On the first day of Sun ‘n Fun, Avidyne President and CEO Dan Schwinn announced that his company was pursuing a number of certifications for its DFC90 digital autopilot. In addition to the Cirrus SR20 and SR22, for which Avidyne earned STC approval last year, the company will pursue certification for the Cessna 182, Beech Bonanza, Beech Baron and Piper PA32. All of those airplanes will be able to take advantage of the DFC90’s impressive envelope protection and envelope alerting capabilities.
Schwinn also announced that Avidyne was developing servos for its autopilot. The DFC90 is a direct replacement for the Stec 55X autopilot and can use its servos (along with those that are used with Century autopilots). But Schwinn said that many installations utilize older, outmoded autopilots and servos, and Avidyne’s would be aimed at providing a solution for those customers who are upgrading to the DFC90.
Schwinn also discussed Avidyne’s joint program with Aspen Avionics to integrate the DFC90 with Aspen’s Evolution primary flight display. Look for a story in Flying on that marriage in a coming issue.
