AeroVonics, a startup aerospace company with operations in Albuquerque, New Mexico has gained FAA certification of its initial launch product, the AV-20. With a total of 12 functions, the AV-20 incorporates a significant array of capabilities within a single, two-inch form-factor instrument. Approved for installation in CFR Part 23, Class I and Class II, non-pressurised aircraft, the product provides legacy aircraft with advanced functionality for under $1,000.

The AV-20 provides standby attitude, probeless angle-of-attack, slip/skid, G-meter, clock, outside air temperature, bus voltage, dual user timers, engine-run timer, flight-timer, density altitude display, true airspeed and audio alerting. Its internal battery provides 30 minutes of automatic emergency full function backup in the event of power loss.

“We created AeroVonics for pilots in the underserved light general aviation market,” says CEO Bill Shuert. “New certification policies from the FAA are allowing companies to create significantly lower-cost modern avionics that can serve the certified market at an experimental aircraft price point. This is a unique opportunity for legacy aircraft owners who have been hesitant to make large investments in those older airframes.”

Concurrently, AeroVonics is releasing the larger 3 1/8-inch co-product, the AV-30-E, for the experimental market. The AV-30 is the only round-form factor instrument on the market that incorporates a sophisticated graphics engine that can mimic the cosmetics of the vintage OEM aircraft instrumentation. The AV-30 features dual-mode operation as both an attitude indicator and directional gyro and can replace multiple legacy instruments without panel modifications or installation GPS antennas, greatly lowering installation costs. The AV-30-C variant is expected to earn STC/PMA certification in late 2019. The AV-30 provides over 15 functions with both the experimental and certified versions retailing for $1,595.

AeroVonics was formed in 2018 by Jeff Bethel, co-founder of Aspen Avionics and veteran avionics developer. Bethel has focused on innovative avionics development for the Part 23 market for the better part of 25 years and holds several key patents in the industry. “Through the years, I have always focused on raising the bar on features, flexibility and the general quality of avionics available in the marketplace,” he says. “Price is always key with these smaller aircraft, but with today's modern displays and processors, there is no reason they can't enjoy the same high-quality displays and graphics available on air-transport aircraft. We also recognise that not all legacy aircraft owners wish to equip their aircraft with the look and feel of a modern EFIS, so for the sake of both mission simplicity and cockpit aesthetics, we created the AV-30 specifically for the legacy aircraft fleet.”