It’s official: Garmin can now add to its list of avionics specialties the coveted title of TCAS maker. The company announced last month it has gained an approved model list STC for its
recently launched line of traffic alert systems, including a fully functioning TCAS I. The approval permits installations of the products in some 580 general aviation aircraft, with more expected to be added to the blanket authorization later this year. Garmin obtained TSO approval for the GTS 800, GTS 820 and GTS 850 traffic alert systems in November after launching the product line last summer.
The GTS line covers the gamut of GA aircraft, from light piston singles up to turboprops and jets. The traffic alerters combine active and passive surveillance data that uses a new, patent-pending Garmin technology capable of correlating automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) with radar targets to provide pilots with a more accurate picture of the sky. “The GTS traffic series is one of several aviation products designed to be compatible with the NextGen system,” said Gary Kelly, vice president of marketing for Garmin. “It can track up to 60 targets at a time, identify the flight path of specific aircraft, and give spoken audio alerts in an ATC-like format so that pilots are able to react immediately to their surrounding traffic situation.”
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