Avidyne has extended their partnership with WSI of Andover, MA to deliver worldwide datalink graphical weather using Avidyne's MLX770/MLX780 Iridium-based datalink transceivers and WSI's Inflight Weather Service via a wide variety of industry-standard Electronic Flight Bags.

"In teaming with Avidyne, we are bringing WSI's industry-leading in-flight weather services to a larger number of general aviation aircraft owners," said Mark D. Miller, Vice President and General Manager of WSI's Aviation Business. "Adding Avidyne's MLX interface to our WSI InFlight display software will allow pilots world-wide to take advantage of timely, graphical weather information, similar to what we deliver for North America, in order to make better informed decisions and to fly safer."

"This is a logical extension of our partnership with WSI," said Patrick Herguth, Avidyne's Chief Operating Officer. "By co-developing an interface with WSI's popular InFlight EFB software, we can now offer the safety-enhancing benefits of WSI worldwide weather using our MLX-series worldwide datalink transceiver to a larger number of aircraft owners flying with any of the popular EFB systems."

"Extending our support for WSI InFlight EFB software positions Avidyne as the premier worldwide datalink weather provider for general aviation," said Avidyne president Dan Schwinn. "With our own Network Operation Center (NOC), a full line of certified display systems, broadcast and two-way datalink transceivers, and now EFB interfaces, pilots flying any type of aircraft can now have up-to-date weather while in flight, anywhere in the world."

WSI InFlight is compatible with virtually any Windows-based Electronic Flight Bag system and is the user interface software of choice for many EFB manufacturers including ADR Florida, AirGator, CMC Electronics, IMS Flight Deck, navAero, DAC International, L-3, and Universal Avionics. MLX770/780 can support two independent RS-232 data connections for pilot and co-pilot EFBs.

For International EFB users, Avidyne selected WSI InFlight as the lead developer for a standard EFB interface based on their extensive experience and their access to the highest quality international weather data. Avidyne's MLX770/MLX780, using the truly global Iridium® satellite system, allows complete international coverage, and customers familiar with the InFlight software will find the international data easy to understand.

In the United States, WSI also provides their quality-controlled aviation weather data for EFB users via the award-winning InFlight software over the Sirius Broadcast Satellite constellation. Utilizing Avidyne's Network Operations Center (NOC) and the 66-satellite Iridium constellation, the TSO-C159-approved MLX770/MLX780 transceivers provide WSI's industry-leading InFlight weather data products for display on Avidyne's Entegra and EX500 Multi-Function Displays (MFD)-and now on many popular EFB systems.

WSI InFlight standard weather services include worldwide graphical METARs, textual METARs, and TAFs; Radar is offered as a Premium service for a growing list of regions including Western Europe, Australia and the contiguous United States.

Additionally, the MLX770/MLX780 provides convenient two-way text messaging between your airborne MFD or EFB and compatible ground-based SMS-capable mobile phones or e-mail addresses, allowing pilots to communicate with family and friends from their aircraft while in flight. Avidyne and WSI plan to add other weather products in the near future including Winds & Temps Aloft, in-flight weather advisories (NOTAMs), and worldwide Lightning.

The MLX770 & MLX780 are also available for use in North America, either as a primary means of datalink weather, or along with the Avidyne's MLB700 Sirius/WSI broadcast datalink service, as part of Avidyne's exclusive MultiLink™ capability. Avidyne also offers a TWX670, which provides tactical color lighting detection to complement the strategic benefits of datalink as part of Avidyne's Entegra Wx Series.

The compact MLX770/MLX780 datalink transceivers weigh 3.6 lbs. and is contained in a 6.0" x 11.0" x 3.0" box and can be mounted with or without the optional mounting tray. The ANT77 Iridium patch antenna measures 3.5" dia x ¾" and fits easily on virtually any general aviation aircraft or helicopter.

WSI InFlight Version 5.0 Electronic Flight Bag software will be available in Q4 2009 at a price of $889 per aircraft. The MLX770 Two-Way Datalink Transceiver promotional price is $9,990 USD, including antenna and two years (or 200 hours) of free weather data service. Standard Worldwide Datalink Weather Service pricing starts as low as $50 USD per month for 10 hours of flying with the Basic Service plan. Premium Services plans cost approximately $115 USD per month for 10 hours of flying. Worldwide Iridium Telephone calls are $1.00- $1.50 USD per minute. Customers who purchase a MLX770 now can enjoy the significant benefits of datalink weather during the thunderstorm season and upgrade to the MLX780 for only $2,000 USD when it becomes available later this year. This upgrade is available for both current and new MLX770 owners. For added installation savings, Avidyne is encouraging customers who want to add voice capability to their aircraft to install an MLX770 with provisional wiring for the MLX780 telephone, so they can get the benefits of satellite datalink weather now and make it easier to add airborne telephone capability later this year.

Initial deliveries of the MLX780 are expected in Q4 2009.

FMI: www.wsi.com, www.dacint.com, www.avidyne.com