AFV Partners has acquired Seattle Avionics, a provider of general aviation applications, FAA-certified and geo-referenced charts and flight data, and augmented reality (AR) technology.
Seattle Avionics was co-founded in 2002 by John Rutter and Steve Podradchik with the mission to offer an affordable yet technologically advanced and easy-to-use flight application for the general aviation market.
Rutter and Podradchik will join AFV Partner’s aviation business in leadership positions.
Seattle Avionics’ FlyQ EFB application is a top iPad aviation app and has a track record of delivering innovation to the general aviation space, most recently with the introduction of AR technology for situational awareness, Slingshot for wireless ChartData transfer for in-panel avionics, 3D synthetic vision capabilities, a visual logbook and a “4D predictive weather” map with 17 weather layers, including the ability to show past, current and future weather for all altitudes, according to the new owners.
AFV Partners was formed in 2019 as a long-term permanent capital investor. In January 2020, AFV Partners acquired Aircraft Performance Group, a global provider of proprietary aircraft performance, weight and balance and flight planning software solutions. In March 2020 AFV Partners acquired RocketRoute, a global aviation services company that provides flight-planning, fuel, concierge and marketplace services through a single integrated SaaS platform.
“We are impressed with what Steve and John have built over the past years and making them a part of our aviation vertical will significantly accelerate our offering for the general aviation and data market,” said Tony Aquila, AFV founder, chairman and CEO.
“We are extremely excited to be bring our technology, apps, ChartData, and 17-year expertise to AFV Partners,” said Podradchik. “The combined resources will significantly increase the release of innovative feature enhancements for the whole product portfolio, including FlyQ EFB, and rapidly expand the depth and geographic coverage of our ChartData offerings.”
Terms of the transaction, which closed Sept. 3, 2020, were not disclosed.