Garmin announces affordable HTAWS Option for the GNS 430W/530W family of products

Garmin International has announced a new Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning System (HTAWS) for the GNS 430W/530W series navigators. HTAWS is available as an option on newly purchased systems or as a field upgrade for current owners.

When added to the GNS 430W/530W navigators, operators will receive graphical and audible alerts of potential terrain and obstacle conflicts along the flight path.

"Garmin is serious about safety, and HTAWS is life saving technology that will increase safety of flight," said Gary Kelley, Garmin's vice president of marketing.

Garmin's HTAWS has forward-looking terrain avoidance (FLTA) capability with visual and aural advisories to keep pilots advised of hazardous terrain. It incorporates a new five-color terrain scale (red, orange, yellow, green and black), and also gives terrain voice alerts when descending below 500 feet. Voice callouts operate in all HTAWS modes, and Garmin's technology allows the pilot to select multiple callouts, in one hundred foot intervals, descending from 500 to 100 feet above ground level (AGL). In addition, Garmin's HTAWS offers a reduced protection (RP) mode that allows low-level operations with minimal alerting while continuing to provide terrain and obstacle protection.

Garmin has incorporated three new helicopter-specific databases for HTAWS. The obstacle database adds nearly 30,000 additional low-altitude obstacles. The new terrain database has been enhanced to show higher resolution. The navigation database lets operators navigate to over 7,000 heliports without having to create user waypoints at those locations.

In addition to viewing HTAWS information on the GNS 430W/530W series, rotorcraft operators who have also installed the new G500H can display all HTAWS annunciations on the G500H's large PFD and MFD.

Garmin's HTAWS is expected to be certified and available in the second quarter of 2010 for $9,995 as a field-upgrade or as an option on new GNS 430W/530W series products. Additional information about Garmin's HTAWS or complete line of helicopter products is available at garmin.com/helicopters.

Source: Garmin International