The National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHF) inducted Garmin Co-Founders Dr. Min Kao and the late Gary Burrell at its 60th annual enshrinement ceremony at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force held September 14.

The NAHF honors those individuals whose contributions shaped the aviation industry.

“Thirty-five years ago, Gary Burrell and Dr. Min Kao founded Garmin with the strong belief that superior navigation and communications products could enrich and even save people’s lives. To truly honor their pioneering work and the foundation they laid for Garmin’s acclaimed products, there is no greater tribute than seeing them inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame,” said Garmin President and CEO, Cliff Pemble.

Dr. Kao continues to serve Garmin as executive chairman of the Board, and the late Burrell’s work “remains foundational to the company today.”

Under their leadership, Garmin developed products and technologies that “advanced modern aviation safety and capabilities, including navigation, communications, flight controls, and sensor systems. Noteworthy innovations include:

  • 1991: Garmin’s first aviation product, the GPS 100AVD, was introduced, the first panel-mounted GPS navigator accessible to the general aviation community.
  • 1994: The Garmin GPS 155 became the first certified GPS receiver to achieve FAA TSO-C129 Class A certification for instrument approaches, allowing pilots to fly instrument flight rules (IFR) from takeoff to touchdown using no ground-based navigation aids.
  • 1998: The GNS 430 and GNS 530 products combined a panel-mounted GPS navigator with a color-moving map, VHF navigation and communication to become the industry standard for NAV/COM systems in the cockpit. 
  • 2004: The G1000 integrated flight deck set a standard for cockpit innovation and catapulted Garmin to be the leading provider of integrated flight decks across a wide range of aircraft, from single-engine pistons to advanced business jets.
  • 2010:  Garmin introduces the Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP) system, the first in a series of autonomíc safety features to help pilots avoid loss of control accidents.
  • 2020: Garmin receives the Robert J. Collier Trophy for Garmin Autoland, the first certified autonomous system that protects lives by activating during an emergency to control and land an aircraft without human intervention.

Garmin International, Inc., is a subsidiary of Garmin Ltd., which was incorporated in Switzerland. Its principal subsidiaries are in the United States, Taiwan and the United Kingdom.

Image courtesy National Aviation Hall of Fame