Pre-2003 Cirrus Owners Now Have Option For Integrated Flight Deck

Owners of older Cirrus-model aircraft, rejoice! (And, get out your pocketbooks.) Mobile, AL-based Southern Star Avionics told ANN Wednesday they have attained the Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) through the FAA for the Avidyne Envision primary flight display (PFD) system for Cirrus SR20 and SR22 models, giving pre-2003 model Cirrus owners the opportunity of retrofitting their aircraft with a modern glass cockpit display system like newer Entegra-equipped Cirrus aircraft.

Envision is the first large-format integrated flight display system available for retrofit in single-engine piston aircraft. Many other models and airframes are to follow on an Approved Model List, including the Cessna 400 twin-piston series.

Introduced at Lakeland 2007, Envision marked another shift in Avidyne's business model, focused increasingly on aftermarket retrofits and installation on experimental aircraft. Based on Avidyne’s Entegra system, parts of Envision were introduced with the Alliant integrated flight deck developed by Avidyne and S-TEC for King Air 200 and King Air 90 series aircraft.

The Envision integrated flight deck for the SR-series uses a 10.4-inch diagonal Avidyne PFD with standard flight instrumentation and pilot-selectable moving-map flight plan data, horizontal situation indicator (EHSI), an RMI pointer, digital RMI readouts and integrated flight director command bars.

The PFD is integrated with a solid-state air data and attitude/heading reference system (ADAHRS) providing full redundancy as well as much higher reliability than traditional "spinning-mass" gyros. The PFD may be coupled with the autopilot for altitude pre-select, vertical speed select and heading select without the need for an external control panel.

The integrated air data computer provides a valuable full-time instantaneous wind vector displayed on the PFD, taking the guesswork out of finding the right altitude to optimize flight time and wind correction while entering the pattern or flying an approach. Trend indicators provide six-second trend data for airspeed, altitude and heading, allowing precise control with reduced workload when changing or maintaining an airspeed or altitude. Vx, Vy and Vg airspeed labels make it easy to fly precise airspeeds during critical phases of flight. Heading tick marks on the PFD’s horizon improve the smoothness of heading intercepts while tightening the pilot’s scan.

PFD installation kits are available through Southern Star Avionics.

FMI: www.southernstar.aero, www.avidyne.com, www.cirrusdesign.com