Audio Panel

The audio panel is the hub for everything you hear in the cockpit. It lets you select which COM and NAV radios are active for transmitting and monitoring, controls the pilot-to-passenger intercom, and handles marker beacon audio. On multi-crew aircraft it also manages the split between pilot and copilot channels. Without an audio panel, you would need to reach for individual radio volume knobs and could only monitor one radio at a time.

Modern audio panels like the Garmin GMA 345 add Bluetooth for pairing a phone or music source, and some include a built-in voice-activated intercom. For students, learning to manage the audio panel cleanly is a practical skill since cluttered or incorrectly set audio is a common distraction during high-workload phases of flight.