Avidyne Announces New Flight Displays

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Just in time for AirVenture 2021, Avidyne kicks the competition up a notch with its newly designed retrofit flight displays it calls Vantage. These are dual 12-inch diagonal hybrid-touch displays (PFD and MFD) with built-in AHRS, and are initially designed to replace existing Entegra PFD and MFD screens used as original equipment in early Cirrus (model year 2002 to 2008) and some 700-plus Piper models. Avidyne says the older Entegra displays will still be supported.

The Vantage displays are based partly on technology used in Avidyne’s IFD-series retrofit GPS navigators, and include 3D synthetic vision, charts, airport diagrams and checklists, plus the displays are compatible with all of the external sensors that connect with the older Entegra displays, including traffic, weather and terrain systems. There is also onscreen autopilot mode control of Avidyne’s autopilot. And like the IFD navigators, the Vantage screens use Avidyne’s hybrid-touch technology. Each display—which is 40 percent larger and has 64 percent more pixels than an Entegra—has split-screen mode and you can operate it using a combination of touch and hard controls, plus there’s full reversionary mode on the MFD should the PFD fail. Like the Entegra displays, the Vantage models overlay primary engine instrumentation. They also have built-in wireless connectivity and are compatible with third-party navigation apps (including ForeFlight and FlyQ, to name two) and Avidyne’s own IFD100 program for iPad.

The pair of Vantage displays require the use of Avidyne IFD500 or 400-series GPS navigators and also Avidyne’s DFC90 retrofit autopilot, and the displays can’t be installed as standalone. The initial STC will be for Cirrus models that are currently equipped with the Entegra displays and while much of the existing wiring harnesses can be used, they require new interface connectors. And since the 12-inch Vantage displays are much larger than the Entegra displays they replace (they stand taller), shops will need to replace the instrument panel during installation.

Avidyne estimates that typical Cirrus installations might be accomplished in around 40 hours of shop time, and the displays will have an introductory price of $12,500 each (with Entegra core trade-in) once they are released sometime in 2022.

That’s the map display with engine data on the Vantage MFD.
Larry Anglisano
Larry Anglisano is a regular AVweb contributor and the Editor in Chief of sister publication Aviation Consumer magazine. He's an active land, sea and glider pilot, and has over 30 years experience as an avionics tech.

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4 COMMENTS

  1. 2022 for retrofit of their older displays and 2024 for anything else like a Cessna 182, which will really be 2028 after Garmin has had two more product cycles.

    More competition for large GA EFIS would be a big win for everyone. Honeywell/King’s announcement ~3 years ago had promise but just did not materialize, and likely the case here as well.

    Avidyne’s DFC90 autopilot has great promise too and it never moved beyond the narrow slide-in retrofit either.

    No one more than me would love to yell “Go Team” I’m buying one, but Garmin is the only reliable supplier for most and Dynon for a few.

    Maybe someday we will get a breakthrough option for our legacy aircraft other than Garmin.

  2. The days are numbered for such hard mounted, inflexible, and expensive systems. imagine how car entertainment systems look after 5, 10, 20 or 30 years after being installed. We are already at the point where people use their phones instead of hard mounted systems for current navigation and communication.

    • Not Samsung phones with Android o/s from Gurgle company)

      Bad UI, functional problems.

      But hey!, flashy new model every month.

  3. Avidyne’s IFDs are the most pilot friendly available! Customer support is beyond compare! Their IFD’s have so much more than radios and navigation: For example, built in, at ‘no extra cost,’ is a 10 watt USB charging port that also function as the data entry port for keeping your IFD IFR current. Factory support with periodic firmware updates (for free) keeps the features and benefits expanding. And, yes, I have two installed.

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