FAA Certification Comes After 18-Month Effort
When they said "imminent," they meant it!
Aspen Avionics alerted ANN Friday evening the company has just been
granted Technical Standard Order (TSO) Authorization for the
Evolution Pilot and Pro Primary Flight Displays (PFDs) from the
FAA. With certification and production authority in hand, Aspen
will begin shipping EFD1000 PFD systems on March 31, as
planned.
Announced eight months ago at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Aspen
bills its Evolution Flight Display system is an affordable glass
cockpit solution for general aviation aircraft. With prices
starting under $6,000, the modular and upgradeable Evolution system
breaks the price barrier and makes the safety benefits of the most
advanced glass cockpit technologies finally accessible to the vast
majority of the GA aircraft fleet.
"This certification is a major achievement for Aspen Avionics,
and a testament to the drive, strength and experience of our
people," said Aspen’s President and CEO John Uczekaj.
"It’s remarkable how much a small, focused team can
accomplish in short order. Aspen is living proof that
entrepreneurship is alive and well in the aviation industry."
Certification of the Evolution Flight Display is the second TSO
Aspen Avionics has received. The company’s innovative AT300
Hazard Awareness Display received certification in November 2005.
The certification process for the EFD1000 PFD took approximately 18
months to complete.
"It’s been a pleasure working with the FAA on this
project," said Peter Lyons, Aspen Avionics Co-Founder and VP of
Product Management, who led the company’s certification
effort. "The FAA recognized early in the process the potential
safety benefits that affordable retrofit EFIS systems can offer the
general aviation (GA) fleet, and have been very supportive of our
efforts."
Aspen says customer interest in the Evolution has been strong.
The company reported sales of over $1.5 million of the units in the
first week after the product’s launch.
"This is the right product, at the right time, for the right
price, and is a joy to fly" said Doug Cayne, Aspen’s VP of
Marketing. "Our order book has continued to swell as we’ve
made progress towards certification, and now we can start
delivering one of the most eagerly anticipated products in recent
avionics history," said Cayne.
Aspen has spent the past nine months building a network of top
avionics dealers to sell and support the EFD1000, and now has
nearly 300 authorized avionics dealers ready to begin installations
of the Evolution system in April.
"With TSO and production authorization in hand, Aspen is rapidly
ramping up production to meet demand," said Uczekaj. "With our new
manufacturing facility in Albuquerque, top-notch manufacturing
talent, and an experienced Customer Support team, we are confident
that we will be able to meet the market’s enthusiastic
response to the Evolution Flight Display."