Huddled around a conference table at Garmin’s Olathe, Kansas, headquarters this past June for my briefing on AXIS, a clean-sheet next-gen retrofit flight display system, Garmin’s Jim Alpiser immediately pointed out that buyers have been asking for a mass retrofit solution with a form factor mimicking the longtime OEM-standard G1000. That’s multiple big screens with all-in-one integration that doesn’t require external IFR GPS units, VHF radios, or audio panels that for years required a traditional radio stack or real estate somewhere on the instrument panel.
Sticking these units inside of the main display chassis curtails install effort in a big way and eliminates the fat wiring bundles that are a weak link in long-term reliability. For the pilot, having the GPS, VHF radios, and audio controller in the main display also keeps the eyeballs and fingers in one place and that can lighten workload, especially when data entering on the fly. In the modern day where clean panels rule the roost, a self-contained G1000-like design for the retrofit market seems logical.
Plus, it was time for a Garmin glass refresh. The date stamp on my photos and videos say it was summer of 2019 when I flew one of the first demos of Garmin’s G3X Touch for certified aircraft in the Grumman Tiger that Garmin used for the far-reaching STC. The certified version of the G3X Touch made big-screen Garmin glass available to more smaller GA planes, but even a couple of years ago the market speculated over a newer system because the non-TSO G3X Touch has been in play even longer for experimentals.
A new alternative is here and don’t call it the G4X. Instead, it’s AXIS, named partly for a well-deserved nod to Garmin’s talented Team X aviation engineering division, who build airplanes and fly with this equipment like you and me. Plus, Garmin says this next-gen system creates a new product category of integrated flight displays that eliminate the radio stack, making AXIS “the center of the panel which all of the axes revolve around.”
After flying with AXIS in Garmin’s Beech Baron, I call it a terrific balance of utility and useful safety features, with fast processing speeds and impressive screen graphics. You can see the AXIS flight demo here, and read on for an overview.
Scalable, Customizable
Garmin says the scalable AXIS suite has the most integrated and customizable displays ever offered in the GA market, and the most basic configuration is a single-screen 8-inch landscape or portrait PFD/MFD planned for early 2027. The first AXIS versions on the Approved Model List STC for hundreds of Part 23 Class I/II aircraft (available right away) are 11.6-inch primary touch displays. The 8-inch screens can be used as primary, and as a companion to the larger display for showing engine and fuel data, plus mapping, charts, traffic, and a long list of other features. Some features even trickle in from the Garmin Pilot EFB program.
A non-TSO version of AXIS is available for experimentals and light sport models (supporting up to six displays), while certified suites can include as many as four screen combinations. Still, even one single 11.6-inch screen accommodates a lot of data made easier to digest thanks to crisp graphics, larger icons, and more screen area because there is less bezel. For planes tight on panel space, I think the 8-inch screens will be popular options for Garmin buyers who want something larger than a GI 275 or G5. For normal-sized panels, a couple of full-sized 11.6-inch displays is indeed easy on the eyes.
If you’ve recently spent big for a G3X Touch installation, don’t fret too much. Garmin said it will still offer the system for now (it’s breaking this news to folks like you gently, I suppose), but there’s no reason to believe it can’t support the G3X Touch for years to come.
But given the choice, I can’t see many buyers starting from scratch choosing a G3X Touch over the new AXIS. As a regular G3X Touch user, I walked away from the demo feeling that AXIS is worlds ahead of the old system in almost every way.
It starts with a streamlined installation with options for self-contained navigators, radios, and audio control systems like in the G1000. The good news is if you already have a radio stack with the latest GTN Xi navigators and Garmin’s audio panels and radios, the AXIS will work with them. That means existing G3X Touch owners can swap the old display(s) with the new AXIS with minimal wiring changes, but not a direct plug and play. While AXIS uses the same main display connectors as the old G3X Touch, the new displays connect via HSDB (high-speed data bus) and that requires adding as many as eight new wires to connect AXIS displays with the existing external GPS and radios, but in the best case a wire or two. As for the argument that external navigators and radios offer fail-safe redundancy, I’m not so sure. Think of all the wiring harnesses (and potential problems) that are eliminated by building the units into the main display chassis via PCBs.
Wiring aside, existing G3X Touch owners can leave the cutting tools in the box. Knowing there will be enough of these owners wanting to do an AXIS upgrade just to get the latest display and features, Team X designed the new 11.6-inch AXIS screens to replace a G3X Touch 10.6-inch display without having to do any panel rework because the new bezel fits the same cutout and mounting points. Better yet, AXIS works with the existing primary flight data sensors, including magnetometer and air data unit. You’ll still need a standby flight instrument—Garmin’s GI 275 or G5 will be most common—for backup, no matter which configuration you get.
