Garmin Earns FAA Certification for GFC™ 600 Digital Autopilot in Piper PA-31T Cheyenne Aircraft
OLATHE, Kan. — [Date] — Garmin® International, Inc. (NYSE: GRMN) today announced it has received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental Type Certification (STC) for the GFC™ 600 digital autopilot in Piper PA-31T Cheyenne and Cheyenne II aircraft.
The GFC 600 is designed for high-performance piston single, twin-engine, jet, and turbine aircraft, providing a reliable and advanced autopilot upgrade path for a wide range of platforms. With this certification, Smart Rudder Bias™ is also now approved for Cheyenne aircraft equipped with the GFC 600, expanding the availability of this key safety-enhancing technology.
Full-Featured Autopilot Solution
The GFC 600 brings turbine- and jet-level autopilot performance to general aviation, offering a lightweight, cost-effective upgrade option with advanced safety features and solid-state attitude technology.
Beyond traditional autopilot functions such as altitude hold, vertical speed, and heading modes, the GFC 600 provides:
- Altitude pre-select and indicated airspeed hold
- VNAV capability for fully coupled vertical descents with automatic step-down captures²
- Dedicated LVL button to restore straight-and-level flight at a single press
- Underspeed and overspeed protection
- Coupled instrument approaches, including GPS, ILS, VOR, LOC, and back course (with a compatible Garmin navigator)
- Yaw Damping (YD) mode to minimize oscillations and improve coordinated flight
- Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP™) to nudge the aircraft back to safe attitudes during hand-flying
- A mode controller with color LCD, designed to mirror Garmin TXi™ displays for intuitive reference
Smart Rudder Bias: Added Safety in OEI Events
Part of the Garmin Autonomí™ family, Smart Rudder Bias provides crucial assistance in one-engine inoperative (OEI) scenarios. Using engine data from the G600 TXi display, the system automatically adjusts rudder force when a significant power differential between engines is detected.
When engaged, Smart Rudder Bias helps pilots maintain control, displays a yellow annunciator for the inoperative engine, and integrates annunciations with the autopilot display — improving situational awareness during critical moments.
Availability
The GFC 600 digital autopilot for the Piper PA-31T Cheyenne and Cheyenne II is available immediately through Garmin authorized dealers. Garmin continues to expand the list of aircraft certified for GFC 600 installation, with additional models expected to be approved within the next 12 months. For the latest STC information or to request support for a specific aircraft model, visit garmin.com/GFC600.
About Garmin International, Inc.
Garmin International Inc. is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd. (NYSE: GRMN). Garmin Ltd. is incorporated in Switzerland, and its principal subsidiaries are located in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Garmin is a registered trademark and GFC, ESP, TXi and Autonomí are trademarks of Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries.
All other brands, product names, company names, trademarks and service marks are the properties of their respective owners. All rights reserved.
Notice on Forward-Looking Statements
This release includes forward-looking statements regarding Garmin Ltd. and its business. Such statements are based on management’s current expectations. The forward-looking events and circumstances discussed in this release may not occur and actual results could differ materially as a result of known and unknown risk factors and uncertainties affecting Garmin, including, but not limited to, the risk factors listed in the Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2024, filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 0-31983), and the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 29, 2025 filed by Garmin with the Securities and Exchange Commission (Commission file number 001-41118). Copies of such Form 10-K and Form 10-Q are available at https://www.garmin.com/en-US/investors/sec/. No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date on which they are made and Garmin undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise.
