Regional Carriers Select Sandel TAWS for Beech 1900s

Showing signs that it is getting back on a solid footing after nearly being KO’d by an ugly patent lawsuit, Sandel Avionics announced that three regional airlines have chosen its ST3400 terrain awareness and warning system to provide TAWS compliance for their Beech 1900 fleets.

The airlines are Air Midwest, part of the Phoenix-based Mesa Air Group; Great Lakes Airlines of Cheyenne, Wyo.; and Skyway Airlines of Milwaukee, Wis. These announcements bring the number of Beech 1900 installations to more than 100 for the ST3400 TAWS system, according to Sandel. The 3-ATI-size ST3400 is an integrated TAWS computer and color display that meets TSO C151b in both its Class A and Class B versions with a fully functioning RMI. Its three-inch LCD can display terrain maps, topographic maps, navigational waypoint maps and TCAS data. The Class A ST3400 has a list price of $34,500 and the Class B version lists for $20,950.

Sandel last year successfully defended itself against a patent-infringement lawsuit by Honeywell, which claimed the ST3400 illegally used patents applied in the Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System. A U.S. district court judge threw out the case last October.