At press time, Garmin was working on the final engine and fuel data certification for twins. It worked fine in the test bed Baron.
Choose Your Layout
Shops will be working hard nailing accurate proposals while also educating its customers on what makes the most sense for a given panel. It can get tricky. Starting basic, AXIS doesn’t come standard with built-in IFR GPS/VHF radios (essentially, integrated GTN Xi navigators and Garmin’s GNC navcom), but instead a VFR GPS for basic navigation just as the G3X Touch does.
These built-in IFR GPS and VHF modules are optional and that makes sense because there are plenty of planes sporting full stacks of the latest Garmin gear, including GTN Xi navigators and the smaller 2-inch touch navigators. Unless a total panel refurb is in the plans, I suspect many owners will keep their center stacks and the GTN Xi units that fill them. On the other hand, there will also be lots of number crunching going on at Garmin dealerships, with owners trading in otherwise capable GTN navigators to get into a full-up AXIS suite with all the sensors built in. That will push good GTN units to the used market where you can bet resale value will be high. Consider that a new GTN 750Xi is priced at $20,995 and the GTN 650Xi is $14,995. Legacy GNS and GTN (non-Txi) will work with AXIS, but because they don’t have HSDB connectivity as the Xi does, things like remote flight plan edits and database concierge won’t work.
In my estimation it makes good sense to build the audio panel into the display given the wiring that’s required of a standalone modern panel. The optional audio panel for the AXIS has a four-place intercom with Bluetooth, plus dual-comm switching that can also work with one external VHF radio. You can display the audio control panel as a split screen on the PFD or full screen on the 8-inch display. No, the AXIS doesn’t have a built-in autopilot. Initially it will be compatible with the GFC 500 autopilot and future plans include interfacing it with the GFC 600 autopilot, as it was in the Baron.
Flying It
I strapped into Garmin’s Baron 58 with Jessica Koss on a blazing hot Kansas summer day and was immediately struck by how much glass there is with three AXIS screens on the panel—dual 11.6-inch PFD/MFD units for pilot and copilot and an 8-inch portrait screen in the center that serves double duty as an EIS engine and fuel system display like the 7-inch display does in the G3X Touch. Roll it all up and it’s what you would expect a retrofit next-gen G1000 might look like. To me, the AXIS looks and feels far more modern than a G1000, with tighter graphics and a touchscreen. And it’s quite configurable, enabling the pilot (not necessarily the installer) to set up the displays to his liking. There’s a lot to configure because the feature set has been expanded from the G3X Touch.
In fact, the AXIS feature set shares many of the high-level functions found in the Garmin G3000 Prime integrated avionics suite for the turbine aircraft market and I couldn’t help but recognize some of that smart logic on the AXIS PFD. That’s a good thing because Garmin has put a heavy emphasis on safety systems in its big-airplane systems. But some of the logic also trickles down from the current version of the G1000 Nxi, including the HSI Map feature, where you can configure the electronic HSI window to contain traffic, weather, and map data.
I think having the secondary (or third) 8-inch display will be as handy in the AXIS setup as the 7-inch display is in the G3X Touch because you can spread the data out to keep the PFD data in order. Maybe you want a full-page engine and fuel data during takeoff, and then switch to a full-screen weather, or map display, or chart viewer while en route. it’s really a flexible feature set.
If you’re a Garmin Pilot app user, you’ll recognize some of the features on AXIS, including the Map Radial Menu feature for quick-touch waypoint information. The Radial Menu is accessed by long-pressing on the map and displays context-sensitive buttons for information found within the inner radius of the menu. The context-sensitive buttons provide details for airports, navaids, and weather stations. No matter where the Radial Menu appears, it will always provide the option to navigate direct to the location or create a user waypoint.
If you’re familiar with Garmin’s GTN Xi navigator logic, the built-in IFR GPS in AXIS will be old hat. It has visual approaches in the database where you can load and fly a visual with lateral and vertical guidance (with autopilot coupling) and you can push flight plans in and out to Garmin Pilot or ForeFlight through the built-in wireless interface. If you retain an external GTN Xi or 2-inch Garmin navigator (GPS 175/GNX 375), you can edit flight plan data on the navigator or on the AXIS display. The system also supports Garmin’s Height Advisor radar altimeter, plus Garmin’s GCO 14 integrated carbon monoxide detector. There’s also the display Widgets feature, where you can configure dedicated compact windows of data for display on the side of the PFD screen (traffic, flight plan, and nearest airport as examples) and it’s another feature that trickles down from the G1000 Xi.
