Oct 25, 2019 08:00:00

Why do US Air Force pilots use Garmin watches?

Watchmaker

Garmin handles watches equipped with GPS and a large number of sensors. In addition to light users, there are many athletes who use it. In fact, the US Air Force pilots often use Garmin watches, but this is closely related to an “incident”.

Update: Here's Why We Saw So Many Garmin Smart Watches at MCAS Miramar – The Aviationist
https://theaviationist.com/2019/10/23/update-heres-why-we-saw-so-many-garmin-smart-watches-at-mcas-miramar/

Tom Demerie, a writer, photographer and journalist, conducted an informal investigation because he wondered what kind of watch the fighter pilot at Miramar Marine Air Base wears? . After analyzing the pilot's photos, Mr. Demerie concluded that the most popular watch brands are Garmin and G-SHOCK . In particular, there were many users of Garmin's smartwatch with GPS.

The two watches are durable and suitable for military use. However, there was actually a reason why Garmin watches were widely used by pilots.

The Garmin watch was used as a pilot by an incident that occurred during the flight of the EA-18G fighter aircraft on January 29, 2018. Journalists Joseph Trevic and David Larter report on the incident.

Freezing Navy EA-18G Crew In Ice Filled Cockpit Navigated Home Using Their Smart Watches-The Drive
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/18762/freezing-navy-ea-18g-crew-in-ice-filled-cockpit-navigated-home-using-their-smart-watches

Flying blind and freezing: Navy investigating terrifying EA-18G Growler flight
https://www.defensenews.com/breaking-news/2018/02/23/flying-blind-and-freezing-navy-investigating-terrifying-ea-18g-growler-flight/

The EA-18G suffered a devastating problem while flying from the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station to the Chinese Lake Naval Air Base at an altitude of 7.6km. Within a few minutes after the aircraft trouble occurred, the temperature in the cockpit fell below 0 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 18 degrees Celsius), and the condensation that formed inside the plane quickly grew into an ice layer. As a result, the visibility of the pilot deteriorated. In addition, it became impossible to control due to ice, and the symptoms of hypothermia came out to the pilot.

At this time, because the instrument panel was covered with an ice layer, pilots were forced to use Garmin watches to confirm their direction and altitude in response to air traffic control instructions.

The two pilots were able to safely return to the ground with the power of the technology and the instructions of the air traffic controller, but when they landed, they both suffered severe frostbite and the emergency oxygen was exhausted That.

This incident triggered the Air Force to distribute Garmin GPS smartwatches to F / A-18 , EA-18G, and T-45 pilots. The first distribution of fēnix 3J was originally developed for athletes such as triathlons and racers.

After the pilots began using Garmin watches, Garmin has introduced pilot watches such as Garmin D2 Bravo , D2 Charlie , D2 Delta , and MARQ Aviator . MARQ Aviator has a function that can check how much the oxygen level of the body adapts to the air at a high altitude place.

MARQ ™ Aviator-Garmin Guatemala
https://garminguatemala.com/producto/marq-aviator/

On February 14, 2018, Garmin said, “I am delighted that D2 Charlie has been adopted by the U-2 pilot of the US Air Force. D2 Charlie with WAAS GPS has many features such as global navigation and colorful maps. It has become a watch that backs up navigation to the US Air Force pilot. ' However, Garmin ’s marketing department does n’t advertise the Air Force ’s entry in a big way, so this story seems to be behind-the-scenes.