695/696 software upgrade - do it - you'll like it

[Bob Axsom]

I bought a Garmin 695 when they first came out and I thought I would really like it but found that the approach plate section was not very useful to me and soon I never even looked at it anymore. I am a very old school kind of IFR pilot with no glass panel experience or desire. The approach plates were just little more if anything than copies of the paper approach plates. Someone recently said in this forum (I think it was Louise) that the latest software upgrade does not block access to the charts if you don't update regularly and they are geo referenced meaning they show the airplane position. I got on the internet and updated the software and the databases (now requires a memory card which I bought at Best Buy). Shortly there after I flew from Fayetteville, Arkansas to Ephrata, Washington for the Great Northwest Air Race III. The first leg from FYV to Goodland, Kansas was IFR and I flew the ILS Rwy 30 approach with all of the usual apprehension about when is the localizer going to come off the peg at this new to me airport and I glanced at the 695 as I usually do. It was showing the runway 30 extended centerline in a green and black dashed line and the position of the Blue Bird - immediate relaxation. Even thought the approach was flown with the SL-30 the situation awareness reinforcement was NICE.

If your 69x has become just another GPS carry along you might want to look into this software upgrade.

Bob Axsom