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Avidyne showcases new IFD and component upgrades
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: Avidyne arrives at EBACE with the ink still drying on the TSOs it recently received for its Entegra Release 9 integrated flight deck system and FMS900w fli
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Avidyne arrives at EBACE with the ink still drying on the TSOs it recently received for its Entegra Release 9 integrated flight deck system and FMS900w flight management system. The next-generation IFD system includes high-resolution displays, single-pilot IFR FMS with WAAS/RNP-capable GPS, fully digital VHF nav/com radios and enhanced autopilot interface. The company said its Entegra FMS900w reduces workload in single-pilot IFR operations and includes context-sensitive flight planning, WAAS/RNP-capable GPS and fully digital, all-software VHF nav/coms.And just ahead of EBACE’s opening, the company announced it received supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for the Entegra Release 9 IFD for retrofit into Cirrus SR20s and SR22s.  The U.S. avionics company, exhibiting here at Booth No. 383, also added to its product line the MLX780 Iridium-based transceiver which will provide worldwide airborne telephone and two-way datalink weather capability, and is suitable for both cabin or cockpit use. The unit features an industry standard headset, plus a standard audio panel interface that will allow pilots to communicate directly through the headset.Avidyne, in addition, has announced a program that will allow current MLX770 datalink-only customers to upgrade to airborne telephone capability. “We have a growing installed base of Entegra and EX500 customers in Europe and around the world who now have our satellite-based datalink weather system,” said chief operating officer Patrick Herguth. “The addition of airborne telephone capability provides them with even more utility.” According to Avidyne, customers can purchase an MLX770 now with provisional wiring and simply swap the transceiver for an MLX780 at a discounted price when it becomes available.Like the MLX770, the company’s TAS600 series of traffic advisory systems has also received an upgrade that can be retrofit. The new TAS600A series is the company’s first ADS-B-capable unit, which according to the manufacturer will provide the added precision and extended range of ADS-B along with the independent protection of an active-surveillance traffic system. “TAS600 systems already operate in the 1090-MHz band and their dual-antenna architecture meets the DO-260A requirement for full diversity antennas, so adding ADS-B is an extremely cost-effective way for our customers to see ADS-B traffic, along with TAS traffic, without having to replace their existing TAS-compatible displays,” said Dan Schwinn, Avidyne’s president and CEO. The company is inviting current TAS600, TAS610 and TAS620 users to lock in a no-obligation upgrade price of $2,000 through the end of the year, as it awaits final ADS-B rulemaking from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.The Massachusetts-based company has partnered with Jeppesen to include the travel solutions specialist’s worldwide coverage of airport diagrams as part of Avidyne’s new CMax electronic approach chart software, now standard on all new EX500 and EX5000 multifunction displays (MFD). The CMax airport diagram service includes more than 6,000 locations, 5,695 of which are geo-referenced charts, which will allow Avidyne’s MFDs to overlay the aircraft directly on the chart’s runways, taxiways and ramps. “Avidyne and Jeppesen both recognize the incredible situational awareness benefit of electronic geo-referenced airport diagrams and charts in the cockpit,” explained Thomas Wede, Jeppesen’s senior vice president and general manager for aviation. “The ability to see your aircraft position directly on the chart dramatically reduces the potential for errors while taxiing.” Current EX500 and EX5000 users can upgrade their units to the new standard for $499. With a yearly subscription plan, customers can update their airport diagrams through Jeppesen (Booth No. 729). Updates are available online every two weeks. Avidyne also recently announced its selection as the avionics supplier for the Extra EA-500 single-engine turboprop.  Extra and Avidyne have already begun system integration efforts and initial deliveries are expected later this year.