Summary Garmin's new ROA system alerts pilots of possible runway incursions using GPS and ADS-B data. Certification was received for the Cessna Caravan, with plans to expand to other aircraft in the future. The ROA feature highlights runway warnings in yellow for caution and red for immediate danger on the PFD.
On Wednesday, August 14, Garmin officially announced that its latest avionics solution had received certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). This new safety feature is called the Runway Occupancy Awareness (ROA). It utilizes several safety tools to alert pilots who are using the Garmin avionics system of possible runway incursions.
It alerts people of a wide range of possible incursions. A useful tool or a further move towards automation? The latest Garmin safety feature The avionics company, which is based in Olathe, Kansas, officially received the ROA certification for its avionics system on the Cessna Caravan, which uses the Garmin G1000 NXi avionics suite. The certification was received by Textron Aviation, the parent company of Cessna.
Beyond the Cessna Caravan, Garmin expects to receive certification for ROA use on several other aircraft in the future. Garmin expects the Cessna Citation Excel family to receive ROA approval by September or later this year. This series of aircraft also includes the Citation XLS , the Citation XLS+, and the Citation XLS Gen 2.
These aircraft all have the ability to upgrade to the Garmin G5000 system via a supplemental type certificate (STC). Garmin expects the ROA feature to be available on other Garmin-equipped aircraft in the coming months, each of which utilizes a Garmin Integrated Flight Deck ranging from the G1000 to the G5000 avionics suite. The Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Garmin Aviation, Phil Straub, spoke about the newly achieved certification.
Straub stated, "With the rate of runway incursions increasing, there is a real need for increased safety tools in the cockpit. Equipping pilots with this technology can reduce the risk of runway incursions and help provide confidence for pilots navigating busy and complex airports." About the ROA system The ROA system is Garmin's latest effort to make flying in general or business aircraft even safer.
The technology behind the ROA feature analyzes GPS and ADS-B data to find traffic on nearby runways or taxiways. It then warns the flight crew of possible incursions or impending collisions. The ROA system alerts the flight crew using a visual crew-alerting system (CAS).
It highlights yellow for runway caution or red for runway warnings, which varies depending on the threat level. This CAS warning is displayed on the primary flight display (PFD) in the cockpit, which displays Garmin's Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT). The threat level varies depending on how close aircraft are predicted to reach.
For example, the warnings range from no immediate collision to a risk that could see a collision happen within 15 seconds. The ROA system accounts for aircraft landing, taking off, stopping, or even taxiing on the same runway. It also accounts for traffic that may pass over the landing aircraft's runway.
Garmin has previously released other safety features within the cockpit. This includes the runway overrun awareness and alerting system (ROAAS), SafeTaxi, and SurfaceWatch. Garmin also previously released the Garmin Autloand feature, which is an autonomous system that activates during emergencies such as the pilot becoming incapacitated.
The aircraft will automatically land on a nearby runway without any human intervention..
