Tue, Jun 01, 2010

Aero-TV: Avionics Tip Of The Week -- Aspen Evolution Backup Display

Evolution Backup Display Changes The Secondary Display Game, In A Big Way

One of the cooler product debuts this year was the advent of Aspen Avionics's ingenious new backup display system.

The Evolution Backup Display is designed to replace legacy mechanical backup instruments in OEM and retrofit glass panel installations. It is highly compatible with existing avionics, and reportedly provides more backup functionality at a less expensive price than other EFIS backup displays currently offered.

Based on the unique EFD1000 platform, the Evolution Backup Display has the same level of functionality, interoperability and reliability that have made the Evolution 1000 Pro PFD such a popular choice among aircraft owners. A specially designed software load allows the flight display to be rotated onto its side into a landscape orientation, and the Attitude Direction Indicator (ADI) and the Horizontal Situation Indicator (HSI) are represented vertically in this new configuration. The landscape orientation allows the unit to be conveniently installed below or above an EFIS display panel and easily readable
by the pilot.

When connected to the aircraft’s GPS, the Evolution Backup Display provides seven backup functions in the event of a primary EFIS failure, including attitude, altitude, airspeed, HSI, VSI, GPS flight plan, and GPS steering. The unit presents the backup data via the intuitive, easy-to-read Evolution interface, and like the EFD1000, contains a thirty-minute backup battery and will remain working even in the event of electrical failure in the avionics panel.

“The Evolution Flight Display is a natural product for the backup display market. Safety and reliability have been built into the product since its earliest designs,” said Hayden. “If the primary EFIS in the cockpit fails, transitioning to a glass backup display interface, rather than a mechanical instrument, will be much more intuitive and less stressful to the pilot in an emergency situation.”

The Evolution Backup Display will be available in December 2010, in various configurations with different features, starting below $10,000.