Avidyne Corp. has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) and Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval of the DFC90 autopilot for Entegra-equipped Piper PA-46 Matrix and Mirage aircraft, as well as TSO and STC approval of the DFC100 autopilot for Release 9 (R9)-equipped Piper PA-46 Matrix aircraft.
The attitude-based DFC90 is a plug-and-play replacement for the existing rate-based STEC55X autopilot currently used in Entegra-equipped PA-46 Matrix and Mirage aircraft, according to company officials. The Mirage certification is the first in which the DFC90 is using dual Primary Flight Display (PFD) and Air Data & Attitude Heading Reference System (ADAHRS) inputs. The Matrix has a single-PFD/ADAHRS configuration.
The DFC100 is a plug-and-play replacement for the existing STEC55X autopilot currently used Piper Matrix aircraft that have been upgraded to Avidyne’s Release 9 integrated flight deck system. The attitude-based DFC100 utilizes both ADAHRS inputs from the R9 system’s dual Integrated Flight Displays (IFDs) for a higher level of redundancy and safety.
“With thousands of hours on Entegra- and R9-equipped Cirrus aircraft, the DFC90 and DFC100 are already well proven, and customers have continued to be delighted with their performance,” said Patrick Herguth, Avidyne’s Chief Operating Officer. “Now we are expanding the market for these safety-enhancing DFC-Series autopilots to include our PA-46 Matrix and Mirage customers.
The DFC90 and DFC100 autopilots add the precision and reliability of an attitude-based flight control system, by taking advantage of the single or dual ADAHRS in the Entegra and Release 9 systems, company officials said. Both autopilots add Indicated Airspeed Hold (IAS Hold) capability, which is a preferred method for climbing and descending in these higher-performing aircraft, they note. In addition, the DFC90 and DFC100 provide the safety enhancements of the ‘Straight & Level’ mode, providing one-button unusual attitude recovery, Flight Envelope Protection (EP) and full-time Envelope Alerting (EA). EP virtually eliminates autopilot-induced stalls (underspeed) and overspeeds, while EA protects against flight envelope exceedences by providing aural warnings to the pilot, even when the autopilot is not engaged, according to company officials. The DFC100 is now approved for R9-equipped the Cirrus SR20/SR22 and Piper PA-46 Matrix.
The DFC90 is now approved for Entegra-equipped the Cirrus SR20/22 and Piper PA-46 Matrix and Mirage. Avidyne has previously announced plans to interface the DFC90 with the Aspen EFD1000 Pro Series flight displays, with initial certifications in Cessna 182 and Beech Baron/Bonanza aircraft expected in 2012.
For Piper PA-46 Matrix owners (with single Entegra PFD), the DFC90 is $9,995, plus $3,895 to upgrade the Entegra PFD to Release 8.0.5 software via Avidyne’s standard exchange service.
For Piper PA-46 Mirage owners (with dual Entegra PFDs), the DFC90 is $9,995, plus $6,895 to upgrade the two PFDs to Release 8.0.5 software via Avidyne’s standard exchange service.
For existing R9 Matrix owners, the DFC100 price is $14,995 including v9.2.4 software upgrades for the dual IFD5000s. The IFD5000s can be updated via the front-mounted USB ports with field-loadable software.
For more information: 239-249-0414 or Avidyne.com
