From my bench at the avionics shop, I see a lot of interest in Avidyne’s new IFD-series navigators. Many potential buyers are intrigued by the ability of the IFD540 and smaller IFD440 to slide into an existing Garmin GNS 530 or 430 installation, without the significant expense of rewiring the interface. This plug and play avionics upgrade concept is far from new. But what is new is Avidyne’s approach to making IFR flying easier, with an advanced FMS feature set that has step-saving flight planning features and a combination of touchscreen and traditional controls.
Avidyne Ups the Ante
Key Takeaways:
- Avidyne's IFD-series navigators offer a cost-effective, "plug-and-play" upgrade for existing Garmin GNS 530/430 installations, designed to slide in without significant rewiring.
- These units feature a unique hybrid "Multi-Touch" user interface that combines a high-resolution touchscreen with traditional physical buttons and knobs, aiming to reduce pilot workload and enhance usability in various flight conditions.
- Positioned as mini flight management systems (FMS), they include advanced features like GeoFill for simplified data entry and graphical flight planning capabilities, all displayed on significantly improved, higher-resolution screens.
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