The message from New Mexico-based Aspen Avionics (Booth B-078) delivered by v-p of marketing Brad Hayden was loud and clear: there is no longer a reason for closed architecture in the interconnection and data sync of avionics in certified aircraft cockpits. “Aspen’s Connected Panel technology is certified, and it allows our panel-mounted equipment to exchange data with non-TSO’d equipment such as iPads and tablets. Our products synchronize data with other’s autopilots and radios,” he said. “Any decision to keep an avionics product line as a closed system today is strictly a business decision.”
That statement, a solid declaration that the company will continue on its open-architecture path for developing avionics for retrofit in the cockpit, opened Aspen Avionics’ press conference at the 2013 Sun ’n Fun Fly-in. Hayden also announced a partnership with Seattle Avionics that brings the availability of European ChartData on Evolution multifunction displays (MFDs) installed with software version 2.2 or later. The ChartData coverage, sourced from Eurocontrol, contains information for 45 European countries and will cost €499 annually. N-number aircraft can begin using the data immediately, while EASA-registered aircraft will have to rely on their installer for upgrade path information.
Aspen Avionics president John Uczekaj introduced the company’s new European partnership with the Italian Centro Italiano Ricerche Aerospaziali (CIRA), which has an aeronautical research facility in Capua, Italy. Pasquale Schiano, on-board systems and ATM division head at CIRA Italian Aerospace Research Center, will take a seat on Aspen’s board of directors. “CIRA provides Aspen Avionics with unique access to cutting-edge technology for avionics in Europe and will allow us to bring more innovative products to market,” Uczekaj said. Thirty percent of Aspen’s business is currently international, and that market is continuing to grow, according to Uczekaj.
Finally, the company announced pricing for its ADS-B products. The least expensive, the CG 50 ADS-B receiver, available in the third quarter, will be $949; the ARX100 ADS-B receiver will be $1,695; and in the transceiver department the ATX200 dual-band ADS-B In/Out, available in the fourth quarter, will be $3,995; while the ATX200G transponder with ADS-B In/Out will cost $4,995.