Perhaps one of the most powerful utilities in AXIS is Garmin’s ROA, for Runway Occupancy Awareness. This uses ADS-B traffic data to alert when there is an aircraft on the selected landing runway. In my demo, we had another Garmin test aircraft park on the Runway 15 threshold at Lawrence Regional Airport in Kansas—which was in direct conflict for our approach to land. We only planned a low approach, of course, but ROA clearly shows the aircraft on the virtual runway along with its ADS-B traffic tag, which turns from white to red as you approach the runway. There’s also a big red block on the synthetic runway along with red chevrons, plus a “Traffic, Runway 15,” voice alert. You’d have to be completely clueless to land on another aircraft with ROA working in the background.
For moving around the airport, there’s the optional SurfaceWatch runway monitoring for visual and aural cues so you don’t launch off a taxiway. I think Garmin did a great job improving on its SVT synthetic vision and on the new AXIS screens it looks stunning. Rolling out of the chocks and with SafeTaxi alive, you’ll see a three-dimensional, exocentric view of the airport environment on the PFD showing taxiways, runways, hangars, and any surrounding buildings. Once you cross the hold short line moving onto the runway, it changes from exocentric to a normal synthetic view of the runway environment. With this synthetic backstop, even I can navigate around a complicated airport without blundering. I’ve flown with SurfaceWatch in several current-gen Cirrus models and it’s on the money precise.
With so many users loading flight and engine data logs to analysis services like FlySto and Savvy Aviation (you first need to load it to the Garmin Pilot app or Garmin’s GDL 60 datalink and PlaneSync services), AXIS can automatically dump the data at shutdown. There’s a built-in USB-C port on the lower bezel for charging portable stuff.
I flew with AXIS on a bright afternoon, flying into and away from full sun—the perfect test for the clarity on all that glass. The data never washed out and the side viewing angle on the displays was good, but I also found the screens to be fairly reflective. You’ll see it in the video.
The No-Stack Argument
Relocating navigators and radios away from the avionics stack to front and center on the main PFD might benefit the pilot, I suppose. Who hasn’t been hand flying with eyeballs focused down on or over to a displaced radio stack for too long, messing around with a poorly positioned GPS, and the plane wanders off? Panel layout doesn’t get nearly enough thought during retrofits.
But ergos aside, I think more about the owner who pays lots of avionics shop labor to troubleshoot aging wiring as problems develop somewhere in the thick bundles that route between remote boxes and displays. Get enough hands in an installation over time, plus take it apart and put it back together enough, and eventually something related to external wiring will break.
For sure, a self-contained AXIS will be easier on kitplane builders. Amateur alert: You’re not an experimental kit builder unless you’re chasing at least some avionics wiring issues. Harnesses get stressed, poor chafe protection causes wiring troubles, and vibration takes a toll on solder connections and crimps. This isn’t to say PCB modules don’t fail, though they might be more sheltered inside of a display chassis.
That’s because racked radios are a source of heat. Besides the bezels burning your paws when the units heat to near the TSO limit in hot cabins, radiant heat from a confined radio stack stresses other colocated small components. Heat is the enemy to longevity.
I think main displays with onboard LRUs are here to stay, saving wiring bundles and also making future upgrades a plug-and play event.
—Larry Anglisano
Want One?
Let’s crunch some basic numbers, starting on a basic level. There are a lot of experimental G3X Touch systems in the field—including ones going in kit projects still under construction and not to be flown for who knows how long. Thoughts might immediately turn to upgrading out of the G3X Touch and into AXIS and what that might cost. As one of many examples, an 11.6-inch base VFR experimental AXIS display with sensors and install kit for is $8,000. Check that against a comparable 10.6-inch landscape experimental G3X Touch with equivalent kits that has a list price of $7,730.
For buyers with Part 23 Class I/II planes that haven’t seen an avionics upgrade in years, an IFR AXIS will be a major investment, but with an installation effort that promises to be easier than a G3X Touch with separate IFR GPS, VHF radios, and audio panel. An AXIS with 11.6-inch display with built-in IFR GPS, VHF navcomm, and audio panel is $28,000, plus installation. Add a second 11.6-inch screen to that package and you’re up to $51,800, not counting engine or fuel display capability, which starts at just under $11,000 for Garmin’s EIS. You’ll also need a standby flight instrument, and of course an autopilot. Yes—when the dust settles at the shop, it’s a big number.
As impressive as the AXIS is, I think it somewhat complicates an already muddy buying decision in a crowded lineup of Garmin displays. More than ever, buyers will need to lobby the help of a trusted Garmin dealership to get the right combination. In addition to the G3X Touch (for now), Garmin also offers the TXi series flight displays. These come in 12.1-inch and 10.6-inch formats, and also a 7-inch portrait screen for optional EIS. Unlike the AXIS, the TXi can work with third-party avionics including legacy analog systems, plus they have software-assurance levels required for certification in aircraft beyond Class I/II models.
