'Get Your Glass' Archer Will Sport EX500 MFD, TAS600 With Audio Alerting

Several notable suppliers of advanced avionics systems will ensure the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association's 2008 sweepstakes plane won't just be classy... it'll be "glassy," too. One of those companies is Avidyne, which announced this week it will donate an EX500 Multi-Function Display with CMax Electronic Approach Charts, an MLB700 Satellite Broadcast Datalink Receiver, and an Avidyne dual-antenna TAS600 Traffic Advisory System with Heads-Up Audible Position Alerting to the cause.

For the 2008 contest, AOPA will focus on offering the lucky winner of its completely refurbished 1976 Piper Archer with the latest in glass panel avionics. Even the plane's registration number will reflect that goal -- N208GG, for "2008 Get Your Glass."

"We’re excited to be a part of AOPA’s Sweepstakes program this year, especially since it’s focused on retrofitting a well-proven, venerable aircraft with the latest technology and capability the industry has to offer," said Avidyne Marketing Director Tom Harper. "Avidyne is at the forefront in situational awareness products and these systems represent the state of the art in MFDs, datalink graphical weather, and traffic avoidance systems."

In addition to the EX500 and TAS600, the sweepstakes plane will also sport an Aspen Evolution primary flight display (PFD); an S-Tec Fifty Five X autopilot; a PS Engineering audio panel; dual Garmin GNS430 WAAS GPSs, and a new Garmin transponder; and a J.P. Instruments EDM-800 engine analyzer -- representing a thorough cross-section of the advanced choices now offered on the retrofit market.

AOPA's 1976 PA-28-181 Archer was one of the first 75 off the line from Vero Beach, and sports a slightly tapered wing, a 180-horsepower Lycoming O-360, and a few other minor improvements. One big advantage in going with the older plane, compared with a new Archer III, is the former's advantage in useful load -- close to 100 pounds, compared to 878 for the new plane. That will give the winner a full fuel payload of over 700 pounds to work with.

"AOPA’s industry advocacy and leadership are important to the future of general aviation and we’re pleased to continue our support of the organization and its members in this way," said Dan Schwinn, Avidyne’s President and Chief Executive Officer. "We also believe that this sweepstakes airplane will help focus valuable attention on the importance of training and the extensive range of technology and capability available to general aviation operators and we’re pleased to be a part of that."

FMI: www.aopa.org/sweeps/, www.avidyne.com