What’s new in avionics? There were no big announcements at AirVenture. But, as was reported in the July 2023 issue of Avionics News, last April, Garmin announced and introduced PlaneSync, at the Aircraft Electronics Association’s (AEA) International Convention and Trade show in Orlando, Florida, back in April. This will supposedly be on the market late this year, 3rd quarter, or sometime next year.
Check this out. Like many other things now, while on the ground, PlaneSync connects pilots to their airplanes, from remote locations, using the LTE cellular network. It can even do this while the pilot is on the beach relaxing, provided there is a WIFI connection! And it can allow for automatic database updates. So, your aircraft will always be ready to fly now. No waiting around for an update….
It will also be able to check on some aircraft systems, including; the Hobbs meter, tach and flight times, battery voltage, OAT, oil temperature and the GPS location. This is amazing! This would include, checking to make sure an aircraft has been fueled, for example. However, this does not relieve the pilot of any of his preflight duties.
It will send the aircraft status info to the Garmin Pilot App. According to the Garmin website, it appears that PlaneSync will work with any ‘supported avionics’, namely Garmin avionics, as long as the pilot has the Garmin Pilot App on his/her device. So, this introduces a new level of aircraft management, as you will now be able to keep tabs on your aircraft while at home, the office, the hotel or the FBO more easily when traveling.
For more information on this, go to https://www.garmin.com/en-US/planesync/
if you have the Garmin Pilot app, and the applicable avionics, this is something for you to consider. So, this is one more handy tool for your EFB!
Fly safely,
John
