STC Now Under Development
Avidyne Corporation and Crownair Aviation, Inc., introduced the
Envision integrated flight deck for retrofit installation in Cessna
210 and T210 Centurion single-engine piston aircraft Monday at NBAA
2007.
Avidyne and Crownair tell ANN the companies are jointly
developing the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) to bring
state-of-the-art safety and situational awareness systems, as well
as ease of operation, to the high-performance piston aircraft.
Based at Montgomery Field in San Diego, Crownair Aviation is one
of the most experienced and respected names in piston, turboprop
and jet aircraft maintenance on the West Coast. The STC platform is
a T210M, N98WR. The aircraft also will be refurbished with new
paint, a new interior and engine modifications.
The 210 and T210 were once Cessna’s top-of-the-line
single-engine piston aircraft and are still widely used IFR
cross-country cruisers. About 8,400 were built between 1959 and
1985.
“Envision for Cessna 210 aircraft represents the ultimate
avionics upgrade and a 21st century transformation for some of the
most popular high-performance Cessna single-engine piston
aircraft,” said Jamie Luster, Avidyne’s Director of
Aftermarket Sales. “Cessna 210 owners will get the latest in
safety and situational awareness capabilities and a beautiful new
panel for a fraction of the cost of buying a new airplane. With
their deep experience and broad expertise, Crownair Aviation is an
invaluable partner for bringing this STC to Cessna 210
owners.”
Envision systems are now available for retrofit in King Air 200
and 90-Series turboprops, Cessna 300 and 400 Series piston twins,
and pre-Entegra-equipped Cirrus SR20 and SR22 single-engine piston
aircraft.
“Envision for Cessna 210s is an exciting new development
for Cessna owners and avionics shops across the country,”
said Kevin O’Donnell, President of Crownair Aviation.
“It’s a great way to update an already terrific
airframe while adding capability and value. And it’s great
match of yet another proven aircraft with the legendary ease-of-use
of Avidyne’s avionics.”
The Envision system for Cessna 210 and T210 aircraft includes an
Avidyne EXP5000 Primary Flight Display (PFD), an Avidyne EX5000
Multi-Function Display (MFD), Mid-Continent Instruments 2-inch
standby altimeter, airspeed indicator and attitude indicator, and a
J.P. Instruments engine monitor.
The 10.4-inch diagonal PFD shows standard flight instrumentation
and pilot-selectable moving-map flight plan data, horizontal
situation indicator (EHSI), a Bearing pointer, digital RMI readouts
and integrated flight director command bars. The PFD is integrated
with a solid-state air data and attitude/heading reference system
(ADAHRS) providing full redundancy as well as much higher
reliability than traditional “spinning-mass” gyros. The
PFD may be coupled with the autopilot for altitude pre-select,
vertical speed select and heading select without the need for an
external control panel.
The integrated air data
computer provides a valuable full-time instantaneous wind vector
displayed on the PFD, taking the guesswork out of finding the right
altitude to optimize flight time and wind correction while 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. Vx, Vy and Vg airspeed labels make it easy
to fly precise airspeeds during critical phases of flight. Heading
tick marks on the PFD’s horizon improve the smoothness of
heading intercepts while tightening the pilot’s scan.
The 10.4-inch diagonal MFD features a high-resolution moving map
display that can show flight plan information and Avidyne’s
exclusive two-way MultiLink datalink weather service. Options
include an EGPWS/TAWS display, lightning and traffic.
Additional options are Avidyne’s FlightCenter services for
flight tracking and two-way text messaging capabilities, and CMax
Jeppesen JeppView electronic charts.
“Envision is quickly becoming the leader in integrated
flight deck retrofit systems for light GA with a growing number of
available aircraft and models,” said Avidyne President Dan
Schwinn. “Our strategy to make GA flying safer and easier
includes developing advanced avionics that are intuitive and simple
to use. It also includes making retrofit systems easy to install as
we work with experienced partners like Crownair Aviation to add
more aircraft to the Envision STC list. It’s good for pilots,
for avionics shops and for all of GA.”
Retail pricing for the Envision integrated flight deck for
Cessna 210 and T210 aircraft begins at $29,995 for the EXP5000 PFD
and $13,995 for the EX5000 MFD. Pricing for the Crownair Centurion
STC kit will be available from Crownair Aviation. Availability is
expected in the first quarter of 2008.