Avidyne Corporation has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) approval and an Approved Model List Supplemental Type Certificate (AML-STC) from the FAA for installation of the IFD540FMS/GPS/NAV/COM system in more than 1,000 aircraft makes and models.
“The IFD540 adds significant improvements in functionality and ease of use, while providing huge cost and time savings for a large number of aircraft owners looking to upgrade their obsolete GPS systems,” said Dan Schwinn, Avidyne’s President and CEO. “Our ‘plug-and-play’ strategy opens up a huge market for aircraft owners who want new features like rubber-band flight plan editing, WAAS and ADS-B, but at a lower cost and with quicker installs.”
The IFD540 is the centerpiece of Avidyne’s previously-announced stack of plug-and-play panel-mounted avionics, which also includes the AMX240 Audio Panel and the AXP340 Mode S ADS-B Transponder, both of which are already TSO’d and available now.
A smaller-screen version of the IFD540 called the IFD440 FMS/GPS/NAV/COM is planned for availability later this year. Rounding out Avidyne’s panel-mounted avionics stack is the DFC90 digital Autopilot with Envelope Protection (EP) and Envelope Alerting (EA), which has already been certified on a number of aircraft including Cirrus SR20/22, Piper PA-46, Beech Bonanza series, and Cessna 182 series.
The IFD540 FMS/GPS/NAV/COM includes a Flight Management System (FMS) and VHF navigation and communication capability. The IFD540 meets TSO-C146c for full SBAS/LPV approach guidance, including flight planning, one-touch victor airway and jet-route navigation, and Avidyne’s GeoFill waypoint nomination.
The plug-and-play IFD540 is a slide-in replacement for GNS530-series navigators, providing a 5.7-inch diagonal high-definition color display with 10% more screen area, 400% more pixels, and 65,536 colors versus 8 colors on the 530/W.
The IFD540 has a button and touch-screen hybrid touch user interface that provides easy map panning and rubber-band flight plan editing. Its I/O is designed to integrate with all of the existing equipment with which the 530 system previously operated, including a long list of PFDs, EFIS, CDIs, HSIs, remote sensors, discrete, autopilots, MFDs, etc., along with about 20 additional interfaces, according to company officials. And because it’s the same physical size as the old 530/W, it fits into the same tray, uses the same antennas and can be installed with no wiring changes, company officials note.
Featuring a 10-watt, 8.33 kHz, two-channel VHF communication radio — with an option for 16 Watts — the IFD540 also includes a two-channel VHF NAV/VLOC with automatic frequency nomination and one-touch Frequency List tuning. Active and standby COM frequencies are automatically decoded and the names of the stations are displayed in plain English, for easy station recognition and as a handy reminder of the agency to which you will be transmitting when pressing the push-to-talk button, company officials explained.
All IFD540s include Jeppesen Electronic Approach Charts & Airport Diagrams, and also includes an integrated Terrain Awareness and Alerting feature with Forward-Looking Terrain Alerting (FLTA) capability. Charts, Navigation and Obstacle databases are updated via the IFD540’s bezel-mounted USB port using a standard jump drive. The USB port on the IFD540 is also approved for charging handheld devices such as iPads and smartphones.
The IFD540 also meets the navigation accuracy and integrity requirements to be the position source for ADS-B Out installations, according to Avidyne officials. Coupled with the AXP340 Mode S Transponder, Avidyne provides a fully rule-compliant solution to meet the ADS-B mandates in the U.S. and internationally, officials said.
The IFD540 has a plug-and-play price of $16,995 and is shipping now. Installation Kit & Tray are available for an additional $650.
The IFD440 has a plug-and-play price of $14,995 is expected to be available later this year. Installation Kit & Tray are available for an additional $650.
The 16-Watt transmit-power upgrade for IFD540 and IFD440 is $4,995, and is available for 28vdc installations only. Antennas are sold separately.