“Evenings of Learning” to Show Pilots Benefits of New Safety, Performance Features

Avidyne Corporation and AirShares Elite have announced plans for two free, hands-on seminars to introduce pilots to new weather and situational awareness tools and features on the Avidyne Entegra integrated flight deck. The sessions are ideal for pilots considering the transition from analog gauges to “glass cockpit” operations and for flyers who want to learn more about safety systems well-suited for the Florida and Caribbean flying environment.

The “Evenings of Learning” will be held April 10 at 6:30 p.m. in the general aviation terminal at Naples Municipal Airport (APF) and April 11 at 6:30 p.m. in the AirShares Elite office near the Banyan Air FBO at Ft. Lauderdale Executive Airport (FXE). Attendees can view first-hand the features of the Cirrus SR22, SR20, and multiple new capabilities in Release 6.0 of Avidyne’s Entegra integrated flight deck through static aircraft and interactive displays.

A rapidly growing number of pilots are taking advantage of the AirShares Elite fractional ownership program to fly new, fully-equipped Cirrus SR22 aircraft without the multiple expenses and management hassles of owning an aircraft. The expanding program serves major market in the eastern United States.

“AirShares Elite owner-pilots flew over 80 hours to and around the Bahamas in 2005 and the trend is increasing,” said Brad Rosse, regional director for AirShares Elite.

“The advanced weather, traffic and situational awareness tools in our Entegra-equipped Cirrus SR22 aircraft make flying to many popular Caribbean destinations safer and more comfortable. These events are a great way for south Florida pilots to experience the new cockpit technologies. They can also learn more about how the AirShares Elite program makes flying advanced aircraft more affordable and easier than ever before.

The Avidyne Release 6.0 upgrade, which AirShares Elite is implementing across their entire fleet of Cirrus aircraft, enables Entegra to display the latest in XM WX products including winds aloft, freezing level, TAFs, and cloud tops. Other new features include display of V speeds (Vx, Vy, etc.) and low-speed warnings on the airspeed tape display. Functionality improvements include USB “thumb drive” compatibility to simplify the data updating process.

“South Florida aviators have an excellent opportunity to see why increasing number of their fellow pilots are using the AirShares Elite program to fly state-of-the-art aircraft equipped with the integrated flight deck recognized as the easiest to learn and use,” said Mark Sandeen, Avidyne’s vice president of sales and marketing.

“The hands-on sessions will showcase the new features of Entegra Release 6.0. And we’ll demonstrate the safety benefits of weather and traffic systems that are ideal for getting to all of the great flying destinations in and around south Florida.”

FMI: www.AirSharesElite.com, www.avidyne.com