Lincoln, MA – June 07, 2010 – Avidyne Corporation, a leading provider of integrated flight deck and safety systems for general aviation aircraft, today announced that they have been selected by Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI ) to provide the integrated avionics suite and flight control system for their new KC-100 aircraft. The Avidyne offering, based on the Entegra Release 9 suite, includes dual high-resolution Integrated Flight Displays (IFDs), WAAS-capable FMS900w Flight Management Systems, 16-watt all-digital VDL-capable VHF radios, DFC100 autopilot, with options for the TAS620 for traffic alerting, TWX670 for color lightning and MLB700/MLX770 datalink systems.
“We are pleased and honored to be selected as the avionics provider for this program,” said Dan Schwinn, Avidyne’s President and CEO. “KAI is intent on building a very safe, high performance aircraft and their selection of Avidyne for an avionics suite based on our award-winning Entegra Release 9 – which is designed to make single-pilot IFR flying safer and easier – validates once again that our certified next-generation Entegra system is the most capable and safest integrated flight deck in the industry.”
“KAI’s vision and mission is to develop commercial aircraft as a whole based on KAI’s cumulative manufacturing capability and technological know-how in military aircraft, trainers and commercial components” said Samuel Dinnar, Vice President of Corporate Development for Avidyne, “The development of the KC-100 piston aircraft as the first Korean-certified civil aircraft shows their serious intent to make a successful entry to the civil aircraft market and we believe that KAI will become a major player in the civil aircraft market within the next decade.
“Avidyne is uniquely positioned to assist KAI in working through the first comprehensive aircraft certification process in Korea and to FAA standards under the 2008 USA South Korea Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement (BASA).” Dinnar added, ”We are very pleased and flattered by the fact that we were selected not only for our technical product differentiation but also for Avidyne’s corporate experience in working successfully with OEM strategic partners to develop, integrate, and certify highly-integrated general aviation aircraft,”
About the KC-100 aircraft
The KC-100 is a four-seat composite aircraft with full FADEC and state-of-the-art integrated and safety systems. It is intended to be the first Korean-developed and certified civil aircraft. More details will be announced by KAI at the upcoming 2010 EAA AirVenture at Oshkosh.
About Avidyne Integrated Flight Decks and Entegra Systems
Utilizing a fully-modular architecture, the Avidyne avionics suite for the KC-100 represents the next generation of integrated flight deck systems for general aviation aircraft. The Entegra avionics system that is being developed for the KC-100 includes dual XGA-resolution IFD displays, dual-redundant FMS900w systems with a QWERTY keypad, next-generation fully-digital VHF NAV/COM radios, and dual WAAS/RNP-capable GPS receivers. In addition, the system provides a new level of communication between the FMS/NAV system and the autopilot, virtually eliminating pilot interaction. Once coupled, the FMS automatically switches the autopilot modes during transitions from en route to approach phases of flight, reducing pilot workload and eliminating ‘modes confusion’ associated with other systems. The system is based on Avidyne’s Entegra Release 9, which is a successful certified retrofit upgrade for existing Entegra equipped Cirrus SR20 and SR22 aircraft and that has received great reviews and feedback since first shipping in early 2009. Recently, Avidyne announced the OEM and aftermarket availability for several other aircraft models and expects several more announcements in the near future.
About Korean Aerospace Industries (www.koreaaero.com)Korea Aerospace Industries Ltd. is the Republic of Korea’s national aerospace company established in 1999 with the consolidation of Samsung Aerospace, Daewoo Heavy Industries, and Hyundai Space and Aircraft Company. KAI’s lines of business include fixed-wing aircraft, helicopter aircraft and satellites. Its major products are the KF-16, KT-1 basic trainer, T-50/FA-50 advanced trainer/light combat aircraft, KUH Surion helicopter, aerostructures for Airbus/Boeing and KOMPSAT satellite program. In the commercial aircraft sector, KAI exports airframe parts and is involved in the satellite business. KAI intends to be a world-class aerospace company capable of producing a broad range of aircraft, and to this end, KAI is strengthening its core competence by raising technological competitiveness, expanding strategic alliances and cultivating top-class personnel. KAI's approach is to achieve a balanced development of the military and commercial sectors, with the stated goal of ranking itself among the world's top 10 aircraft manufacturers and to play an influential role in the aerospace industry of the 21st century.
About Avidyne Corporation (www.avidyne.com)Avidyne’s continuing leadership in innovation and its Flying Made Simple® system design make flying safer, more accessible and more enjoyable for pilots and their passengers. The company’s expanding line of products include the industry-leading Entegra integrated flight deck line for new and existing aircraft, datalink-capable EX5000 and EX500 multi-function displays and the dual-antenna TAS600 series of active traffic advisory systems, the MLB700 broadcast datalink receiver, the MLX770 world-wide datalink transceiver, and the TWX670 Tactical Weather Detection system. Headquartered in Lincoln, MA, the company has facilities in Columbus, OH, Melbourne, FL, and Boulder, CO.
