'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."