PROTOTYPE STAGE · PRE-PRODUCTION
A self-contained Garmin G5 replica for MSFS and X-Plane flight simulation, with a complete G5 menu structure and supported instrument features developed in accordance with the real device’s user manual. Onboard processing and physical controls. Connect USB-C power and Ethernet—no HDMI output or PC display-rendering software required.
The photographs show our working prototype. Pre-production development is ongoing; final hardware, availability and pricing will be confirmed before sale.
THE INSTRUMENT, UP CLOSE
A closer look at our working prototype, from the front controls to the rear connections.
PFD and HSI instruments on our white acrylic panel.
The front bezel, power button and rotary knob.
An angled view of the enclosure and projecting controls.
USB-C power and Ethernet connections at the rear.
A closer view of the PFD and HSI instruments on the panel.
Photographed alert flags and operating menus on the PFD and HSI.
The enclosures, controls and cabling on our acrylic stand.
The mounted pair with both displays switched off.
FLIGHTNOVO G5 · FEATURES
The instrument runs its own displays, menus, configuration, saved settings and simulated power behaviour. Explore the detail through the same physical controls you use to fly.
DEVELOPED AGAINST THE REAL G5 MANUALS
FlightNovo recreates the complete menu structure for simulation, including the deeper configuration pages. The experience extends from PFD and HSI operation to power-loss behaviour, guidance, messages and persistent settings.
A study-level replica developed against the real G5 manuals. The full normal-menu, Setup and Configuration Mode structure is recreated, with the physical knob and buttons used to operate the supported functions.
Both primary flight display and horizontal situation indicator modes are implemented. Attitude, airspeed, altitude, vertical speed and navigation guidance are rendered by the instrument itself, with a 30 fps target.
Practise the startup and shutdown sequences, loss of simulated aircraft power, the power-loss countdown and backup-battery discharge. Power and battery behaviour form part of the instrument simulation.
Use the Backlight menu to choose automatic or manual display brightness. Automatic brightness follows the simulator’s ambient lighting; manual adjustment is available directly on the unit.
Autopilot annunciations, flight-director cues, GPSS guidance, ESP stability-protection behaviour and instrument messages are included. Indications and control behaviour depend on the simulator, aircraft and available data.
With your simulator running, power on the device and it connects automatically. Clear no-data indications show a lost simulator connection, followed by automatic reconnection. MSFS uses the free Windows bridge, which can start at login.
Choose your display units on the instrument. Auto V-speeds refresh when you change aircraft through the X-Plane companion or MSFS bridge, where the aircraft provides valid values. Manual speed settings are available too.
Accepted settings are stored automatically on the unit and survive power cycles and normal OTA updates. Configuration Mode changes are confirmed on exit. Firmware updates are free for life, with no software licence renewal.
Designed around the real G5’s panel dimensions and familiar physical controls for your simulator cockpit. Final production dimensions and the mounting drawing will be confirmed before sale.
Prototype / pre-production. Aircraft-only hardware calibration and interface entries remain visible but inactive; this simulator replica does not connect to real aircraft sensors or control systems. Simulator and aircraft support determine the data available. For flight simulation only.
CONNECT TO YOUR SIMULATOR
Place the instrument anywhere on the same local network as your simulator. It draws its own screen and automatically discovers X-Plane or the MSFS bridge on the network.
X-PLANE 12 · WINDOWS + macOS + LINUX
Connect USB-C power and Ethernet on your simulator’s local network. With X-Plane running, power on the instrument and let it discover the connection. The free X-Plane companion plugin is optional; no separate bridge application or desktop display window is needed.
Optional X-Plane companionMSFS 2024 · WINDOWS
Install the free G5 Bridge on your Windows simulator PC. With MSFS and the bridge running, the instrument connects automatically over Ethernet. Enable the bridge’s Start at login option for automatic startup. The Windows installer includes the required companion components.
Get the MSFS companionMSFS 2024 SU5 or newer; Windows 10/11, 64-bit. X-Plane 12 is supported on Windows, macOS and Linux, with an optional companion plugin. MSFS requires the free Windows bridge. See Downloads for the currently published companion installers. Indications and controls vary with the aircraft. Ethernet discovery requires the same local network; internet access is needed for OTA downloads.
FLIGHT DISPLAYS / OPERATING MENUS / CONFIGURATION
Browse separate slideshows for the PFD, HSI and common menus. Each capture comes from the actual instrument software.
Primary flight display, flight guidance and PFD operating menus.
PFD · Flight display
Primary flight display with simulated cruise data: attitude, airspeed, altitude, vertical speed and heading. Autopilot and flight director are off.
Open full-resolution capture ↗Navigation display, course controls and HSI operating menus.
HSI · Flight display
GPS navigation with course deviation, distance, wind, heading selection and bearing pointers, using simulated flight data.
Open full-resolution capture ↗Configuration, device information and other menus shared by both displays.
Common menus · Configuration
Configuration Mode categories include Device Information, Attitude, Air Data, Airspeed, Magnetometer, Flight Controls and Backlight. Scroll for the remaining pages.
Open full-resolution capture ↗Captured from the G5 software using demonstration flight, power and connection data. The update screen illustrates an available-update state; it does not report live release availability. The full Demo Mode 1 videos are below.
COMPETITOR COMPARISON
Compare the complete setup: connections, software licences, startup steps, menus and total cost. FlightNovo is a self-contained instrument; the competitor unit uses a computer-driven display in both software configurations.
FLIGHTNOVO · OUR DEVICE
2 ports · 0 paid licences
COMPETITOR · G5 SOFTWARE
3 ports · 1 paid licence
COMPETITOR · AIR MANAGER
3 ports · 2 paid licences
Window positioning is a setup task where applicable, not necessarily a task every flight. Saved layouts and automatic placement in the dedicated G5 software can handle it. On Windows, changed HDMI or USB assignments can require Air Manager reconfiguration.
