Aspen Avionics Develops Industry’s First Certified Glass Panel Primary Flight Display (PFD) for VFR Pilots

March 13, 2014
The Aspen EFD1000 VFR PFD combines situational awareness and safety into a single-flat panel liquid crystal display that can be easily upgraded to a fully IFR-capable Evolution Pro PFD.

Aircraft Electronics Association, Nashville, TN: Aspen Avionics, manufacturer of the Evolution Flight Display system, today announced it has developed the industry’s first certified glass panel PFD built specifically for VFR pilots. The Aspen EFD1000 VFR PFD combines situational awareness and safety into a single-flat panel liquid crystal display that can be easily upgraded to a fully IFR-capable Evolution Pro PFD.

“Aspen has done a great amount of market research and our findings were that VFR pilots, and IFR pilots that are not current represent over 50 percent of the flying population. This is a segment of the flying public that at best, has been underserved”, said John Uczekaj, president and CEO, Aspen Avionics. “From the very beginning, Aspen has been committed to develop general aviation solutions for pilots that are innovative, safe, affordable, and contribute to future growth in this important segment of the economy. This product is the latest manifestation of that commitment,” Uczekaj continued.

Priced at $4,995, the EFD1000 VFR PFD will meet the needs of the VFR pilot as well as meet their future IFR* rating goals through a simple software upgrade. Additionally, Aspen’s unique hardware form factor and open software architecture greatly reduces the overall installation costs over other systems.

Aspen’s goal is to allow the pilot to purchase the VFR unit and, when they are ready, purchase the software upgrade. The upgrade, priced at $4,690 upgrades the VFR PFD to Aspen’s EFD1000 Pro PFD and enables the following functions:

  • Horizontal Situation Indicator
  • RMI bearing pointers
  • Lateral and vertical deviation indicators (ILS, localizer, VOR, GPS, vertical guidance
  • Minimums
  • Radio altimeter
  • Flight director 

Options include:

  • XM Weather
  • Traffic (TAS)
  • Lightning (stormscope)
  • Synthetic Vision (must first be upgraded to EFD1000 Pro)
  • ADS-B Capability