MINERAL WELLS, TX, January 2, 2007 -- Avidyne Corporation and S-TEC Corporation have announced the receipt of a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to retrofit the Alliant Integrated Flight Deck into Cessna Conquest II (441) twin-engine turboprop aircraft. The required modifications, approval flights, and FAA paperwork were completed at S-TEC’s headquarters in Mineral Wells, Texas.
The Conquest II is the third model that combines Avidyne’s Envision® series of retrofit integrated flight deck products and S-TEC’s IntelliFlight™ 2100 Digital Flight Control System, joining Beechcraft’s King Air 90 and 200-series airplanes.
“The Alliant Flight Deck gives Conquest II operators the safety, convenience and added features that are associated with state-of-the-art glass cockpits, providing satellite datalink weather, electronic charts, and an all-digital autopilot — all at a price that’s affordable,” noted David Copeland, Avidyne’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “It allows them to retain the familiar performance and comfort of their existing aircraft while adding capabilities and redundancy in a practical and efficient package.”
Greg Plantz, S-TEC Vice President of Sales and Marketing added that “the Alliant Integrated Flight Deck is a logical and reasonable way to improve upon the Conquest II’s already well established performance, fuel efficiency and versatility at a fraction of the cost of a new airplane. We believe it will be a very popular update.”
The Alliant Integrated Flight Deck package for the Conquest II includes dual-redundant Avidyne EXP5000 10.4-inch primary flight displays (PFDs), Avidyne EX500 multi-function display (MFD), the S-TEC IntelliFlight 2100 digital autopilot, Mid-Continent 2-inch standby instruments, and interfaces to most popular traffic, terrain, lightning, radar and radar altimeter systems. In addition, the Alliant package comes standard with Avidyne’s exclusive CMax™ electronic charts and the ability to interface with the MLB700 Broadcast Datalink Receiver. CMax electronic charts display Jeppesen’s approach charts and airport diagrams on the EX500 MFD. The optional MLB700 provides high-speed datalink WSI InFlight® weather service via the SIRIUS Satellite Radio network. The Avidyne TAS600 Traffic Advisory System is also installed on the certification airplane. The MLB700 and TAS600 options are offered at a discounted price with the purchase of the Alliant Integrated Flight Deck.
“An additional benefit to retrofitting aircraft like the Cessna Conquest II or King Air is that by replacing the heavy and outdated legacy avionics systems with advanced components, operators net a significant weight savings, which directly increases the aircraft’s useful load,” Copeland pointed out.
Alliant System Overview
The Alliant Integrated Flight Deck uses Avidyne’s unique Cross-Compare System™ (CCS) to monitor the dual-redundant solid-state air data and attitude/heading reference system (ADAHRS) and aircraft navigation systems and provides visual alerts in the unlikely event of any discrepancy.
Each Alliant 10.4-inch PFD is integrated with its own independent ADAHRS providing full redundancy as well as much higher reliability than traditional mechanical gyros. Either ADAHRS may be selected for display in reversionary operations.
The integrated air data computer provides continuous display of instantaneous winds aloft, taking the guesswork out of finding the right altitude or selecting the best wind correction angle when 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.
The EX500 Multi-Function Display (MFD) features a 5.5-inch diagonal, high-resolution moving map display that can show flight plan information and satellite datalink graphical weather data. Options include interfaces to EGPWS/TAWS display, lightning and traffic systems and19 different airborne weather radar systems including Bendix King and Collins radars commonly installed on Cabin-class Cessna aircraft.
Representing the culmination of 30 years of autopilot experience and expertise, S-TEC’s new IntelliFlight™ 2100 Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) functions as an integral part of the Alliant Integrated Flight Deck.
For example, all of the IntelliFlight 2100’s modes are fully annunciated on the Envision™ PFD including the Indicated Air Speed (IAS) Hold capability. The pilot simply selects the desired Indicated Air Speed, presses the IAS button on the IntelliFlight control panel and the system will automatically hold that airspeed. IAS Hold has proven to be extremely useful helping pilots manage climbs and descents at specific airspeeds.
Another feature of IntelliFlight 2100 is Control Wheel Steering (CWS). When the yoke-mounted CWS switch is depressed, the autopilot servos are disengaged allowing the pilot to maneuver the aircraft as desired. When the CWS button is released, the servos are automatically reengaged and return to normal operation.
The IntelliFlight 2100 also offers all the other capabilities pilots expect in a top-tier autopilot including GPS Roll Steering (GPSS), Heading Hold, NAV and Approach Modes, Altitude Preselect, Altitude Hold with Auto-Trim, Vertical Speed (VE), Course Intercept Capability and Yaw Damper.
About S-TEC (www.s-tec.com)Based in Mineral Wells, Texas, S-TEC Corporation, part of the Cobham Avionics and Surveillance Division, is a leading manufacturer of innovative avionics system solutions for the business and general aviation market. Considered the industry leader in autopilot and digital flight control design and innovation, S-TEC has delivered over 35,000 systems around the world.
?? 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 Entegra integrated flight decks for new aircraft, Envision integrated flight decks for 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 and the TWX670 Tactical Weather Detection system. Headquartered in Lincoln, MA, the company has facilities in Columbus, OH, Melbourne, FL, and Boulder, CO.
