Synthetic Vision for US$ 22 000 - AIN

Avidyne Certifies Synthetic Vision

Avidyne now holds TSO approval and an Approved Model List/Supplemental type certificate for the company’s IFD550 FMS and has completed the first installation, CEO Dan Schwinn announced today at Sun ’n‘ Fun. The IFD550 has both GPS, ground-based navigation and communications capability, as well as an attitude reference system (ARS) and 3-D synthetic vision, plus video input and touchscreen technology. A Mitsubishi MU-2 based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is the platform for the first installation. The The MU-2 upgraded with the IFD550 represents a huge market for the company: aircraft that would otherwise be too expensive to re-equip with today’s integrated glass avionics suites, according to Schwinn. “I think the IFD550 will be a great upgrade to the light jets with the first generation of glass cockpits. They can benefit from WAAS and synthetic viz,” he said. Avidyne’s IFD line works with its ADS-B products, as well as those of several other players in the marketplace. “We are primarily focusing on the higher end of the market but see it as being a long-term market, and we believe the real action happens in the 12 to 18 months before the mandate, and even after the mandate,” he said. The IFD550 loaded with Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, synthetic vision, touchscreen and WAAS retails for $21,999. The IFD lineup of products starts at $9,499.