WICHITA — Aeronautix has been awarded an FAA STC for its Aural Warning and Annunciation System (AWAS) on the Beechcraft King Air 350 and 300 series aircraft.
The system, designed to integrate with the Collins Proline 21 avionics suite, will give voice warnings to pilots to avoid potential engine damage due to over-temp or over-torque conditions, company officials explained.
Pilot workload during critical phases of flight like takeoffs and missed approaches can distract from serious engine limitation exceedances going unnoticed by pilots, resulting in damage costing hundreds of thousands of dollars for repairs, Aeronautix officials said.
With AWAS if an engine exceeds temperature or torque limitations in any maneuver, a voice callout informs the pilot that immediate action is required, supplementing the visual indication on the engine Multi-Function Display (MFD).
The warning “MONITOR TEMPERATURE” is triggered when engine temperature exceeds 820°C, and will continue repeating “TEMPERATURE” every five seconds until the condition no longer exists or is manually silenced by the pilot.
If torque exceeds 102%, an voice warning will call out “MONITOR TORQUE” and will repeat the word “TORQUE” every 15 seconds until the condition no longer exists or is manually silenced by the pilot.
These aural warnings are supplemented by amber and red visual annunciation on the AWAS control panel, company officials added.
Installation takes about 12 hours and consists of wire harness connections to the existing 429 data bus in the King Air. AWAS is mounted in the center console on civilian aircraft, is authorized for other locations in military configurations, and replaces the Cobham 630A-000 warning amplifier.
For more information on the AWAS go to Aeronautix.com or call 316-500-6070.