Avionics News January 2021 - 35

Avidyne moved into its new 12,000-square-foot hangar
at the Orlando Melbourne International Airport. The new
hangar facility will be used for the company's growing
avionics integration, flight test, and certification activities.

" We have some big, big helicopter projects in the works
right now, and the integration can be pretty painful because
of the crazy old avionics that are in some of these older
helicopters, " he said. " It's tested our technical support and
project management teams. Technically, it's been kind of
difficult in many cases to get these things to work right. But
in the end, we get there. "
Yes, like with its increasing product offerings for Part 25
business jets, Avidyne will bring its new-generation Helios,
pedestal-mounted flight management system to the larger
turbine helicopter market in 2021.
Avidyne's limitations-breaking
GLAS upgrade
A key feature available in the new-generation Avidyne
IFD units is the company's unique and innovative GPS
Legacy Aviation System option. According to the company, it
provides a direct LPV-capable interface to legacy Honeywell
Primus 1000 or Collins Aerospace Pro Line 21-series
avionics systems.
" GLAS is a way to enable autopilots that were born before
the advent of GPS and LPV (localizer performance with
vertical guidance) to provide those types of capabilities, "
Schwinn stated. " GLAS provides new-generation capabilities
without the exorbitant costs of external adapter boxes or
EFIS factory upgrades. It can make many legacy autopilots
perform new tricks they never could before.
" When equipped with GLAS, our IFD multifunction
FMSs provide autopilot-coupled LPV approach capabilities,

which open these aircraft up to a large number of airports and
runways. Those capabilities, along with other features, will
extend the life and value of these aircraft for years to come. "
Now trending on YouTube
If you're a fan of many popular YouTube aviators like
310 Pilot, Baron Pilot and Martin Pauly, you've seen that
they're flag-waving fans of Avidyne's IFD550 and IFD540
FMS/GPS navigators. And Avidyne's strategic association
with these new-generation online influencers would make
marketers like Doyle Dane Bernbach proud.
" I wish I could say, 'yeah, we woke up one day, and said
this is a great idea' - but that's not how it happened, said Tom
Harper, Avidyne's director of marketing. " It was more a fact
that they started asking us, and we started responding. What
we've learned is that pilots who take the time to go out and
really learn about their options in the market often end up
with Avidyne in their panels. That's our market position: 'For
pilots who know the difference.'
" These YouTube pilots want to present themselves as
knowledge experts - influencers who do in fact know the
details about all the different products and choose the best for
their situations. They can point out all the small details that
can make significant differences in how something is used
and how that translates into added capabilities and safety in a
typical flight.
" To us, the YouTubers' vlogs are providing a way for
Continued on following page
avionics news

*

january

2021

35
Avionics News January 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News January 2021
