Aspen Unit Links Mobile Devices to Avionics

At EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wis., this week, Aspen Avionics and AvConnect unveiled “Connected Panel,” which allows pilots to use mobile devices to communicate with avionics systems. The new system’s hardware consists of the CG100 Connected Panel unit, which will be mounted behind the instrument panel. It has USB ports and Bluetooth connectivity and flash memory storage. Aspen and AvConnect are inviting third-party companies to develop hardware and software applications that work with the Connected Panel technology. The first application is Aspen’s Connected Pilot, which sells for less than $2,500 and includes the CG100 box and the Aircraft Manager iPad app from AvConnect. App maker ForeFlight will release a new ForeFlight Mobile version for Connected Pilot, which pilots can use to synchronize flight plans wirelessly between the iPad and the Honeywell Bendix/King KSN 770, as well as to populate airport frequencies into the KSN 770 radio’s standby frequency window. Other companies that have committed to building Connected Panel-enabled products include Avidyne, Jeppesen, JP Instruments, Parrot, Pinnacle Aerospace, PS Engineering, Seattle Avionics and Sporty’s Pilot Shop. Connected Panel is also designed to work with mobile devices using the Android operating system.