Hazard Display And Terrain Awareness

Aspen Avionics says its AT300 Multifunction Hazard Awareness Display has entered full-rate production and is now being shipped to dealers. First end-customer deliveries of the non-certified AT300 display occurred in January.

“This milestone marks the transition of the company from a product development phase to a manufacturing phase” said Peter Lyons, president of Aspen.

The AT300, which was announced at AirVenture in 2004, uses a high resolution 2.5 inch 240 x 480 AMLCD to provide brilliant, full-color moving map multifunction display (MFD) technology in a standard 3 inch instrument format. The AT300, which has been designed to replace a legacy VSI, includes a vertical speed indicator as part of its multifunction display, allowing it to be installed in even the most crowded aircraft instrument panel.

The system employs an integral terrain database and sophisticated software algorithms to render a detailed, TAWS-like terrain moving map to alert the pilot to areas of potentially hazardous terrain and/or man-made obstacles along the aircraft flight path. The AT300 is unique among available MFD systems in its ability to be installed in an aircraft without requiring replacement or relocation of any of the other existing avionic systems (other than the legacy vertical speed indicator), or any structural modifications of the instrument panel.

Retail pricing of the non-certified AT300 has been set at $3495, making it one of the most affordable multifunction displays available today.

“Controlled Flight into Terrain (CFIT) accidents account for approximately one-third of fatal general aviation accidents that occur during IMC operations” said Lyons. “Modern terrain awareness technology, such as that offered by the AT300, affords an unprecedented opportunity to significantly reduce the likelihood of CFIT accidents. We are hopeful that the long-awaited introduction of affordable terrain awareness products to general aviation (GA) will help to improve the overall safety record associated with piston-engine GA flight operations.”

The company also says it's expanding its network of Aspen Avionics Authorized Dealers. “Interest in the AT300 product by dealers has been overwhelming” said Lyons. “Our dealers are excited by the value proposition that our product offers the aircraft owner.”

Most of Aspen’s dealers plan to keep a demonstration unit available in their showrooms for customer evaluation. Also today, the company announced that the AT300 certification effort, which was initiated late last year, is proceeding on schedule.

“We’ve already met with the FAA so that we could get an early start on gaining agreement on key aspects of the AT300’s approval, including the certification schedule, equipment qualification requirements, and software assurance levels” said Jeff Bethel, Aspen’s Chief Technology Officer.

Based on progress to date, the company remains confident that they will receive FAA certification of the AT300 display later this summer. Pricing for the certified AT300 display has been set at $3995.

FMI: www.aspenavionics.com