About gps receivers
Since their introduction over a decade ago, IFR-approved GPS receivers have evolved considerably, from rudimentary numerical displays to full-color devices with moving maps and multifunction display (MFD) technology. Currently, IFR-certified GPS receivers cost between $4,500 and $15,000 to buy and install, plus an estimated $700 or more a year for required database revisions.
Many first-generation GPS receivers are available on the used market. Although neither as automated nor as simple to operate as state-of-the-art navigators, first-generation receivers still perform well and may represent a good buy for some owners.
New receivers, however, have many now-standard features and “hooks” available for additional features such as airborne datalink for weather and collision avoidance information. They also tend to be more user-friendly.
Newer receivers incorporate color displays—as in the Garmin GNS 400/500 series and the Bendix/King KLN 94—and can accommodate larger multifunction displays. GPS is also an integral component of the glass panel systems (the Avidyne Flight-Max Entegra and Garmin G1000, for example) that are rapidly becoming the industry standard in factory-new GA aircraft.
It’s important for pilots to remember that although GPS receiver certification requirements are considered inviolate, each manufacturer satisfies them in a different way—particularly with regard to required switches, annunciators, and the autosequence function. In the latest generation of IFRapproved receivers, for example, autosequencing of waypoints is more highly automated than it is in first-generation equipment, which required manual input and setup from the pilot.
Current GPS receivers are not required to use standard terminology. For this reason, pilots should spend plenty of time becoming familiar with each GPS unit they use.
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