Heart Aerospace Picks Garmin G3000 for Its Electric Regional Airliner

The 19-passenger ES-19 — designed for a maximum range of 400 km (250 statute miles)—is scheduled to enter service in 2026. Its powertrain includes lithium-ion batteries driving four electric motors turning six-blade propellers. The Heart aircraft is part of the aviation industry’s movement toward reaching zero carbon emissions. 

Garmin debuted its G3000 in 2009 with a 5.7-inch diagonal touchscreen controller, a flight management system, and integration with several weather, terrain, and traffic systems. The display projected for the ES-19 also includes audio and visual feedback and animation to guide pilot inputs and make flying easier. 

Although the G3000 is an off-the-shelf avionics suite originally intended for traditional aircraft, Garmin said any modifications that might be required for an electric-powered airplane would be relatively minimal. 

“One of the interesting things with the ES-19 is it’s a high-wing, 19-seat airplane so there’s a lot of things we don’t have to customize, that we’re very familiar with,” said Alex Bennett, Garmin’s director of aviation OEM and defense sales.

“The cooling systems for those types of drive trains become important—so we have to relay that information,” Bennett told FLYING. Overall, he said, “it’s a great fit and a great starting point for them, so they can focus on other parts of their certification.”

Earlier this year, United Airlines and Mesa Airlines ordered 200 ES-19s with an option to buy 100 more. Both airlines have made large investments in the OEM as well. 

“It’s an honor to have our G3000 integrated flight deck chosen for the ES-19 and to work alongside the Heart Aerospace and United Airlines teams in their commitment to long-term sustainability by reducing aviation’s carbon emissions,” said Garmin vice president of Aviation and marketing Carl Wolf in a press release. The ES-19 has “the potential to enable more universal access to air travel and a broader network of short-haul flights.”

A typical flight for the airplane would be San Francisco (KSFO) to Modesto City-County Airport (KMOD), which is about 120 km (about 65 nm), Heart says on its website.

The company says it plans to finalize the airplane’s design by 2023 and conduct its first flight in 2024. Type certification is expected in the last half of 2026.  

Heart was founded in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 2018 as a spin-off from a research program funded by the Swedish government. Last year, it was awarded a 2.5-million euro grant from the European Investment Council.

This isn’t Garmin’s first foray into avionics for electric flight. 

In February, California-based electric, vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) manufacturer Joby Aviation announced it had chosen the G3000 for Joby’s six-motor, four passenger, hovering air taxi.

In July, Joby’s demonstrator eVTOL achieved an important milestone, successfully flying 154.6 sm on a single battery charge. The aircraft is expected to win FAA type certification in 2023.