Medium Maxcraft

In This Issue

Upcoming Events

 

Northern Air Transport Association Tradeshow
April 27-29
Yellowknife, NT
Canadian Business Aviation Association
June 16-18
St. Hubert, Quebec
Canadian Owners & Pilots
June 20
Winnipeg, MB
Pitt Meadows AirShow
July 26
Pitt Meadows, BC

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Avionic Humour

 

As the WWII bomber pilot settled into his seat, he pulled out a .38 revolver and placed it on top of the instrument panel. 

Turning to the navigator, he asked, “Do you know what I use this for?”

The navigator replied timidly, “No, sir, what’s it for?” The pilot responded, “I use this on navigators who get me lost!”

The navigator proceeded to pull out a .45 and place it on his chart table.

The pilot asked, “What’s that for?”

“To be honest sir,” the navigator replied, “I’ll know we’re lost before you do.”

AEA new product announcements, Solid State Gyros and Archangel
April 2015
Greetings,

April’s Issue of Maxnews features a plethora of new products and announcements from all of our major avionics vendors. We’ll also take a look at a brief profile on one of our clients, as well as other our usual features, including like two recent projects from our hangar floor.

New Products

Live from the AEA Convention in Dallas

Our team has just returned from the Aircraft Electronics Association Convention in Dallas with news on the latest in avionics. Many of these products are available now and some are still months out, but this summary will keep you informed on the trends.

ADS-B Solutions

This was the big buzz at show and many new products were introduced to make aircraft ADS-B compliant. Companies such as Aspen, Avidyne, Appareo, Freeflight, Garmin, Rockwell Collins, Sandia, Trig, and Universal all now have offerings. Confused? Just come in for a chat and we will guide you to the best solution for your aircraft.  A reminder, that Canadian aircraft that fly into the US also need to have this equipment installed.

Aspen Avionics has announced the introduction of its integrated Evolution Angle of Attack (AOA) indicator. Unlike other AOAs, Aspen’s patent-pending solution seamlessly integrates AOA technology directly into its Evolution primary flight and multi-function displays. The aircraft modification consists of a simple software upgrade to the Aspen primary and multi-function flight displays and requires a short calibration flight as part of the return to service.

 

 

L-3 Aviation Products

has officially launched its Lynx
MultiLink Surveillance System (MSS) line of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) products. The company has also announced that it has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) authorization for the Lynx NGT-9000 transponder, one of several models in the new line. Maxcraft had a full demo of this product at AEA and continue to be impressed with this offering. We feel it is an ideal solution for Canadians who want a new transponder with ADS-B compliance but also additional values that they can use every day here in Canada.

Mid-Continent
has released a new software update for the SAM MD302 Standby Attitude Module that now displays heading information amongst other features. The SAM now has a new lower price and recent amendments of the AML STC now support 148 aircraft.

Garmin announced enhanced capability and an expanded feature set for the G500/G600 glass flight display systems. We have been waiting for this update as it now finally supports Canadian XM weather! This software update includes ADS-B Display Capability, a faster, more responsive and modernized mapping display, complete with a number of enhancements that bring new capabilities to these flight displays, geo-referenced FliteCharts®, WX 500 Stormscope® support, and more. If we installed this product for you we will be sending an update notice soon, if you are not on our list just give us a ring and we can schedule you in for this feature laden upgrade.

 

PS Engineering has an upgrade path for their original PMA6000 to the PMA7000M featuring Intellevox auto squelch, Bluetooth, etc. The new PMA8000E allows dual audio panel installations and the new PDA360EX provides a feature rich audio panel for the experimental market.

 

 

Jupiter Avionics

is starting to ship their long awaited JA94 Dual Audio Controller in May. This is a compact, lightweight Audio Panel that incorporates the latest technology, and is fully compatible with the current industry standard interconnect.

 

Rockwell Collins

has expanded its Pro Line Fusion® avionics upgrade to include Pro Line II-equipped King Air 350 aircraft. The retrofit solution delivers next-generation, eyes-forward touchscreen capabilities on the largest primary flight displays and the highest resolution synthetic vision available for King Air 350 aircraft. Daryl and Steve had a full demo of the Fusion platform and believe this is an ideal solution for those King Airs.

