Frost & Sullivan Cites Safe Flight Instrument's Innovation and Growth in a Competitive and Mature Aerospace Market

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., March 2 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the general aviation market, Frost & Sullivan recognizes Safe Flight Instrument Corporation with the 2008 North American Frost & Sullivan Product Innovation of the Year Award. Safe Flight manufactures devices such as the stall warning system that makes flying safer and more intuitive. This alarm sounds a warning when airflow over the wings has slowed to a critical level and a stall is imminent.

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Apart from this innovative system, Safe Flight has earned more than 100 patents for angle-of-attack (AoA) systems, airborne wind shear warning systems, automatic throttle systems, exceedance warning, powerline and ice detection systems. Safe Flight products are installed in more than two-thirds of the world's aircraft -- in the general aviation, commercial, and military sectors.

Increasingly, general aviation aircraft are being manufactured with integrated flight displays. These displays take multiple inputs and assemble them into easy-to-read formats that reduce the pilot's workload. Higher-end aircraft such as business jets use AoA information (angle of the airflow over the wing to the wing itself) to calculate the efficiency of flight at the current speed and the potential for aircraft stalls. However, AoA systems are not cost effective for the smaller, lighter aircraft such as those flown by hobbyists and recreational pilots.

Most general aviation aircraft use Safe Flight's stall warning system which produces an aural warning and displays a caution light on the aircraft instrument panel as stall conditions are approached. "The Safe Flight 'speed control system' uses a wing-mounted lift transducer with a digital computer to give single and multi engine airplanes both AoA and stall protection," says Frost & Sullivan Research Analyst Wayne Plucker. "This system incorporates elements from both types of systems and offers these benefits to aircraft from the light airplane fleet through the multi-engine turboprops."

Safe Flight's solution integrates the company's lift transducer (stall warning sensor) and Safe Flight's next generation stall warning computer that gives a reliable "slow-fast" speed indication, along with stall warning, over the entire approach to landing phase. It also includes compensation for flap settings, which most other systems do not accommodate accurately.

This product, known as the speed control system, consists of two items -- the lift transducer and a computer. The lift transducer is standard equipment on most general aviation aircraft and weighs a mere 0.5 pounds and the computer, 0.8 pounds. This low weight is a significant factor for small general aviation aircraft.

"This system can provide the average light aircraft pilot with much of the functionality of a business jet's AOA system, improving speed awareness and flight safety at a very affordable cost and without the need for significant modifications," notes Plucker.

Safe Flight's insight into the needs of the general aviation pilot and production of an affordable, innovative aviation system has validated its place as a premier provider of flight-critical systems.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that has demonstrated excellence in new products and technologies within its industry. The recipient company has shown innovation by launching a broad line of emerging products and technologies.

Frost & Sullivan's Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research in order to identify best practices in the industry.

About Safe Flight Instrument Corporation

Safe Flight Instrument Corporation, a leader in aviation safety and flight performance systems, was founded in 1946. Headquartered in White Plains, New York, the company pioneered the development of Stall Warning, Automatic Throttles, Wind Shear Warning, and many other innovations in aircraft instrumentation and control systems for fixed- and rotary-winged aircraft. Safe Flight products are installed on over two-thirds of the world's aircraft -- in the general aviation, commercial, and military sectors.

About Frost & Sullivan

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     Contact:
     Jake Wengroff
     210.247.3806
     jake.wengroff@frost.com