It's been a big week for Avidyne. While they've announced that they have completed certification of the FlightMax Entegra Integrated Flight Deck on the New Piper Saratoga HP, TC, 6X, & 6XT and on the Lancair Columbia 350; they also note that these aircraft configurations include several significant enhancements to FlightMax Entegra which they've now certified, including Flight Director capability on the EXP5000 PFD, "Primary Engine Instruments" on the PFD with Avidyne's EMax Total Engine Management system, "in-flight restart" and "taxi-during warmup" capability, and Avidyne's light-GA-exclusive portrait-version displays.

Avidyne also announced that their EX5000 MFD is available in the aftermarket with integrated datalink capability for $16,195. The EX5000 is available in portrait and landscape formats to allow more flexibility for retrofit applications.
 
Avidyne also announced several product enhancements for the FlightMax EX500 multi-function display, including the ability to display snow/mix (in pink) as part of their NEXRAD imagery. Avidyne also improved it's datalink service to reduce NEXRAD ground clutter and implemented improvements which reduce NEXRAD and METAR age.
 
Avidyne also announced a new pricing plan for their datalink service. In addition to their current "pay-as-you-go" service, Avidyne now offers a fixed-price "Unlimited Datalink Service" for $600 per year.

"Customers flying less then 120 hours per year really like the current pay-as-you-go service because they only pay for datalink for the times they are flying, and it's still the most affordable service in the market," said Avidyne sales manager Jamie Luster. "We added the new 'unlimited' service for customers who fly a lot and for those who want the convenience of a flat-rate pricing model, which helps with their annual budgeting." All EX500s come with integrated datalink, starting at $8,995.

Also; Avidyne has recently introduced their EX500 Interactive Training Software which allows users to run the EX500 right on their desktop PC, including the ability to retrieve live "datalink" graphical weather via an internet connection. The software is downloadable from the Avidyne website free of charge at www.avidyne.com/ex500. It is also available on CD for $5.95 to cover shipping and handling. ANN has been looking over this program for about a week now and notes that it does an excellent job of allowing a pilot to familiarize themselves with this technology at their own pace. We'll have a review in the not too distant future.

FMI: www.avidyne.com