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.

FMI: www.avidyne.com, www.crownairaviation.com