Removing the Barriers to Safe and Modern Flight

Do you remember your introduction to flight? The thrill of the discovery flight, the first time you called “My controls,” and that first power off stall? It is those moments that captivate a pilot’s passion for aviation. If you are like me, a little opposite aileron during a high degree of bank came much more naturally than my next lesson. 

Learning to fly in a geography where I grew up made pilotage second nature, but figuring out which push, twist or dial on which display in that Skyhawk was a whole other matter. Then I had the chance to fly in a light sport trainer, and the reality of what avionics could be enthralled me.

The experimental and light sport aircraft (LSA) markets have served as the bleeding edge of aviation technology. Freed from the glacial pace of traditional Part 23 certification, these categories have driven massive advancements in powerplant efficiency, composite structures, and panel capabilities. From the rugged capabilities of STOL aircraft to the refinement of the modern personal aircraft supported by MOSAIC, the airframe, powerplants, and avionics have filled the chasm between where tube and fabric started and where the certified market delivers.

And yet, for the light sport or personal pilot who grew up mastering the evolution of controls that started with Atari, a typewriter, and a duffel bag phone, the average avionics package looks more like a pre Y2K DOS screen than the latest Xbox, smart watch, or iPhone. 

This is not to say the existing avionics cannot deliver. Most are phenomenal, battle-tested systems. But while legacy glass panels give pilots all the information in the world, they still require the pilot to actively manage, interpret, and filter that information. This is not just a workload issue, it is a safety and accessibility issue. It is time away from scanning the horizon, monitoring the flight path, and enjoying the wonder that is man’s ability to fly. 

Airhart Aeronautics is fundamentally shifting this paradigm. By introducing a context-aware avionics suite designed to act like a seasoned instructor in the right seat, they are reducing task saturation and moving the industry from “information display” to “active flight management.” If this sounds disconcerting, don’t worry, it is not taking away your controls or reducing safety by moving steps away from the pilot.

Airhart is streamlining the panel experience to enhance safety and accessibility. Instead of 16 different modes for the standard avionics, Airhart’s autopilot has three buttons. You know exactly what the aircraft is set to do, building confidence and inherently reducing the likelihood of accidents.

Get to Know Airhart

You wouldn’t jump in the cockpit of someone else’s plane without knowing a little about them and running the preflight checklist, so who is Airhart?

Airhart Aeronautics brought together co-founder and chief technology officer Nikita Ermoskins, a Cornell University engineer and former avionics systems engineer at SpaceX, and President Nate Thuli, a former U.S. Air Force officer, pilot, entrepreneur, and aerospace executive with experience leading advanced aviation and defense programs. Add in a team that includes software and design engineers from Ford Motor Co., Carbon, and Apple, and aviation’s new day has arrived. 

Airhart’s dual 14-inch touchscreen system approaches the flight differently. It utilizes a computational engine that monitors the phase of flight, pilot inputs, and aircraft state to deliver real-time guidance. Notable features include context-aware checklists. Instead of hunting for a checklist, the system recognizes the phase of flight and presents the appropriate checklist automatically. For a more in-depth look at the system, read FLYING magazine’s article on how Airhart Avionics is bringing the future of avionics to the cockpit. 

Airhart Avionics is exactly the type of advancement in safety, accessibility, and enhanced experience that the pilots at FLYING Finance get excited about.

Safety Arbitrage: Why Insurance Markets Approve

Currently targeted at the experimental and light sport (non-certified) crowd, the Airhart suite offers unprecedented safety and accessibility. For aviation lenders and insurance underwriters who care about risk mitigation, the Airhart system fundamentally changes the risk profile of an experimental or LSA airframe.

The timing could not be better, as MOSAIC expands the aircraft light sport pilots have access to, and manufacturers roll out larger and more capable aircraft like the new Van’s RV-15, Bristell RG, Sling TSi, or the Tecnam MOSAIK59 lineup.

By actively monitoring the flight and reducing the cognitive load on the pilot, task saturation is heavily reduced. From a financial perspective, this safety and accessibility make the aircraft highly favorable to insurance carriers. Lower risk translates to better insurability, which directly protects the asset’s residual value over its lifecycle.

