CEO John Uczekaj Discusses Aspen's Future in the Rotorcraft Industry

At the 2010 Heli-Expo, Aspen Avionics announced the STC certification authorizing installation of its EFD1000 flight display system in Bell 206 and 407 panels. Aspen developed the newly designated EFD1000H, featuring helicopter-specific software, in conjunction with Keystone Helicopter, calling the EFD1000H "the lowest priced certified EFIS in the helicopter market."

Specifically designed with a vibration-isolating kit, the compact EFD1000H PFD and multifunction display (MFD) configurations feature modular architecture for full redundancy.

Using dual hardware, the MFD offers ADAHRS sensor redundancy by working side-by-side with the PFD to monitor system health and automatically backup the PFD upon failure. In addition, the EFD1000 MFD adds moving maps, datalink weather, and traffic interface overlays.

The EFD1000H unit's relatively small design allows for a simple and less costly installation; estimates for the total unit installation (including the PFD and MFD) are less than $27,000. Currently, Aspen is negotiating for approximately 50 such installations, most for public use on UH-1s, Bell 205s, and MD500s.

In addition, Aspen recently announced a new partnership with Chippewa Aerospace to develop a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for installation of the Aspen Evolution EFD1000H Pro Primary Flight Display (PFD), the EFD1000H Multi-Function Display (MFD), and the EFD500H MFD on the Robinson R22 and R44 and the Eurocopter AS350 and AS355 model helicopters.

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