Estimated reading time 3 minutes, 37 seconds.
“We think once aircraft owners experience the enhanced situational awareness Aspen’s Evolution synthetic vision provides, they will better understand its value and will invest in the upgrade,” said Mark Ferrari, vice president sales and customer support, Aspen Avionics.
Priced at US$2,995, ESV is an optional software upgrade to the Evolution Flight Display System and presents a real-time, computer-generated, three-dimensional view of terrain, obstacles, and traffic. The synthetic terrain rendering on the PFD simulates the view from the cockpit on a bright day, so it’s especially helpful in providing enhanced situational awareness when flying during conditions of reduced visibility.
ESV comes standard with an integrated terrain warning system that combines terrain and flight path marker coloring, caution and warning test, and an audio warning alert when terrain or obstacle collision is imminent. When ESV flight hours exceed 10 hours of usage, the next time the unit is powered on, the trial will self-disable. To reinstate ESV, the option must be purchased. More information about Aspen’s Evolution Synthetic Vision can be found here.
In related news, Aspen Avionics has also received FAA certification for its Evolution VFR PFD. It is the industry’s first glass panel display designed specifically for pilots flying in the Visual Flight Rules (VFR) environment. Deliveries begin this month.
Aspen’s market research concluded VFR pilots and non-current IFR pilots represent over 50 per cent of the flying population. “From the very beginning, Aspen has been committed to developing general aviation solutions that are innovative, safe, affordable, and contribute to the future growth of the pilot community. This is a segment of the flying public that has been underserved with an affordable glass panel solution,” said John Uczekaj, Aspen president and CEO.
Priced at US$4,995, the 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 reduce the overall installation costs over other systems.
The upgrade, priced at US$4,690, enables the VFR PFD to function as a Pro PFD and supports the following functions:
• Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI)
• RMI bearing pointers
• Lateral and vertical deviation indicators (ILS, localizer, VOR, GPS, vertical guidance)
• Minimums
• Decision Height (with compatible radar altimeters)
• Radio altimeter (with compatible radar altimeters)
• Flight director (with Aircraft Control Unit (ACU)
Options include:
• XM weather
• Traffic (TAS)
• Lightning (Stormscope)
• Synthetic Vision (must first be upgraded to EFD1000 Pro)
• ADS-B capability
* The VFR PFD is IFR capable with limitations.
