The original owners of synthetic vision pioneer Chelton Flight Systems are now part of a group that has assumed control of the company and autopilot maker S-TEC Corporation. In what has been termed a management buyout, former Cobham Avionics President Roger Smith, Chelton co-founders Rick Price and Gordon Pratt and Director of Finance Tammy Crawford formed Genesys Aerosystems to acquire the Chelton and S-TEC units from U.K.-based Cobham. Cobham acquired Chelton in 2001 and S-TEC in 2007 and then merged the two in 2008 under the name Cobham Avionics.
Chelton developed the first FAA-certified synthetic vision system and created the widely used “highway in the sky” method of navigation guidance. The system is certified on 700 aircraft types and the company has recently developed products for helicopters. We are a dynamic and growing company, said Smith. We will continue to support our customers with state-of-the-art technology, agile development, excellent quality, and superb product support. The name is changing but the people and our commitment to our vision are not.
