,395

At the time of this writing (October 7, 2009), Banyan Pilot Shop is offering $1 overnight shipping on both the Garmin 696 and 695 units and no sales tax on all orders shipped outside the State of Florida.  Click Here to visit BanyanPilotShop.net.

Just in time for the Holiday shopping season, Garmin has announced that it has reduced the price on their Garmin 496 and Garmin 495 GPSMAP units.  The new prices are:

• Garmin 496 – $1,999
• Garmin 495 – $1,299

At the time of this writing (October 7, 2009), Tropic Aero is offering $1 overnight shipping and no sales tax for all orders shipped outside the State of Florida.  Click Here to visit BanyanPilotShop.net

If you…

1. Own a Garmin 696 or G600
2. Are considering purchasing a Garmin 696 or G600
3. Live in or are going to be in South Florida on February 25, 2009

…then you’re not going to want to miss a seminar put on by Garmin that focuses on these two units.
The seminar is hosted by Banyan Air Service at Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE) and includes:

• No cost attend
• Refreshments provided
• Seminar Bucks – discounts for attendees
• Drawing for a Garmin Nuvi Automotive GPS

To attend, fill out the registration form at www.banyanair.com/garmin.htm

Garmin International introduced today (10/30/2008) their newest portable aviation navigator: Garmin GPSMAP 696.

The Garmin 696 has many new features, but most noticeably is its new look and size. The 696 is a tablet-style unit with a large 7-inch portrait display that is 3 times larger than its predecessor, the Garmin 496. The high-resolution screen can be read in sunlight and is large enough to fit an entire approach plate.

Garmin 696 Features

• 7-inch High Resolution Display
• Airways
• Electronic Charts
• Expanded Weather
• IFR Map Mode
• Garmin FliteCharts
• XM Weather – Now has PIREPs and icing forecast information

The Garmin 696 IFR map mode displays a map similar to a standard enroute chart that has important features like victor airways, jet routes, minimum enroute altitude (MEA) and leg distance. The 696′s IFR map mode also offers more situational awareness than traditional charts because it subtlety displays major visual reference points like rivers, state boundaries, highways and railroad tracks from Garmin’s built-in basemap.

The GPSMAP 696 also includes Garmin FliteCharts, an electronic version of the National Aeronautical Chart Office (NACO) U.S. Terminal Procedures Publication. With FliteCharts, pilots can quickly find and view all NACO departure procedures (DP), standard terminal arrival routes (STARs), approach charts and airport diagrams. If the current approach is known, the Garmin GPSMAP 696 automatically selects the correct chart based on the flight plan. FliteCharts are available every 28-days and will not be available on the Garmin 696 if they are not updated regularly. The Garmin GPSMAP 696 may be used in lieu of paper approach charts when used in accordance with AC 90-78.

The Garmin 696, like the 496 and 396 units, includes an XM radio and XM WX Satellite Weather (United States customers only) that gives next generation radar (NEXRAD), aviation routine weather reports (METARs), terminal aerodrome forecasts (TAFs), temporary flight restrictions (TFRs), lightning, winds aloft, turbulence forecasts, and several other important weather products. The Garmin 696 is also Garmin’s first portable device with PIREPs and icing forecast information. The weather data may be laid directly over the unit’s navigation and topographic map databases

Garmin 696 Additional Features

• Smart Airspace – automatically highlights airspace close to the pilot’s current altitude and de-emphasizes airspace away from the current altitude
• Safe Taxi – geo-referenced diagrams of over 850 U.S. airports that identify runways, taxiways and hangars, as well as the aircraft’s exact location on the field
• AOPA Airport Directory – electronic version of AOPA’s popular U.S. pilot guide that includes information for over 5,300 public-use airports and more than 7,000 FBOs, such as pilot services, ground transportation, lodging, restaurants, and local attractions.

Garmin 696 – What’s in the box?

• Garmin GPSMAP 696 Unit
• Yoke Mount
• GXM 40 Smart Antenna
• Cigarette-lighter Adapter
• AC Adapter Cable
• USB-to-PC Interface Cable
• Low Profile Remote GPS Antenna
• Garmin 696 Unit Cover
• Free Jeppesen Update Certificate
• Garmin 696 Owners Manual and Quick Reference Guide

Garmin 696 Pricing and Availablity

Garmin plans to begin shipping Garmin GPSMAP 696 units on November 5th, 2008 at a price of $3,296.
Initial quantities will be limited so we strongly recommend pre-ordering.
Click Here to order yours today.

Garmin 695 Pricing and Availablity

Please Note: The Garmin 695 has the same features as the 696 with the exception of XM Weather.
Garmin plans to begin shipping Garmin GPSMAP 695 units on November 5th, 2008 at a price of $2,695.
Initial quantities will be limited so we strongly recommend pre-ordering.
Click Here to order yours today.

The Garmin Aviation Experts at Tropic Aero/Banyan Pilot Shop have put together a few instructional videos on Garmin’s Portable GPSmap units (the Garmin 196 – Garmin 496). These videos are short and to the point and were created to give people hands-on answers to some of the most commonly asked questions.

To view the videos, visit www.TropicAero.com, go to the page for the Garmin unit you’re interested in, and click the “Free Videos” tab to view a list of available videos. Our you can click these links directly:

Garmin 496
Garmin 396
Garmin 495
Garmin 296
Garmin 196

Got a question that you’d like to see answered in a video format? Click the comments link below and let us know.

We recently received an email with a question from a customer regarding the Weather Age Report on the 496.  Since they were unable to find a published answer, we thought it was worth sharing.

CUSTOMERS EMAIL
"I have a question about the 496 I purchased from you for which I have not been able to find an answer either in the manual or on Garmin’s support pages.  On the map page, the symbol next to the weather age report changes sometimes from Wx to what looks like a pause symbol and then sometimes what appears to be a play symbol .  Can you explain this or refer me to the answer?  Thanks.  Floyd."

ANSWER
Hello Floyd, the "Play" symbol is shown when the Weather is in "Animate" mode. This is from the XM downloads.  Since the unit updates the NEXRAD radar every 5 minutes, it then creates a "movie" of the weather. The weather movie is shown from 30 minutes to the present time. With the 6 frames of NEXRAD, you have a movie. The other symbol is the "pause" or stop animate weather. To get to these options, on the MAP page press MENU once to get a pop up screen.  From there you can select ANIMATE WEATHER to play all the time. You can also stop the weather animation in the same MENU.

I hope this explains some of the symbols and their meanings. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Thanks.
Pete, Tropic Aero

Whether you own a Garmin 496, Garmin 495, or any of the other Garmin Portable Aviation Units, it’s very important to keep the unit’s software up-to-date.  Doing so will ensure that your unit will continue to function at peak performance and in most cases it will also fix any performance issue your unit may be having.  Software updates are free and Garmin recommends using their WebUpdater application.

WebUpdater

WebUpdater is a free application that Garmin created to make updating your Garmin GPS software a breeze.  Once you’ve downloaded WebUpdater to your computer, all you need to do is connect your GPS to your computer, run the WebUpdater application (You will find it on your computer at:  START >> PROGRAMS >> GARMIN >> WEBUPDATER), and follow the screen prompts.  WebUpdater will first check to verify that you have the most current WebUpdater software and update it if necessary.  It will then download and install the most current software update into your Garmin GPS unit.  That’s it!  Plus, unlike previous versions, once you’ve downloaded the WebUpdater software you will never have to do it again.

>> Download WebUpdater Now