Van's Air Force
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Garmin Aera Users
- Thread starter bgaston
- Start date
I have the 500, not the 510, so I can't comment on the weather capability. But as for the first two, I recently flew my RV-6 from Idaho to British Columbia with the Aera mounted on the passenger stick using the included yoke mount. For the whole flight, the GPS sat at about the level of the top of the stick, tilted at a 45 degree angle up so I could see it. That meant it was 45 degrees to the sky as well.
I flew through mostly cloudy areas, but broke into some sunny ones a few times. In clouds, absolutely no problem reading the screen. In sun, it was a little washed out and I had to shield it with my hand. I found that it was easier to read the screen with my sunglasses off, too. I've since re-located the GPS to the panel, under the glareshield, I haven't been able to fly it again to test that location but I expect it to improve.
The touch screen was mostly no problem in rough air. It is a little difficult to hit the right button in rough air but the user interface takes that into account and offers nice large buttons to push for most things. The only exception was trying to type in an airport identifier on the on-screen keyboard, the individual letters are a little smaller and require a bit more concentration to pick up accurately if you're being bounced around. I expect it to be easier with the GPS on the panel where I can brace my hand on the side of the GPS while pushing buttons... With it on the stick I sort of had to "float" my hand in front of the GPS rather than change course while I played with the GPS.
AirGizmos is coming out with a panel mount for the Aera, but I just unbolted the Garmin mount from the yoke mount and screwed it to the panel instead. Ran the cable behind the panel to the cigarette lighter socket, and it looks built-in. For now, that'll do!
I flew through mostly cloudy areas, but broke into some sunny ones a few times. In clouds, absolutely no problem reading the screen. In sun, it was a little washed out and I had to shield it with my hand. I found that it was easier to read the screen with my sunglasses off, too. I've since re-located the GPS to the panel, under the glareshield, I haven't been able to fly it again to test that location but I expect it to improve.
The touch screen was mostly no problem in rough air. It is a little difficult to hit the right button in rough air but the user interface takes that into account and offers nice large buttons to push for most things. The only exception was trying to type in an airport identifier on the on-screen keyboard, the individual letters are a little smaller and require a bit more concentration to pick up accurately if you're being bounced around. I expect it to be easier with the GPS on the panel where I can brace my hand on the side of the GPS while pushing buttons... With it on the stick I sort of had to "float" my hand in front of the GPS rather than change course while I played with the GPS.
AirGizmos is coming out with a panel mount for the Aera, but I just unbolted the Garmin mount from the yoke mount and screwed it to the panel instead. Ran the cable behind the panel to the cigarette lighter socket, and it looks built-in. For now, that'll do!
Just flew with the 560 this weekend. I think the brightness is fine in
direct sunlight. The 496 in the AirGizmo dock in the panel is under the
glare shield and looks a tad brighter but the 560 is not under the
glareshield (yet). I don't have the XM connected yet but according
to the manual the weather does overlay the map page (same as the 496).
The touch screen works good. So far (two flights) I really like it.
Being able to touch and drag the screen is neat. Just touching a point
on the screen brings up the info on that spot (ie airport, vor, airspace etc)
It's working logic is the same as other Garmin portables, it just
is by touch now. It is taking a little getting used but not bad. AVweb
has a short video that Aviation Consumer did at AOPA this year. It is
worth the look. One more thing. The power cord is vastly superior
to the multitude of wires on the 496.
http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/exc...deo_GarminAera_AOPASummit_Debut_201439-1.html
direct sunlight. The 496 in the AirGizmo dock in the panel is under the
glare shield and looks a tad brighter but the 560 is not under the
glareshield (yet). I don't have the XM connected yet but according
to the manual the weather does overlay the map page (same as the 496).
The touch screen works good. So far (two flights) I really like it.
Being able to touch and drag the screen is neat. Just touching a point
on the screen brings up the info on that spot (ie airport, vor, airspace etc)
It's working logic is the same as other Garmin portables, it just
is by touch now. It is taking a little getting used but not bad. AVweb
has a short video that Aviation Consumer did at AOPA this year. It is
worth the look. One more thing. The power cord is vastly superior
to the multitude of wires on the 496.
http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/exc...deo_GarminAera_AOPASummit_Debut_201439-1.html
jmbrwn
Well Known Member
I've had about 3 flights with mine so far and am absolutely satisfied with it. Very intuitive and touch screen is nice to use. I modified the mount for mine and have it mounted near the upper longeron on left side of cockpit...as I've seen other GPS's mounted. My panel is too full to mount it there.
