34 MAY 2020 ÇPlane&Pilot
The uptake is that a few GI 275s can effec-
tively replace all of the flight instruments in
an analog panel, and they can do it incredibly
cost effectively.
Indeed, the economics of it are compelling.
For around $5,000, an aircraft owner could
install a single primary display. And for around
$20,000, an owner could replace the entire classic
six-pack of flight instruments and come away
with what’s essentially all the capability of a flat-
panel suite but with far lower installation costs.
Just how many and which instruments will
pilots choose to install in their planes? It’s hard
to say. For starters, there are many possible
combinations. Decisions will be driven in part
by the existing equipment in the airplane, and
others will be based on the available budget
of the owner or the value of the airplane the
instruments are going into, though with used
plane values rapidly rising, that calculation is
changing as we speak.
Here are the primary roles the chameleon
that is the GI 275 can play.PRIMARY ATTITUDE INDICATOR
When serving as, to use Garmin’s term, a primary
attitude indicator, the GI 275 offers a number of
upgrades over any analog gauge, as well as a host
of improvements over the company’s popular
G5 instrument. For one thing, you get rid of the
vacuum-powered gyro, which is a huge safety
improvement. You also get all kinds of added
features that no analog gauge ever dreamed
of having.
These include:- Display of altitude, airspeed and heading on
the instrument. It’s all there before your eyes. - Lateral and vertical deviation indications and
selected nav source. - There’s also altitude pre-select for autopilot
interface when paired with the GFC600. - Heading bug select.
- Optional synthetic vision, which overlays a
3D view of the outside world, including traf-
fic, terrain, airport locator tags, obstacle (like
towers and high terrain) and more. - Display of flight path marker (when tied with
the optional synthetic vision), for immediate
reference not to what the gauges say but to
where you’re actually headed. - There’s even a built-in VFR GPS, with optional
glare shield-mounted antenna that can be
driven by the GI 275’s internal battery even in
case of an aircraft electrical loss for limited,
direct-to guidance from the GI 275 itself.- With the battery installed as part of the setup,
it’s got a 60-minute backup battery life, and
that’s a conservative figure.
- With the battery installed as part of the setup,
CDI (COURSE DEVIATION
INDICATOR) AND HSI (HORIZONTAL
SITUATION INDICATOR)
The GI 275 can be used as a navigation display,
using a variety of navigator inputs to display
course deviation indications laterally or verti-
cally ( for glideslope on ILS or RNAV approaches),
all while having the capability of displaying
additional data, such as moving map, weather,
terrain and traffic.PRIMARY ENGINE DISPLAY
When used as a display of engine informa-
tion for normally aspirated or turbocharged
piston engines from Continental and Lycoming
four- or six-cylinder engines, the GI 275 can
display RPM, manifold pressure, cylinder head
temperature, exhaust gas temperature, turbine
inlet temperature and more, including leaning
assist, while also issuing alerts for exceedances,
as allowed for and detailed in the handbook.MULTIFUNCTION DISPLAY (MFD)
The GI 275 can, when configured and installed
to do so, display, in Garmin’s words, “additional
page functions and features beyond a traditional
flight instrument,” though what there is about
this instrument in any regard that doesn’t go
beyond a traditional flight instrument is hardWhen paired with Garmin sensors, the EIS version of the GI 275 provides
comprehensive engine information at a glance. Other features include
leaning assist and customizable exceedance settings.