Garmin Cofounders Enshrined In NAHoF
Gary Burrell and Dr. Min Kao honored at NAHoF induction ceremony.
Garmin President and CEO Cliff Pemble speaks at the National Aviation Hall of Fame induction ceremony for company co-founders Gary Burrell, left, and Dr. Min Kao.
Garmin cofounders Gary Burrell and Dr. Min Kao (their first names formed the company brand) were enshrined this week in the National Aviation Hall of Fame (NAHoF). The ceremony honoring the pair was held on Sept. 14 at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio.
The cofounders were honored on the 35th anniversary year of Garmin. Burrell died in 2019 at age 81. Kao is now 75 and remains executive chairman and a member of the Garmin board. He stepped down as CEO in 2012.
Garmin lists its first aviation product as the GPS 100AVD, introduced in 1991, said to be the first panel-mounted GPS navigator for the general aviation market. The company’s GPS 155 became the first certified GPS receiver to achieve FAA TSO-C129 Class A approval for instrument approaches in 1994. The landmark GPS 430 and 530 moving-map navigators came along four years later in 1998, followed in 2004 by the introduction of the G1000 integrated flight deck.
Following many more innovations in panel-mount and portable GPS aviation navigators, Garmin earned the Robert J. Collier Trophy for its Autoland system in 2020. Autoland enables autonomous emergency navigation and landing in the event of pilot incapacitation.
Current Garmin President and CEO Cliff Pemble, said, “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.”