N395V
Well Known Member
Flew an Aera 560 from Western Mississippi to South Florida and back this weekend over weather both ways.
The Good
If you have been using an X96 Garmin you will have no trouble with this unit. I played with it on the ground until the battery was dead then fully charged the unit. I purposely did not read the manual to see if I could figure it out.
Hand flew the plane anddid all the things I used to do on my 496 without any difficulty.
The screen is bright and just as visible as the 496 in all locations under a bubble canopy. The refresh rate is much quicker than the 496 and the resolution appears to be a bit better.
Even sitting on the floor under the windscreen it got tons of satellites without an external antenna.
Many are worried about the sensitivity of the touchscreen and this turned out not to be a concern. It wont go flitting off to Sri Lanka if you brush against it. An input takes a gentle, not quite firm, tap. Not so much that you crunch the screen but more than just a gentle touch.
It is no more a problem in turbulence than a 496.
Scrolling the map is much nicer and easier than th X96 series, it works just like an I phone.
The only thing I found more difficult than the X96 units was placing the cursor to obtain info. You have to touch (dead on ) with your finger the item you want info about. With the rocker switch, precision pointer placement was easy. With your finger this is less so. You need to cone in and spread things apart and then develop your finger aim to get it right. Takes awhile but accuracy is obtainable. A minor annoyance at worst.
Info is fewer strokes away (in some cases) than with the 496.
Fingerprints on the screen>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> these become a real problem if there is sunlight glare on the screen. Get it out of the glare and they are invisible. You are going to need to clean this screen more than you did the 496.
The form factor is great. Takes very little space in the plane, car, or overnight bag. As mentioned in a post above Garmin appears tohave fixed the poor connector problems of the past with this unit.
In my opinion the weather products are easier to navigate/find and the unit is easier to setup.
As I mentioned earlier without reading the manual I was able to hand fly 1200 NM (some of it through turbulence and much of it over a weather system) and was able to operate the unit as easily as my 496.
At the destination pull the unit out of the plane and pop it into the dash mount on a rental car and off you go. Works great in automotive mode (much nicer than the 496)
The Bad
The last leg of my trip was today through severe clear so I left off the weather reciever and ran on internal battery. This (to me) is the major downside of the unit. Only 2 &1/2 hours to dead battery (screen full bright)
The Ugly
No ugly.. just a great product.
Overall I really like the unit. I think Garmin got it right with this one.
Two thumbs up.
The Good
If you have been using an X96 Garmin you will have no trouble with this unit. I played with it on the ground until the battery was dead then fully charged the unit. I purposely did not read the manual to see if I could figure it out.
Hand flew the plane anddid all the things I used to do on my 496 without any difficulty.
The screen is bright and just as visible as the 496 in all locations under a bubble canopy. The refresh rate is much quicker than the 496 and the resolution appears to be a bit better.
Even sitting on the floor under the windscreen it got tons of satellites without an external antenna.
Many are worried about the sensitivity of the touchscreen and this turned out not to be a concern. It wont go flitting off to Sri Lanka if you brush against it. An input takes a gentle, not quite firm, tap. Not so much that you crunch the screen but more than just a gentle touch.
It is no more a problem in turbulence than a 496.
Scrolling the map is much nicer and easier than th X96 series, it works just like an I phone.
The only thing I found more difficult than the X96 units was placing the cursor to obtain info. You have to touch (dead on ) with your finger the item you want info about. With the rocker switch, precision pointer placement was easy. With your finger this is less so. You need to cone in and spread things apart and then develop your finger aim to get it right. Takes awhile but accuracy is obtainable. A minor annoyance at worst.
Info is fewer strokes away (in some cases) than with the 496.
Fingerprints on the screen>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> these become a real problem if there is sunlight glare on the screen. Get it out of the glare and they are invisible. You are going to need to clean this screen more than you did the 496.
The form factor is great. Takes very little space in the plane, car, or overnight bag. As mentioned in a post above Garmin appears tohave fixed the poor connector problems of the past with this unit.
In my opinion the weather products are easier to navigate/find and the unit is easier to setup.
As I mentioned earlier without reading the manual I was able to hand fly 1200 NM (some of it through turbulence and much of it over a weather system) and was able to operate the unit as easily as my 496.
