Avionics

Now that the iPad and tablet-type computers have become all but standard equipment in the cockpit, so are reports of their failures trickling in. I got a note from a former airplane partner last week reporting that a primary app on his tablet failed and wouldn’t restart, killing access to charts and approach plates. How […]

Tecnam has formally announced the first flight of its Astore, a low-wing metal LSA that comes standard with an iPad mini and an optional Levil AHRS G-mini, which the company plans to showcase together at AirVenture, this year. Levil’s product works with the iPad by delivering information from dedicated AHRS to the iPad’s display via […]

The Air Force Air Mobility Command last year awarded a contract for up to 18,000 iPads and believes it is on track to see a $50 million cost savings from their intended use once implemented. The contract, a $9.36 million investment, is one step in replacing what amounts to hundreds of pounds of paper documentation […]

These clever little gadgets are why you can buy an impressive portable EFIS for under a grand. In his incisive biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson explained Jobs’ genius as having a knack for knowing what consumers wanted to buy before they realized they wanted it. But that’s no less true of any emerging new […]

Aspen Avionics has been offering a wifi-connected panel interface in the aftermarket for about a year now, and this week Pilatus announced it will offer its own version of the system as a factory option or retrofit for its PC-12 NG turboprops. Pilatus worked with Aspen, Jeppesen and Honeywell to create four customized applications designed […]

Avidyne Corporation announced the STC certification of the DFC90 plug-and-play retrofit autopilot system for Beechcraft Bonanza applications. The STC, which covers 25 models of the Bonanza, allows the DFC90 to replace existing S-TEC autopilots when interfaced with the Aspen Evolution Pro Primary Flight Display (EFD1000Pro). Avidyne previously certified the drop-in DFC90 with the Aspen PFD […]

The U.S. Navy this week announced it has — for the first time — successfully launched the X-47B combat-capable aerial vehicle from an aircraft carrier and, separately, set a new record for flight endurance with a fuel cell-powered UAV with the Ion Tiger. The X-47B’s testing Tuesday saw it launch from the deck of the […]

The sun this week unleashed a series of X-flares, classified among the most intense solar activity, that each became the most energetic of the year until the next one; none were directed toward earth but that may change next week with possible effects for aviation. The Space Weather Prediction Center is watching the activity for […]

Cessna has flown the production version of its updated Sovereign mid-sized business jet and, as expected, everything went well. The two and a half hour flight tested all the systems, including the new G5000 avionics suite that includes autothrottles. “The aircraft handling characteristics and performance were exceptional, just as we had anticipated after flying more […]

At Aero 2013, Garmin International expanded its presence with a larger display area and space for demonstrations and training and the company told AVweb that it saw its strongest show yet. In this podcast with AVweb, Garmin VP of aviation sales and marketing Carl Wolf said the company is looking for even stronger results in […]