Latitude Technologies

has released news on their DL150 Satellite Data Unit. The DL150 Satellite Data Unit (SDU) provides the satellite connectivity for a FANS 1/A+ CPDLC system allowing capture and retransmission of Satcom messages as to meet the requirements of AC20-140B and TSO-159b. The DL150 SDU acts as a communications link for a FANS compliant FMS via an ARINC 741 interface.

 

Gogo Business Aviation 

has introduced the ATG 1000 Connectivity System, a new product specifically designed for light jets and turboprops. Via the Gogo Biz air-to-ground network, the new ATG 1000 connectivity system enables high performance email, calling and texting using your own smartphone and own phone number.

In the Hangar: Cessna 172

 

The world of civil aviation is in the middle of an undeniable and accelerating transition towards glass panel cockpits. Consistently falling equipment costs, combined with the competitive influence of every new adopter, points to glass panel avionics soon being the norm rather than the exception. This will happen sooner than you think. The big question for many flight schools is not whether to upgrade — it’s whether to upgrade now, or later. Read more here.

 

In the Hangar: Beechcraft Kingair and Fairchild Metroliner

 
Today we’ll take a look at a fleet upgrade project that Maxcraft undertook on short notice for a regional airline with a very tight upgrade schedule. While some of the equipment here may not be as visually impressive as what you see in some of our full-glass projects, this type of upgrade is an ideal solution for many commercial operators.  Read more about this fleet upgrade here.

The Technical Side:      

 

Solid State Gyro Replacement – AHRS is the New Standard

 

 

Mechanical, spinning mass gyroscopes have been widely used for aircraft flight instrumentation since the 1930s. Aircraft manufactured up until the 1990s were typically equipped with three different types of gyros which provided the pilot with attitude, heading and rate of turn information. Multi-crew aircraft were equipped with a second set of gyro based instruments plus an additional standby attitude gyro was typically installed in the center of the panel. This legacy technology is not capable of meeting the needs and expectations of modern flight crews due to its high failure rates, escalating repair costs, and incompatibility with modern glass panel technology. 

 

AHRS is an acronym for “Attitude Heading and Reference Systems” which became common in business and commercial aircraft during the early 1990s. AHRS systems utilize solid state sensors on all three axes to provide aircraft attitude (pitch and roll) and yaw (heading) information. They are designed to replace traditional mechanical gyroscopic flight instruments and provide superior reliability and accuracy and provide superior reliability and accuracy.

 

Over the past twenty years AHRS technology has matured to the point that very few new aircraft use mechanical gyros for primary flight instruments. The first generation AHRS system were considered expensive at the time but have since saved countless unscheduled maintenance events and the associated repair costs.

AHRS is one of the key technologies which enabled the glass cockpit revolution in general aviation. Today there is a cost effective upgrade solution available for virtually any aircraft.

 

Stand-alone AHRS sensors are also available for retrofit into older turboprops, jets and mid-sized helicopters. These remote AHRS can interface with a variety of legacy attitude indicators and HSIs enabling operators to significantly reduce their maintenance headaches without the commitment of a full glass panel upgrade.

Operators should be aware that there are glass panel upgrade solutions available which have capability to interface with existing legacy remote gyros for reference. We strongly discourage this type of cosmetic upgrade as it will not provide the reliability and long term value that’s expected.

 

AHRS is the new reference standard for aircraft flight instrumentation. We expect the vast majority of flying aircraft will eventually be upgraded with AHRS technology and glass panel flight displays.

 

Vendor Profile: Archangel Systems, Inc.

 

Archangel Systems, Inc. designs and manufactures attitude, heading and air data sensors commonly known as AHRS and ADAHRS.  AHRS is an acronym for Attitude Heading Reference System – a sensor package that provides attitude data and magnetic heading.  An Air Data Attitude Heading Reference System (ADAHRS) is an AHRS with an integrated air data computer.

