ANN Flies First Alliant-Equipped Aircraft on Display at NBAA; STC Approval Imminent

NBAA 2006 got off to a great start as ANN sampled the latest wares from Avidyne and S-Tec with its usual disruptive aplomb... with an abrupt engine cut, in full-on approach mode, while shooting the localizer at Lakeland, FL... and letting a new flight deck from Avidyne and S-Tec do the chores with very little disruption and NO pilot intervention. Despite the abrupt cut, the King Air flew like a champ... with a less than 3 degree yaw deviation, excellent pitch profile adherence and very simple operating chores throughout the exercise... making this first-out-of-the-gate 21st century cockpit for elder King Airs the early leader in a burgeoning new retrofit market for those birds too old to have benefitted from the recent revolution in glass cockpits and digital autopilot technology -- and oh yeah, it's available RIGHT NOW.

Avidyne Corporation and S-TEC Corporation have introduced their new Alliant Integrated Flight Deck for the Beechcraft King Air 200 family of twin-engine turboprop aircraft. Featuring the first implementations of Avidyne's Envision™ series of retrofit integrated flight deck products and S-TEC's IntelliFlight™ 2100 Digital Flight Control System, the Alliant Integrated Flight Deck enables King Air 200 owners to update their aircraft with state-of-the-art situational awareness and safety tools at a fraction of the cost of a new aircraft.

The first completed King Air 200 Alliant installation is on static display at the NBAA 2006 (check it out for yourself... we didn't bend ANYTHING). With STC paperwork completed and FAA approval imminent, Alliant is the first "large glass" integrated flight deck available for installation in King Air aircraft. Dealer orders already are placed for installations expected to begin this quarter.

The Alliant Integrated Flight Deck package includes dual-redundant Avidyne EXP5000 10.4" primary flight displays (PFDs), an Avidyne EX500 multi-function display (MFD), the S-TEC IntelliFlight  2100 digital autopilot, Mid-Continent two-inch standby instruments, and interfaces to most popular traffic, terrain, lightning, radar and radar altimeter systems. In addition, the Alliant package comes standard with Avidyne's exclusive CMax™ electronic charts and MultiLink™ support. CMax electronic charts display Jeppesen's approach charts and airport diagrams on the EX500 MFD. MultiLink supports the display of XM WX Satellite Weather and provides Avidyne's unique FlightCenter text messaging and flight tracking services.

Alliant enhances aircraft value as the full retail value of the system can be added to the Aircraft Blue Book value. It is the ideal upgrade for modernizing the workhorse of air charter and business aviation operations.

"The King Air 200 is an ideal aircraft for the Alliant flight deck upgrade," said Mark Sandeen, Avidyne Vice President of Sales and Marketing. "King Air 200 owners get the enhanced safety and utility of large, dual-redundant primary flight displays plus S-TEC's new high performance digital autopilot in one truly beautiful panel. In addition, the situational awareness and operational benefits of integrating MultiLink weather, on-board radar, traffic, terrain awareness, electronic charting and two-way messaging systems for dispatching and fleet management are unsurpassed. What's more, these advanced capabilities are now available in a system that's widely recognized across the industry as the easiest-to-learn and use."

"Avidyne and S-TEC are building on many successful partnerships in the OEM arena as the basis for delivering our Alliant integrated flight deck for the retrofit market," said S-TEC President Mel Hilderbrand. "Enhanced safety, reduced pilot workload, lower maintenance costs, increased dispatch reliability and better resale value were the primary goals we set for Alliant. We feel that we have achieved all those goals and are first to market with the most affordable flight deck upgrade for the King Air market. S-TEC has almost 30 years of autopilot experience and we are all excited, to be working with Avidyne, to bring Alliant to the marketplace."

"S-TEC is an excellent partner," said Avidyne President Dan Schwinn. "And the IntelliFlight™ 2100 is a great digital autopilot that integrates well with our Envision Primary Flight Displays for simple and intuitive operation."

Alliant System Overview

The Alliant Integrated Flight Deck uses Avidyne's unique Cross-Compare System™ (CCS) to monitor the dual-redundant solid-state air data and attitude/heading reference system (ADAHRS) and aircraft navigation systems and provides visual alerts in the unlikely event of any discrepancy.

Each Alliant 10.4-inch PFD is integrated with its own independent ADAHRS providing full redundancy as well as much higher reliability than traditional mechanical gyros. Either ADAHRS may be selected for display in reversionary operations.

The integrated air data computer provides continuous display of instantaneous winds aloft, taking the guesswork out of finding the right altitude or selecting the best wind correction angle when entering the pattern or flying an approach.  Trend indicators provide six-second trend data for airspeed, altitude and heading, allowing precise control with reduced workload when changing or maintaining an airspeed or altitude.

The EX500 Multi-Function Display (MFD) features a 5.5-inch diagonal, high-resolution moving map display that can show flight plan information and Avidyne's exclusive two-way MultiLink™ datalink weather service.  Options include interfaces to EGPWS/TAWS display, lightning and traffic systems and 19 different airborne weather radar systems including Bendix King and Collins radars commonly installed on King Air 200 aircraft.

Representing the culmination of 30-years of autopilot experience and expertise, S-TEC's new IntelliFlight™ 2100 Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) functions as an integral part of the Alliant Integrated Flight Deck.

For example, all of the IntelliFlight 2100's modes are fully annunciated on the Envision™ PFD including the Indicated Air Speed (IAS) Hold capability. The pilot simply selects the desired Indicated Air Speed, presses the IAS button on the IntelliFlight control panel and the system will automatically hold that airspeed. IAS Hold has proven to be extremely useful helping pilots manage climbs and descents at specific airspeeds.

Another feature of IntelliFlight 2100 is Control Wheel Steering (CWS). When the yoke-mounted CWS switch is depressed, the autopilot servos are disengaged allowing the pilot to maneuver the aircraft as desired. When the CWS button is released, the servos are automatically reengaged and return to normal operation.

The IntelliFlight 2100 also offers all the other capabilities pilots expect in a top-tier autopilot including GPS Roll Steering (GPSS), Heading Hold, NAV and Approach Modes, Altitude Preselect, Altitude Hold with Auto-Trim, Vertical Speed (VE), Course Intercept Capability and Yaw Damper.

The Alliant package retail price is $170,107 and includes dual EXP5000 PFDs, integrated ADAHRS and magnetometers, one EX500 MFD, the S-TEC IntelliFlight 2100 DFCS, and three Mid-Continent standby instruments. The system is available for immediate ordering for installations expected to begin this quarter.

FMI: www.alliantkingair.com, www.s-tec.com, www.avidyne.com