Founded in 1989 in Lenexa, Kansas (USA), Garmin has grown over the last 31 years to become a preeminent maker of avionics. Company founders Gary Burrell and Min H. Kao first product was an aircraft GPS receiver. The company later expanded its product line to include transceivers, transponders, and integrated avionics systems combining flight instruments, engine instrumentation, and avionics in one package such as the G1000, and its subsequent versions.
Today, Garmin avionics can be found in general aviation and business aircraft all over the world. By combing traditional stand-alone FMS systems with the widely used G1000 system in light airplanes and the G3000 & G5000 systems (found in high performance turboprops and business jets), pilot situational awareness and safety is greatly enhanced. This improvement has contributed greatly to a reduction in restricted airspace encroachment, reduction of controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) accidents, and increased traffic awareness.
In perhaps its most interesting and potentially lifesaving product, Garmin has introduced, Garmin Autoland. This new system is designed, in the event of pilot incapacitation, to take complete control of the aircraft and bring it to successful landing on a nearby runway. This is initiated by a non-crew passenger simply pressing a button, or automatically in the event of a solo flight and the system sensing pilot incapacitation. Upon activation, the Garmin Autoland system will alert ATC via the emergency transponder code, proceed to a divert airport, configure the airplane, execute a GPS approach, land and track the runway centerline, brake to a stop, and shut down the engine. Autoland will also tune the airplane radios to broadcast intentions on approach control and tower frequencies, while continuously advising passengers of aircraft position and time remaining to touchdown.
In development since 2011, Autoland was certified by the FAA in May 2020 on the Piper M600 and the Cirrus Vision Jet. Design considerations included areas such as: basic aircraft control; undesirable terrain avoidance; weather avoidance to include TAF and METAR analysis; route and airport selection; and approach and runway selection. Garmin Autoland will ultimately scalable be down to G1000 equipped aircraft, and scalable up to G5000 equipped aircraft.
Thanks to innovations such as Autoland, Garmin continues to be a worldwide leader in avionics development. There can be no doubt, that Autoland, will be a life saver in years to come. Garmin is accordingly the deserving recipient of the Sir James Martin Award.
1968/69 Lt Cdr Tarver
1969/70 Flt Lt R C Shuster
1971 not awarded
1971/72 Gp Capt J K Mason
1973 not awarded
1973/74 Col W P Schane
1975 not awarded
1975/76 Gp Capt A J Barwood
1976/77 E L Ripley Esq
1977/78 Flt Sgt D J Jones
1978/79 D Johnson Esq
1979/80 Lt Cdr D R Taylor MBE
1980/81 MALM David Bullock G C (posthumously)
1981/82 Geoffrey Harrison Esq
1983 not awarded
1983/84 Clifford Gaskell Esq
1985 not awarded
1985/86 Wg Cdr R McCluskey AFC RAF
1987 not awarded
1987/88 AVM P H Howard
1989 not awarded
1989/90 Lt Cdr Paul Barton RN
1991 - 1992 not awarded
1992/93 John W Chappelow Esq
1994 not awarded
1994/95 Flt Lt Kevin A Brooks
1995/96 Lt Cdr Paul Haywood RN
1997 not awarded
1997/98 Major J Norman Ryan MC
1998/99 Dr Christopher Brooks, OMM OstJ CD MBChB DavMed FFOM
1999/2000 Air Accidents Investigation Branch Lockerbie Team
2000/01 CPO Terrence Allison
2001/02 Lt Cdr Clive Rawson RN
2003 not awarded
2003/04 Sqn Ldr Jonathan James Harrison RAF
2004/05 Professor Helen Christine Muir OBE MA PhD CPsychol FRAeS
2005/06 John Freeman
2006/07 Captain John Cox
2008 not awarded
2008/09 Flt Lt Emily Rickards RAF
2009/10 David Cockburn
2010/11 Captain Linc Alexander
2011/12 Maj K E Bryan AAC
2013 not awarded
2013/14 Captain James Cunningham AAC
2014/15 Captain Mark Chesney
2016 The Performance Based Navigation (PBN) Research Project Team
2017 SkyDemon
2018 Dr Donough Wilson
2019 Lt Jonathan Moore RN
2020 814 NAS Survival Equipment Section
2021 Garmin
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