Low-cost multifunction instrument certified

AeroVonics, a startup staffed by experienced industry hands and based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, aims to bring glass cockpit capabilities to legacy aircraft at low cost with a minimum of fuss. The probeless angle of attack and a form factor matching legacy steam gauges reduce the installation cost and complexity of a unit already priced below similar products from Garmin and Aspen.

Introduced at EAA AirVenture in 2018, where AeroVonics was named an Innovation Showcase winner, the AV-20-S comes with attitude heading and reference system sensors (the AV-20 without those AHRS sensors costs $495). The AV-20 is the first of two products announced in 2018: AeroVonics is also working to certify the AV-30, which can replace the legacy standalone attitude indicator and a non-slaved directional gyro.

The company secured FAA approval for AV-20 and AV-20-S installations in nonpressurized Class I and Class II Part 23 aircraft through what has become a well-worn pathway for new products in older aircraft, as non-required safety enhancing equipment (NORSEE).

“We created AeroVonics for pilots in the underserved light general aviation market. 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,” AeroVonics CEO Bill Shuert said in a news release. “This is a unique opportunity for legacy aircraft owners who have been hesitant to make large investments in those older airframes.”

The AV-20 incorporates a full-color, sunlight-readable display and provides progressive angle of attack audio cues and pop-up displays, a G-meter with voice alerting and peaks, a clock, outside air temperature indication, and other functions. An internal battery provides 30 minutes of backup power. The company provides more details in this video, and you can watch it in action in a flight test video.