At the destination pull the unit out of the plane and pop it into the dash mount on a rental car and off you go. Works great in automotive mode (much nicer than the 496)
The Bad
The last leg of my trip was today through severe clear so I left off the weather reciever and ran on internal battery. This (to me) is the major downside of the unit. Only 2 &1/2 hours to dead battery (screen full bright)
The Ugly
No ugly.. just a great product.
Overall I really like the unit. I think Garmin got it right with this one.
Two thumbs up.
Last edited:
That's extremely interesting. I haven't used mine on battery only for more than about an hour, and only in automotive mode. I don't recall the battery indicator dropping very far in that time.
If it's only good for 2.5 hours though, i'm extremely happy that I bought this over the AV8OR. The Garmin battery is marked 1800mAh, the one in my friend's AV8OR is only marked 700mAh. I don't know what the battery life is claimed at on the AV8OR, but unless it's a lot less power hungry I suspect it's going to be significantly shorter... even more so as the AV8OR's screen is brighter.
selhardt
Well Known Member
Wondering if the Aera is a step forward
I'm not convinced that this series of products is a step forward.
I had a 396 and could fly on batteries in daylight for 5 plus hours. I now have the 696 and it is a pig. Nice, but large and the accessory mounts must be screwed to the back, The 696 with a yoke mount is LARGE and heavy enough to turn the yoke.
Seems some features have been "lawyer'd out" as well. See this review.
http://forums.piperowner.org/read/2/137477
Still thinking about the "portable" backup concept.
I'm not convinced that this series of products is a step forward.
I had a 396 and could fly on batteries in daylight for 5 plus hours. I now have the 696 and it is a pig. Nice, but large and the accessory mounts must be screwed to the back, The 696 with a yoke mount is LARGE and heavy enough to turn the yoke.
Seems some features have been "lawyer'd out" as well. See this review.
http://forums.piperowner.org/read/2/137477
Still thinking about the "portable" backup concept.
L.Adamson
Well Known Member
My 696 mount is a re-do of my previous "homebuilt" 296/496 mount & thumbscrews to the corner of my 6A. This mount just screws to the back of the 696, and is compact & light weight. I wouldn't use any of the cumbersome mounts that come with it.
L.Adamson --- RV6A
brucespears
Member
Aera 560 Review
Been flying the 560 for some time now and can say definitively that I love it!
When you consider the feature set (weather, terrain, XM radio, obstacles, etc.) I think this is the unit to beat. It is highly readable except in extreme sunlight where a hand shade does the trick. The weather tools like Metars, winds aloft and Nexrad are killer for situational awareness.
The nearest function for finding nearest airports and ARTCCs is great. For long trips this thing is a joy to fly. The user interface is intuitive and easy to learn.
Direct to function (which we all use a lot) is simple and fast. Battery life is not good if running without ships power, but If you connect to your avionics bus, not an issue.
If I had to complain, I would say that the obstacle and terrain warnings are VERY sensitive and I don't know how to adjust the proximity or sensitivity yet. I'm in Houston and there are a lot of obstacle warnings that happen for towers and buildings that are not really that close to me. Better safe than sorry I guess.
All in all, I can't recommend the unit enough. The cost is rather hi, but I think it's worth it considering what you get and the ease of use.
My two cents.
Best regards,
Bruce
Been flying the 560 for some time now and can say definitively that I love it!
When you consider the feature set (weather, terrain, XM radio, obstacles, etc.) I think this is the unit to beat. It is highly readable except in extreme sunlight where a hand shade does the trick. The weather tools like Metars, winds aloft and Nexrad are killer for situational awareness.
The nearest function for finding nearest airports and ARTCCs is great. For long trips this thing is a joy to fly. The user interface is intuitive and easy to learn.
Direct to function (which we all use a lot) is simple and fast. Battery life is not good if running without ships power, but If you connect to your avionics bus, not an issue.
If I had to complain, I would say that the obstacle and terrain warnings are VERY sensitive and I don't know how to adjust the proximity or sensitivity yet. I'm in Houston and there are a lot of obstacle warnings that happen for towers and buildings that are not really that close to me. Better safe than sorry I guess.
All in all, I can't recommend the unit enough. The cost is rather hi, but I think it's worth it considering what you get and the ease of use.
My two cents.
