Avidyne

General information

Avidyne Corporation is a market-leader in the design and manufacturing of integrated avionics systems for general aviation (GA) aircraft. Avidyne is headquartered in Lincoln, MA, with facilities in Melbourne, FL, Boulder, CO, and Westerville (Columbus), OH.

Experienced entrepreneur and pilot Dan Schwinn founded Avidyne in 1994 with the mission of modernizing GA avionics by applying advanced technology in order to improve safety and increase aircraft utility. “As a pilot and aircraft owner, I was struck by how little GA cockpits had changed over the last 30 years,” said Schwinn. “I saw huge potential to develop a core technology and define a new generation of avionics that improve flying safety.”

Avidyne products are widely recognized as best-in-class for their ease of use, and their “Flying Made Simple™” system design is intended to make general aviation safer, more accessible, and more enjoyable for pilots and their passengers.

Avidyne’s expanding line of avionics products include the Entegra Release 9 integrated flight deck, safety-enhancing DFC90/100 digital autopilots, datalink-capable EX600 multi-function displays (MFD), and a full line of safety sensors including the ADS-B—upgradeable TAS600 Series Traffic Advisory System the MLB700 Broadcast MLX770 datalink systems, and the TWX670 Tactical Lightning system.

Avidyne has announced a full line of panel-mounted, plug-and-play avionics that will be available starting in 2012, including the touch-screen IFD540 GPS/NAV/COM, the AMX240 Audio Panel, and the AXP340 Mode S Transponder with ADS-B. These systems set a new standard in ease of installation, ease of use, and safety.

Avidyne launched the radar-replacement MFD market in 1997 with the certification of their original Flight Situation Display, followed by the FlightMax™ series of MFDs, and now the versatile EX600 MFD which supports 20 different radars and a whole host of sensor interfaces.
Avidyne’s Entegra line revolutionized flying in 2003 as the first Integrated Flight Deck for light GA.

In 2005, Schwinn and fellow aviation visionary Paul Ryan united in the merger of Avidyne and Ryan International. Ryan, a 40-year industry veteran who founded Ryan International in 1981, is world-renowned as the inventor of the Stormscope® weather system, as well as a complete line of collision avoidance systems. The combined companies bring together avionics leaders and extend Avidyne’s technical capabilities and market reach.

In 2009, Avidyne launched the Entegra Release 9 Flight Deck, which set a new standard for ease of use in Flight Management Systems (FMS) and integrated avionics capabilities.

And in 2010, Avidyne certified their DFC90 and DFC100 digital autopilots with industry-leading features like Envelope Protection and Straight & Level capability, dramatically enhancing safety.

Avidyne Firsts
Avidyne’s History of Industry firsts includes the following:
• First Integrated Flight Deck for light GA aircraft
• First two-seat trainer aircraft Integrated Flight Deck
• First single-engine turbine aircraft Integrated Flight Deck
• First active traffic advisory system under $10,000
• First integrated Datalink multifunction displays
• First multi-channel datalink communications for MFDs
• First to certify Satellite Datalink Weather for light GA aircraft
• First large-format MFD to display both airborne radar and NEXRAD weather
• First to develop and demonstrate VHF Digital Link Mode-3 (VDL-3) (NEXCOM) avionics for general aviation
• First plug-and-play autopilot with Flight Envelope Protection
• First FMS system with easy-to-use Vectors™ mode and GeoFill™