Based in Auburn, Alabama and founded in 1992, Archangel is at the leading edge of four game-changing technologies.  First, all core sensors are solid-state which reduces cost to build significantly.  Second, the entire catalog is fully approved via FAA TSO and EASA ETSO.  Third, export is ITAR-free.  That’s a huge advantage to non-US customers because the procurement and logistic overhead costs go way down.  And fourth, all products are certified per DO-178B Level A for mission critical use on Part 23, 25, 27, and 29 aircraft.  In short, the catalog is fully qualified and fully supported for any aircraft / any mission, yet priced attractively.

Examples of Archangel’s installations include:  the Erickson S-64 Sky-Crane, the Airbus Military C-212, the Australian Army’s Bell 206 fleet, Bell B-212 upgrades for the Panama government, C-26 Metroliner upgrades for State Department interdiction missions, and even F-5 fighters in supersonic flight.

Relative to Archangel, most AHRS / ADAHRS manufacturers play a market trade-off.  Some decrease price by certifying to lower levels that the FAA simply will not accept in primary applications.  Others play at the opposite end, using expensive gyroscopes (roll and pitch sensors) that elevate both the performance specifications and the price.  The key question the customer must answer is how much AHRS / ADAHRS do I need to meet my missions?  Well, in Q1 2015, Maxcraft became an approved Archangel dealer.  That’s a powerful support team that can help you answer that critical question.

Who’s Who in Aviation?

We’ve run out of employees! Since starting this newsletter in early 2010, our most read column has consistently been our employee profile.  As we make new hires we will resume this feature but in the mean time, we thought we’d change things up and get to know some of our clients instead. This new feature will put some spotlight on the wide variety of owners and operators who choose Maxcraft for their avionics needs.

Pacific Rim Aviation Academy

 

Pacific Rim Aviation Academy was founded in 2003 by Chris Georges, a veteran pilot and former high school teacher. Drawing on his knowledge as a pilot, as well as his experience as a teacher, he aimed to provide a learner-centered approach to ground school and flight training. Since growing into a successful flight school, Pacific Rim reached a major turning point in 2014 when it was purchased by a group of private investors. This purchase was followed by the acquisition of two Diamond DA20s and a major avionics upgrade for a Cessna 172. This upgrade brought the old workhorse up to the same glass panel standard as Pacific Rim’s newly acquired Diamond aircraft.

With new owners, a roster of high-quality instructors, an updated fleet, and a renovated classroom facility, Pacific Rim continues to offer individualized and learner-centered flight instruction that is flexibly tailored to the needs of students. Additionally, Pacific Rim offers seminars, recurrent training, air taxi, and AMO services.

Maxcraft is always looking for skilled technicans

As you can see we are busy, as we continue to grow our business we are always looking for experienced avionics installation technicians.  If you are interested in joining our winning team send your resume to Joanna at Customer Service.

Rebates for your favorite products
Medium Maxcraft
Maxcraft Avionics is offering a Spring Special!  It’s the perfect time to do your transponder, altimetry and pitot static system 24 month inspection check. Mention you saw this add and receive $100 off!  Book now and save now! Offer good until May 31, 2015.
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Lightspeed
Exciting 2015 Spring Promotion!  Purchase your choice of either a Zulu.2 or Zulu PFX and receive an instant rebate of $125 on your headset!  Call us know and get this special offer.  Promotion ends on Sunday May 31, 2015!
 
Garmin logo
 
 
 
 
 
Garmin
Save Up to $50,000 on King Air G1000 Upgrades.

 

This is the most aggressive rebate from Garmin.  
Rebate available from Jan 20th through May 29, 2015
Take advantage of this offer now!

 

 

Garmin Offers Limited-Time Customer Loyalty Trade-in Program 

For a limited time, trade in your GNS 430/530, GNS430W/530W, GNS 480, CNX 80 or MX20 and receive a credit toward the purchase of a new GTN 750, GTN 650, or GTN-GTX combo kit. This Trade-in program will run from March 10th, 2015 through April 30, 2015.  
 
 
If you would like more information or to pre-order please contact our sales department at sales@maxcraft.ca or 604-465-3080.  

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Maxcraft Avionics
offers specials too!  Go to our webstore for specials and check the website for our used/reconditioned avionics list – updated monthly on items we have.