Best regards,
Bruce
Doug Doty RV8
I'm New Here
Does anyone have any new comments on this. I recently added the ForeFlight to my ipad and got the free down load for my phone and with the weather there I only felt the meed to buy the area 500 and I generally like it from the get go but i cannot figure out yet how to tone down all the towers on the map, it is commonly so covered with towers that are not a threat that I have trouble seeing the map.
Doug...
hecilopter
Well Known Member
From the manual
Terrain Alerts & Setup
Enabling/Disabling terrain alerts:
1) From the ?Home? Screen touch the Terrain Icon.
2) Touch the Menu Icon.
3) Touch the 'Enable Alerts' or 'Disable Alerts' menu option.
Use the Terrain Setup Menu to set levels for terrain alerts as well as obstacles in
or near your flight path.
? Caution Elevation?The aera will provide an alert if the terrain or obstacle is
within the default Caution Elevation or user-defined Caution Elevation
? Look Ahead Time?Determines the maximum time when an alert annunciation
occurs. For example, if 120 seconds is selected, the aera provides an alert up to
120 seconds before you reach the terrain or obstacle
? Alert Sensitivity?The three Alert Sensitivity settings (Terrain, Obstacle, and
Descent Rate) determine what level of alerts are annunciated. The aera defaults
to ?High? sensitivity, which annunciates all red and yellow alerts at the time set in
Look Ahead Time. ?Medium? sensitivity annunciates all of the red and the highest
priority of yellow alerts. ?Low? only annunciates red alerts. ?Off? disables the
alert.
190-01117-02 Rev. A Garmin aera 500 Series Pilot?s Guide 99
Hazard Avoidance
Overview GPS Navigation Flight Planning Hazard Avoidance Additional Features Appendices Index
Accessing terrain/obstacle settings:
1) From the ?Home? Screen touch the Terrain Icon.
2) Touch the Menu Icon.
3) Touch the 'Set Up Terrain' menu option.
4) Touch the buttons to cycle through the list of available settings.
Terrain, Obstacle, and Descent Rate Alerts are issued when flight conditions meet
parameters that are set within the software algorithms. Terrain alerts typically employ
a CAUTION or a WARNING alert severity level, or both. When an alert is issued, visual
annunciations are displayed and aural alerts are simultaneously issued. When the
aircraft descends through 500 feet above the destination airport an audible ?Five
Hundred? altitude reminder occurs.
Terrain Alerts & Setup
Enabling/Disabling terrain alerts:
1) From the ?Home? Screen touch the Terrain Icon.
2) Touch the Menu Icon.
3) Touch the 'Enable Alerts' or 'Disable Alerts' menu option.
Use the Terrain Setup Menu to set levels for terrain alerts as well as obstacles in
or near your flight path.
? Caution Elevation?The aera will provide an alert if the terrain or obstacle is
within the default Caution Elevation or user-defined Caution Elevation
? Look Ahead Time?Determines the maximum time when an alert annunciation
occurs. For example, if 120 seconds is selected, the aera provides an alert up to
120 seconds before you reach the terrain or obstacle
? Alert Sensitivity?The three Alert Sensitivity settings (Terrain, Obstacle, and
Descent Rate) determine what level of alerts are annunciated. The aera defaults
to ?High? sensitivity, which annunciates all red and yellow alerts at the time set in
Look Ahead Time. ?Medium? sensitivity annunciates all of the red and the highest
priority of yellow alerts. ?Low? only annunciates red alerts. ?Off? disables the
alert.
190-01117-02 Rev. A Garmin aera 500 Series Pilot?s Guide 99
Hazard Avoidance
Overview GPS Navigation Flight Planning Hazard Avoidance Additional Features Appendices Index
Accessing terrain/obstacle settings:
1) From the ?Home? Screen touch the Terrain Icon.
2) Touch the Menu Icon.
3) Touch the 'Set Up Terrain' menu option.
4) Touch the buttons to cycle through the list of available settings.
Terrain, Obstacle, and Descent Rate Alerts are issued when flight conditions meet
parameters that are set within the software algorithms. Terrain alerts typically employ
a CAUTION or a WARNING alert severity level, or both. When an alert is issued, visual
annunciations are displayed and aural alerts are simultaneously issued. When the
aircraft descends through 500 feet above the destination airport an audible ?Five
Hundred? altitude reminder occurs.
