Garmin added yet another piece of automation to its database structure with Guided Visual Approaches, a new database offering that provides lateral and vertical guidance for pilots flying visual approaches to challenging airports.
Designed in collaboration with Hughes Aerospace, a growing list of 31 Guided Visual Approaches into 25 airports can be purchased through Garmin’s FlyGarmin.com portal. When using Guided Visuals, the experience is a similar look and feel as traditional approaches from the time you load them into the avionics all the way to flying them to the runway. All of the Guided Visual Approaches have a georeferenced approach chart available, and Garmin said the idea is to make briefing and flying these procedures a familiar experience.
Since the Guided Visuals have lateral and vertical guidance, they can couple with the autopilot as another backstop while keeping the eyes outside the aircraft in the final stages of the approach. It’s simple—they’re displayed as RNAV G approaches, and are loaded into Garmin’s integrated flight decks or navigators the same way as traditional approaches are.
Guided visual approaches are available as a OnePack or navigation database subscription and can be purchased on the FlyGarmin.com website, just like other Garmin database options. Garmin has published a list of available Guided Visual procedures on its website.
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