Three Avenues of Acquisition: How to Get the Airhart System

Whether you are building from scratch, buying new, or ripping out legacy steam gauges, buying and installing the Airhart package is just as streamlined as the panel itself. The Airhart Avionics package requires no custom wire harness, is free of the compatibility issues legacy avionics packages have been laden with, and as a modern technology is plug in play with no grocery list of components.  

For launch customers, Airhart will even install the system for you—all you have to do is get the airframe to them. So for the pilots looking for an avionics package as modern as the aircraft they fly, here are the three use cases we at FLYING Finance see most often, and how the financing works in each case: 

Garage kit builder: Whether you are following in Jon Humberd’s footsteps and building a Zenith 701 or 750, or one of the more than 11,000 Van’s air force members, constructing a home build takes time. In some cases, building an experimental aircraft is a multi-year cash flow challenge. Because these builds are often completed over nights and weekends, having a clear sense of the build timeline may be unrealistic. The last thing you want is a lender nagging you on your passion project, so we recommend that garage kit builds utilize a home equity line of credit (HELOC) when not paying cash.

The HELOC provides access to a line of credit based on the lendable equity in your home, and usually has a 5-10 year window in which you can draw funds to pay for anything from home improvements to tuition and even your aircraft. Most home equity lines of credit have options to convert the balance automatically at the end of the 5- or 10-year draw period, with payments spread over a 10- to 20-year period and no prepayment penalty. This is a great way to build on your timeline, with the flexibility to keep the build a passion project and not a chore. 

Build-assist and turnkey LSA purchase: If you are purchasing an approved EAB kit with the Airhart Avionics package, or looking towards an S-LSA with the Airhart system, we roll the avionics seamlessly into the core airframe loan. You get one clean monthly payment, financed at highly competitive, streamlined rates. Where you will see the difference between the EAB kit build assist experience and the S-LSA is in the deposits required during the timeline.

Manufacturers stage these out differently, but expect to pay anywhere from 25 to 50 percent of the total cost in deposits leading up to the build completion and airworthiness certification. FLYING Finance works with the manufacturers to roll the avionics deposit into the final payment, reducing the number of deposits and the amount of cash required to get to that first flight. 

Retrofit and panel upgrade: One thing we see a lot of is the upgrade request—aircraft owners who are changing out the old gauges for new glass panels. For current owners looking to upgrade an older aircraft to a glass cockpit, ripping out older avionics does not have to be a daunting expense.

We provide dedicated upgrade and retrofit financing, similar to overhaul financing. Because the Airhart system actively modernizes the airframe and protects its hull value, the upgrade is viewed as a value-add improvement. When you reach out to FLYING Finance, we will have the aircraft appraised on a to-be-completed basis, and then we match the financing up based on mission type, financial profile, and the aircraft itself, providing long term financing that can even refinance existing aircraft loans into one simple payment structure.

That starts here at FLYING Finance Avionics Financing.

Whether to Finance or Not

Sometimes we get asked, “Why not just pay cash? This avionics upgrade is a discretionary expense, right?” Just like the Go or No Go decision before every flight, safety and accessibility should always be a priority. How you get there is a matter of personal preference and ability. For our affluent customers, paying cash often means using funds currently in the market, usually in a taxable brokerage account. 

While FLYING Finance does not give investment or tax advice, what we usually find is customers prefer to avoid potential tax liability from capital gains incurred in selling securities positions to access cash from brokerage accounts, and would rather continue to enjoy the benefits of being invested in the financial markets, and use someone else’s money for these types of purchases and upgrades.

According to Fidelity Investments, the S&P generated an average return of 11 percent from January 2006 to December 2025. While that result is no guarantee of future performance, another year at an 11 percent return, and no tax liability from selling and incurring capital gains, may be the smarter financial decision than paying cash to avoid a loan balance.

The experimental and light sport categories are no longer just stepping stones; they are where the future of aviation is being built. Airhart is bringing the next generation of the cockpit to the market today, and Flying Finance ensures the capital is there to back it up. The increased safety and accessibility provided by the Airhart system has the potential to revolutionize who flies and how they fly.

Don’t dwell in the DOS era. Build your next generation aircraft with Airhart Avionics support by FLYING Finance.