Aim To Bring Technology To Alliant/Envision Customers

Representatives with Avidyne and West Star Aviation told ANN Monday the two companies have launched a joint engineering effort to provide Envision/Alliant retrofit avionics customers with Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) capability.

"Partnering with West Star to develop the interface between our Envision/Alliant Primary Flight Display and an RVSM-capable air data computer is a logical step for Avidyne," said Tom Harper, Avidyne's Director of Marketing. "The Envision integrated flight deck with RVSM is perfectly suited for Conquest II aircraft, and West Star is the leading maintenance facility for these aircraft. West Star is currently performing Supplementary Inspection Document (SID) inspections on several Conquests each month and, since the inspections require removal of the interior, it's an ideal time to install upgraded flight decks and RVSM hardware, as well," he added.

"Since the Conquest II routinely operates above 29,000 feet, many of our customers are insisting on inclusion of RVSM capability for their airplanes," said Rick Brainard, General Manager of West Star. "We approached Avidyne about adding RVSM capability for the Envision/Alliant suite, and they have been extremely responsive in making this program a success."

Avidyne and West Star began working together in January to make the Envision/Alliant Primary Flight Display (PFD) capable of interfacing with an RVSM-capable air data computer. The program is currently underway and completion is anticipated by mid-year.

The Alliant Integrated Flight Deck package for the Conquest II includes dual-redundant Avidyne EXP5000 10.4" primary flight displays (PFDs), Avidyne EX500 or EX5000 multi-function display (MFD), the S-TEC IntelliFlight 2100 digital autopilot and Mid-Continent two-inch standby instruments. In addition, the Alliant package comes standard with Avidyne's exclusive CMax™ electronic charts and the ability to interface with Avidyne's MLB700 Broadcast Datalink Receiver, TAS600 traffic advisory system, and TWX670 tactical lightning detection system.

West Star, which provides maintenance to a significant percentage of the Cessna 441 Conquest II fleet based in the United States, operates locations in Colorado, Texas, Illinois and Iowa. 

FMI: www.avidyne.com, www.weststaraviation.com