G1000 Bell 407
I just finished up 407 recurrent at Bell yesterday, and got to make an hour flight in the G1000 407 this morning. All I can say is wow!
I have lots of EFIS experience, including Chelton, Collins Pro Line 21, G1000, Aspen, Honeywell and G600. The 407 G1000 installation is much more than a fixed wing G1000 system stuffed into a helicopter, with a number of helicopter specific features like the single limit display of Torque, MGT and Gas Producer, the rear facing camera, the automatic display of full size engine parameters on the MFD in the event of an engine failure, and the power assurance check feature.
I hand flew an ILS into KAFW, in quite gusty conditions, using Garmin's version of HITS boxes, and the pathways keep the localizer and glide slope perfectly nailed. Later we shot an approach using the Cobham auto pilot, and it tracked the approach perfectly.
I had only seen pictures of the installation, and was worried about the extended panel blocking view during off airport operations, but that concern was unfounded, as the part of the panel that extends in front of the pilot is cut so as you can see under, around and over it.
This installation is the most exciting avionics advance I have seen in helicopters, and will likely change how helicopters are purchased and completed, as the average completion will probably go from a few months to a few weeks.