Scroll horizontally to compare all three setups. Cyan identifies FlightNovo; amber identifies the two competitor configurations. Unit, software and total prices are in the last three rows.
| Feature / setup | FLIGHTNOVO · OUR DEVICEFlightNovo G5Self-contained Ethernet instrument Prototype / pre-production | COMPETITORCompetitor G5With dedicated G5 software | COMPETITORCompetitor G5With Air Manager + G5 panel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Connection ports | 2 portsEthernet + USB-C power | 3 portsHDMI + USB data + power | 3 portsHDMI + USB data + power |
| Screen rendering | Built into the deviceOwn processor and display. No PC display-rendering application. | Rendered by the PCG5 software on the simulator computer; HDMI display output. | Rendered by Air ManagerA separate desktop application and HDMI display output. |
| Simulator support | X-Plane + MSFSX-Plane 12 · MSFS 2024 | X-Plane onlyX-Plane 11 and 12 | X-Plane + MSFSX-Plane 11/12 · MSFS 2020/2024 |
| Computer platforms | Windows · macOS · LinuxX-Plane 12 on all three. MSFS 2024 requires Windows 10/11. | Windows · Intel MacThe competitor lists Apple M-series Macs as unsupported. | Windows · Intel MacThe competitor lists Apple M-series Macs as unsupported. |
| Initial setup | Connect power + EthernetFree companion optional for X-Plane. MSFS requires the free Windows bridge. | Install + configureInstall the avionics and plugin; configure the monitor and aircraft integration. | Buy + activate + configureTwo software licences, simulator plugin, HDMI display and USB-control assignments. |
| Starting a flight | Power on → auto-connectWith X-Plane running, or MSFS and its bridge running, power on the instrument. | Multiple startup stepsStart X-Plane and load the configured aircraft; its G5 software/plugin then initialises. | Multiple startup stepsStart Air Manager before the simulator and open the G5 panel; panel opening can be automated. |
| Pop-outs and window placement | No windows to moveNo pop-out, drag-to-monitor or desktop display arrangement. | G5 window on an HDMI monitorDisplay setup required. The dedicated G5 software supports automatic placement; manual positioning depends on the software/setup. | Panel window on an HDMI monitorOpen and place/assign the panel on the G5 display. Recheck assignments when displays change; saved layouts can automate placement. |
| Menus and settings | Study-level · full menu structureNormal menus, Setup and Configuration Mode, developed against the real G5 manuals. | Core PFD/HSI menus documentedSpeed-tape colours require image-file editing in the vendor guide. Full Configuration Mode coverage is unconfirmed. | Vendor-documented differencesPFD/HSI menus and app properties. The vendor notes differences from Garmin; full Configuration Mode coverage is unconfirmed. |
| Extra paid licences | 0Instrument software and companions included. | 1Dedicated G5 software purchased separately. | 2Air Manager Desktop plus the premium G5 panel. |
| Lifetime software updates | Free lifetime OTA updatesFirmware delivered to the instrument over the network. | UnknownA lifetime free-update commitment has not been confirmed. | UnknownA lifetime free-update commitment has not been confirmed. |
| Major-version licence upgrades | No licence re-purchaseIncluded in the device’s free lifetime firmware updates. | UnknownCheck future upgrade terms with the vendor. | Paid upgrades may applyMajor-version upgrades are separate from fixes and updates. Check the licence required for the new version. |
| Unit price | To be announcedPrototype / pre-production | US$349.00One G5 hardware unit | US$349.00One G5 hardware unit |
| Software price | Included · no extra chargeOptional X-Plane companion and required MSFS bridge are free. | US$34.95Listed price for the dedicated G5 software. | €85.00Air Manager Desktop €65 + G5 panel €20; home-use licences. |
| Total price | Device price onlyFinal price to be announced. No separate software charge. | US$383.95Unit + software. HDMI cable extra. | US$349 + €85Unit + both software licences. HDMI cable extra; original currencies. |
Price basis: one hardware unit and new home-use software licences at vendor display prices on . Taxes, shipping, adapters and currency conversion can change the checkout total. Air Manager professional licensing is separate. FlightNovo’s final device price is not yet announced.
Update terms: “Unknown” means a lifetime commitment has not been verified, not that updates are unavailable. Sim Innovations distinguishes optional paid upgrades from fixes and updates; upgrade pricing and eligibility depend on its terms.
Menu comparison: based on published documentation. A feature absent from a vendor guide is not proof that it is unavailable; complete real-G5 parity has not been independently established for the competitor software.
THE FULL DEMO MODE 1
Watch the full flight sequence and menu tour on both instrument pages, captured from the actual G5 display software.
PFD / DEMO MODE 1
HSI / DEMO MODE 1
Three-minute software captures at 30 fps, using the built-in demonstration’s simulated flight data. Videos play automatically when in view. Use the controls to pause or explore the flight sequence, operating menus and Configuration Mode.
DEMO MODE 1
The repeating demonstration runs through a flight and then tours the operational menus and Configuration Mode. It works without a simulator connection.
DEMO MODE 2
The aircraft stays at the ramp while you use the knob, switch pages and explore supported settings yourself. On the instrument, choose either demo from Setup.
GET TO KNOW THE CONTROLS
Setup, everyday controls, both demo modes and troubleshooting in a concise draft guide. Final hardware specifications are being confirmed alongside the prototype.
PRE-PRODUCTION DOCUMENTATION
Draft guide for the current prototype. Final production hardware specifications are pending.
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