BendixKing is showcasing its AeroVue integrated flight deck retrofit for King Air turboprops and its AeroWave satcom system for piston aircraft, turboprops and light jets, here at NBAA 2014.
AeroVue, a lower-cost derivative of parent company Honeywell’s Primus Apex system, is a complete glass-panel retrofit built around three 12-inch LCD screens. It includes a flight management system, autopilot, synthetic vision and Honeywell’s INAV functionality with electronic chart displays, as well as Internet connectivity via AeroWave 100.
Certification of the AeroVue retrofit is expected in the first half of 2015, and it is priced at $250,000 to $275,000. BendixKing is in the process of selecting a handful of approved facilities that will perform the retrofit, said James Zanino, v-p of sales and customer and product support. (Zanino also said the company plans to name a new president by the end of this year, to replace Kevin Gould, who left this summer.)
The AeroWave 100 satcom is also available as a stand-alone system for $19,999, and a data plan provides 50 hours of Inmarsat connectivity, which supports text and email globally with the exception of the polar regions, for $1,999.
Here in Orlando, BendixKing has a mockup of the AeroVue and AeroWave installations at its display (Booth 2000) and an AeroWave-equipped King Air at its static display. The company is eager to demonstrate the systems to Citation CJ, Hawker, and King Air owners looking for an alternative to currently available avionics upgrades.
