GPS Navigation System? Systems manufactured by Garmin are the world’s standard of reference when it comes to GPS navigation and orientation, both on the ground and in the air.
The latest product launched by the Kansas City corporation is an item that is designed for use on helicopters using visual flight rules, as an orientation and navigation support.
The G500H helicopter navigator has just been approved by the FAA, and is equipped with two different displays, where you can see data pertaining to altitude, geographical coordinates, horizontal and vertical speed, as well as, of course, a map of the terrain below the helicopter, and the relevant vehicle position not only related to the terrain, but also in comparison with its route to destination.
By using a complex and powerful computer graphic model, G500H is capable of clearly recreating the characteristics of the terrain below, for example by clearly displaying rivers, hills and any obstacle you may find on your way. All this is graphically rendered in three dimensions, in such a realistic way that is is almost not necessary to look out the window to maintain a completely safe visual flight route, even in conditions of low visibility due to fog.
For those who own a helicopter and should be interested in purchasing it, this navigation system does not exactly come cheap, as its price tag says approximately 25000 dollars. But since wea re talking about helicopters, those who can afford one do not really have this kind of problems. After all, if a medium sized car uses a GPS navigations system worth 10% of the vehicle price, a 250 thousand dollar helicopter can easily keep the same proportion for its GPS, right?