Some Installations Can Use Existing Servos

Avidyne announced Tuesday that their new ASA575 series autopilot servo/actuators, which are designed for use with the DFC90 digital autopilot system in new and retrofit installations. The DFC90 autopilot will use Avidyne’s new ASA575 servos for installations in aircraft with no previous autopilot, or when upgrading an aircraft from a previously-installed King autopilot. Aircraft owners upgrading from an STEC or Century autopilot will have the choice of using the existing servos or upgrading to new Avidyne ASA575s.

“We initially launched the DFC90 to have plug-and-play compatibility with existing STEC autopilot servos in the large installed base of late-model Entegra-equipped aircraft,” said Patrick Herguth, Avidyne’s Chief Operating Officer. “In order to expand the DFC90 into a wider range of aircraft and to replace the aging fleet of legacy analog autopilots, we found that we really needed to have our own servos in order to insure dependability, reliability and overall system performance.”

“As we continue to expand our portfolio of avionics products, we are excited to launch our ASA575 series servos, which will allow our DFC90 series autopilots to extend into many more aircraft,” said Avidyne President and CEO, Dan Schwinn. “We are dedicated to making our safety-enhancing products—like the DFC90 with full-time Envelope Alerting—available to a wider range of aircraft, and having our own servos opens up yet another market for Avidyne.”

The DFC90 is currently certified in Cirrus SR20/22 and Piper PA-46 Matrix/Mirage aircraft with the Avidyne Entegra Primary Flight Display (PFD). Avidyne is nearing certification of the DFC90 with the Aspen Pro PFD in a Cessna 182. Avidyne has also announced plans to certify the DFC90 in the Beech Bonanza and Baron, as well as the Piper PA-32. Announcements of other aircraft models being certified will be forthcoming soon.

Pricing for the DFC90 Flight Computer starts at $9,995 plus installation for single-engine piston aircraft, and $14,995 for twin and turbine aircraft. ASA575 servos will be available later this year and will be priced in accordance with specific-model Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) kits.

FMI: www.avidyne.com, www.dfc90.com