Story ID: 
Sandel unveils new electronic display line
By: Stephen Pope
Caption: Sandel Avionics has introduced two new four-inch cockpit displays that are intended to serve as an electronic replacement HSI or ADI and include additional
Word Count: 303
Sandel Avionics has introduced two new four-inch cockpit displays that are intended to serve as an electronic replacement HSI or ADI and include additional moving map, weather and traffic overlay capabilities.

The SN4500 electronic HSI and SA4500 electronic ADI feature what company founder Gerry Block calls full 180-degree “all angle” viewing. Both the EHSI and EADI versions share identical 4-ATI physical dimensions, connectors and electronics architecture and have a slim-line bezel, which provides a larger total screen area than typical 4-ATI indicators, Block said.

Either unit lists for $18,500, a price that Block claims compares with $40,000 for a 5-ATI electronic display unit from competitors.

Block added that the company is pursuing a “modular concept” for display technology upgrades, which he said will give operators “the option of making a staged conversion of their panels from analog to digital with displays of their choice, as opposed to an STC’d integrated avionics package configured to a manufacturer’s specifications.”

While a complete cockpit upgrade solution can cost in the six-figure range, Block claimed that for $37,000 (the price for two of the Sandel displays) an operator can gain EFIS capability equivalent to that found on modern jets. He added any certified avionics shop can install the Sandel units with minimum aircraft downtime.

With specially designed “smart” input/output circuitry, the SN4500 and SA4500 accommodate a variety of attitude, air-data, heading and nav inputs, from analog discretes to Arinc 429 digital interfaces. Sandel foresees the displays as attractive retrofit options on aircraft from heavy piston singles to turboprops and light jets.

The Vista, Calif. company also offers a line of three-inch electronic multifunction displays, including the ST3400 TAWS/ RMI and SN3500 EHSI.