AFIRS Production

FLYHT Aerospace Solutions executed an agreement with Jabil Defense and Aerospace Services, a wholly owned subsidiary of Jabil Circuit, of St Petersburg, Fla., to manufacture the Automated Information Reporting System (AFIRS) 228 product line.

Jabil Defense and Aerospace will begin manufacturing the AFIRS 228B for FLYHT customers globally in the first quarter of 2013 and the AFIRS 228S soon thereafter. While this agreement is anticipated to result in reduced manufacturing and inventory carrying costs, the major catalyst for the decision is management’s expectation of accelerated demand for AFIRS units in 2013, the company said. Visit www.flyht.com.

Service Center

L-3 WESCAM, of Burlington, Ontario, Canada, signed an agreement with L-3 Component Overhaul and Repair to open a WESCAM Authorized Service Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

The facility will provide customers with a 40,000-square-foot center equipped to maintain the MX-Series of electro-optical and infrared imaging turrets, the company said. Visit www.wescam.com.

ADS-B Transceiver

SkyVision Xtreme, based in Asheboro, N.C., released Generation 2 (G2) Portable, a transportable automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) transceiver system for use with iOS, Android and Windows devices with Wi-Fi.

The SkyVision G2 Portable’s enclosure is made of durable plastic, which decreases the weight from 11 pounds to 7 pounds. Customers can also purchase the G2 Portable with an optional battery backup, which notifies users of power loss/interruption, the company said.

Visit www.skyvisionxtreme.com.

RF Partnership

Curtiss-Wright Controls Defense Solutions, of Ashburn, Va., and Tektronix Component Solutions, of Beaverton, Ore., entered into a partnership to develop rugged electronics subsystems to address the demand for wideband data converters and radio frequency technologies in the aerospace market.

Visit www.cwcdefense.com.

Wire

TE Connectivity introduced the SHF-260 wire for power distribution within the aerospace and defense markets.

The company said the cable can be bent and routed in extremely tight areas. As a result, SHF-260 flexible wire is able to run shorter distances, reducing the stress on the contact, and reducing the mating and demating forces normally associated with large shell diameter circular connectors, such as Mil-DTL-5015 and Mil-DTL-83723 connectors, according to the company.

Visit www.te.com.

EASA STC

Blue Sky Network, of La Jolla, Calif., and its reseller partner, Spain-based Solutions For Aviation, received an EASA supplemental type certificate (STC) for Blue Sky Network’s voice system on the Airbus C-212-200.

The system provides an integrated single channel antenna and cable that can be connected with either the Iridium 9555 or Iridium Extreme satellite phone, both of which can be plugged into the antenna outlet for use in the aircraft.

Visit www.blueskynetwork.com.

VHF Radios

Garmin introduced a series of VHF COM and NAV/COM radios, the GTR and GNC series. The company said the GTR series COM transceivers and GNC series NAV/COM radios include new features to reduce pilot workload and meet the requirements of the 8.33 kHz channel spacing mandate from Single European Sky. Other features include a unique frequency database, the reverse frequency lookup function and a COM monitor function.

The GTR and GNC series automatically store the 20 most recently used frequencies. Plus, the radios allow for storage of up to 15 most-used frequencies such as the pilot’s home airport or other frequently visited destinations.

Visit www.garmin.com.

Glass Panel STC

FAA issued a supplemental type certificate (STC) to Phoenix-based Cutter Aviation for the installation of the Garmin 950 glass cockpit panel package retrofit on older Piper Meridian aircraft.

The Garmin 950 retrofit will allow owners of older model Piper Meridians to meet NextGen airspace requirements, such as WAAS GPS capabilities.

Visit www.cutteraviation.com.

FDM App

Satcom Direct, of Satellite Beach, Fla., launched FlightDeck 360 mobile application for iPads, which enables customers to view real-time flight data and utilize datalink communications before and during a flight.

FlightDeck 360 mobile flight data management system allows customers to access messages in flight, pre-departure clearances, oceanic clearances, flight plans and support documents before powering up the aircraft. It also integrates with in-flight weather apps such as ForeFlight and enables operators to request technical support from Satcom Direct while in flight.

Visit www.satcomdirect.com.

Service Center

Banyan Air Service, based in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., and VisionSafe, of Kaneohe, Hawaii, have entered into an agreement to make Banyan an Emergency Vision Assurance System (EVAS) Sales and Service Center for the Southeast United States.

EVAS is an FAA tested and certified system available for all turboprop and jet aircraft that displaces smoke, enabling pilots to see the flight path and instruments during an emergency.

Visit www.banyanair.com.

Receive the latest avionics news right to your inbox