MD Helicopters, Inc. (MDHI), a leading manufacturer of commercial and military helicopters, has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification of the Garmin G500H electronic flat panel displays. The G500H system, approved under the Type Certificate of the MD 500, is available for production and for retrofit installation for the MD 500E, MD 530F and MD 520N helicopters. Installation is immediately available for production aircraft, and for retrofit installations performed at the MD Factory Service Center in Mesa, Arizona. Kits will soon be available for installation at either MD Authorized Service Centers or at Garmin Authorized Dealer Network facilities.

“Upgrading the flight display systems and the single engine cockpit was a priority for the Company, said Lynn Tilton, CEO of MD Helicopters. This offering allows our single-engine customer base to enhance their favored airframe with the revolutionary pilot-centered avionics tools Garmin offers.”

The Primary Flight Display (PFD) and Multi Function Display (MFD) provide easy visual scanning and interpretation. Garmin’s G500H dual-screen electronic flight display offers an affordable flight solution that meets the needs of the most demanding helicopter missions. The PFD screen shows attitude, airspeed, altitude, climb rate and course/heading information — while the MFD screen provides detailed moving-map graphics depicting the helicopter’s current position in relation to ground features, chart data, navaids and flight plan routings. Optional Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT) provides unparalleled situational awareness crucial to helicopter operations. To help monitor location on unfamiliar airports, the G500H comes with preloaded geo-referenced SafeTaxi® diagrams for over 900 U.S. airports. A simple-to-navigate interface is accessed by a rotary knob for data entry and soft-keys for mode selection. A front-loading SD card slot makes it easy to add data and make updates.

The MD 500 series helicopters provide advanced operational capabilities, excellent mission versatility and precise performance. This dependable workhorse has greater take-off power at significantly higher hover ceiling levels than its competitors. The MD 500 is known for its speed, agility, low direct operating costs and the ability to operate with ease in confined spaces.