So what’s the market for AXIS? I think it’s pretty broad and with a long, bright future. For kit builders and certified aircraft owners who are starting from scratch with a full-up Garmin avionics installation, I think the AXIS will be an easy sell, and it’s as fresh as any modern avionics retrofit can be. Still, after spending a day around the system in a demo kiosk and flying with it, Garmin’s Jim Alpiser asked me if I thought owners of existing G3X Touch displays would readily upgrade to the new AXIS and my guess was as good as his. Of course there will always be buyers who want the latest gee whiz gear no matter what it takes. For budget-minded owners content with the good-performing G3X Touch, a display swap to an AXIS might bring pause.
On the other hand, an AXIS with a built-in IFR GPS can make for a straightforward IFR upgrade for a lot of basic light sport models that are tight on panel space. As one example, for our little VFR Van’s RV equipped with a single 10-inch G3X Touch, a display swap-out to a GPS-optioned AXIS would be a heck of a lot easier than installing an IFR navigator on the small panel. With MOSAIC on the doorstep, there will be plenty of owners noodling this upgrade.
No matter the application, those who make the investment in a fully integrated AXIS will get a system that’s easier to install with less wiring to maintain, a panel with generally cleaner ergos, and a generous feature set with safety- focused utility that trickles down from Garmin’s latest avionics for turbine-powered aircraft, plus some well-worn features that have worked well in the G1000 platform. We’ll keep tabs on it all and report back with an update.
In the meantime, we’ll look at the wider market and upgrade considerations for big-screen EFIS in a future Smart Aviator feature here on AvBrief.
I like the look of the RV8 panel. I save a panel slot on my RV8 for an external Garmin IFR unit but this should be the approach all of the avionics provide should make. The avionic stack is an old carry over from the analog equipment. Since everything is integrated into an EFIS, I have to wonder why it takes so long for Garmin to do this. Perhaps Dynon development of its own GPS IFR solution drove Garmin to do something.
I’m sorry. $28,000 per display? For something that surely has a BOM cost of 3 figures. I’m thrilled to see Garmin integrating the radio stack (something advanced has been doing for years now), but this kind of pricing is exactly why folks are being priced out of GA. And the experimental version is VFR GPS only, with no comm, nav, or audio panel… So exactly like the g3x then. Smh.
The $28k is for the IFR-capable unit, so it’s certified and predictably expensive. You wouldn’t have 2 of them.
The VFR unit is certainly not like the G3X. It’s far more capable.
Then what would be your backup?
You don’t need a backup. I have one IFR navigator in my aircraft.
So do I. But for new installs, I would think either an AXIS panel + GTN or two AXIS panels would be safest.
Well, if your budget allows for two units at $28k each…
I don’t think most people will do that. Left side, IFR. Right side, VFR.
Great review, and thanks for including some pricing.
Meh
I would love to nominate my 1994 Mooney Bravo for certification tests
Will the Axis software be downloadable into the Current G3X? Or would it be a simple swap out for my current G3X, just installed in Dec 2025?
I’m fairly certain that the Axis SW would not be compatible with the G3X.
And yes, it’s a swap out.
The glass is nice, but the backside is an “Oh, my!” experience. So long, 20th century. The future is today.
Hi Larry. Have they released how much it is to add on a transponder/ADS-B solution with in/out capabilities? Presumably from the panel pictures, it is not a separate control head as is the case for the autopilot.
For those wanting SXM weather, is the GDL69 still the solution, or can it also be built in?
Are there any rumors of Garmin working with Starlink or Amazon Leo to provide fast weather data to the AXIS units, as well as distribute wireless internet access throughout the cabin?
Also, wanted to let you know I like the FlyingEyes prescription sunglasses. I tried the frames at Sun N’ Fun and the Kingfisher Wide Sport worked best for my big and wide head. Despite a strong distance prescription, I’m not noticing any significant distortion despite the lenses being large. Very comfortable.
Just when I was thinking a six pack with an HSI was living high on the hog. I going to guess these items will be a learning experience for us more senior aviators. I just completed an American Fliers pay one price CFI course. It is really starting to emphasize having knowledge in these more advanced types of navigation and displays. But like me, I also am guessing a lot of CFIs just can’t teach it. You’re going to need a professional school to learn or refresh on it. My opinion.
This is a good point and something I meant to say in my reporting is that Garmin is planning to offer formal training for the AXIS, including in-person classes. I think it’s important given the feature set. G3X Touch users consistently asked for more training solutions, but it didn’t really exist. I plan to attend the AXIS session as I have with other Garmin course and will prepare a report on the experience.
Is it VOR capable? If the FAA is keeping a MON for VOR, why would you not want the capability to make use of it?
As neat as this all appears to be, the panel at the top of the article is $125K+. You could buy a servicable airplane for that amount of money. I always thought the promise of techonological advancement was that things were supposed to get cheaper/better/faster. After 35 years as a pilot, I’ve yet to see that play out in GA.