ESI-500 Joins L-3 Aviation Products Standby Family

L-3 Aviation Products introduced its newest Genesis electronic standby instrument (ESI), the ESI-500, designed for Part 23 airplanes and Part 27 helicopters. The ESI-500 fits in a three-inch round case, so it can be installed in a standard instrument cutout.

L-3’s own database powers a synthetic vision display with terrain alerting and obstacles. The high-resolution ESI-500 includes altitude, attitude, slip/skid and vertical speed, and an Arinc 429 interface accepts navigation data to drive vertical and horizontal nav indicators. Metric altitude and altimeter settings can be selected by the pilot. An optional magnetometer is available for magnetic heading display. During installation, the ESI-500’s airspeed tape can be programmed for Vne and Vmo airspeed limitations. Battery life of the unit’s lithium-ion battery is guaranteed for one hour, but normally lasts up to three hours.

The ESI-500 is priced at about $6,000. Options include synthetic vision, $1,333; nav data, $667; and magnetometer and install kit, $1,567. L-3 said that the ESI-500 should receive its FAA TSO shortly and expects the unit to be installable under an approved model list STC for a variety of aircraft models.