Avidyne - Entegra Release 9

Overview

What is Entegra Release 9?

Entegra Release 9 is a complete upgrade of your existing Entegra avionics suite. This upgrade involves removing your old PFD & MFD and your old GPS/NAV/COMs and replacing them with an all-new, state of the art flight deck system. You’ll get high-res glass, dual ADAHRS for added redundancy, and dual FMS900w Flight Management Systems with QWERTY keyboard.
 
With its fully-modular architecture, Entegra Release 9 represents the next generation of integrated flight deck systems for general aviation aircraft. The Entegra Release9 includes high-resolution IFD5000 displays, dual Air Data and Attitude Heading Reference Systems (ADAHRS), dual-redundant FMS900w systems with a QWERTY keypad, next-generation fully-digital 16-watt VHF NAV/COM radios, and dual SBAS/LPV-capable GPS receivers.  

Release 9’s innovative Page & Tab user interface makes it a breeze to quickly access data without delving into hierarchical menus, pop-up windows or hidden modes.

Designed with a fully-redundant architecture, each IFD5000 is fully capable of performing the functions of the other with no unfamiliar or limited reversionary modes.
 
With Entegra Release 9, Avidyne has developed a truly integrated system that is specifically designed to eliminate complexity, reduce head-down time, provide a whole new level of redundancy, and dramatically enhance safety.
 
Flying Made Simple™

Entegra Release 9 features large-format, ultra- reliable LED-backlit displays — the first to be truly interchangeable for use as PFD or MFD. Since each Integrated Flight Display (IFD) is fully capable of performing the functions of the other, no unfamiliar or limited reversionary modes are required. So you can train as you fly and fly as you train.

The fully-integrated, all-digital WAAS Gamma 3 COM/NAV/Surveillance (CNS) suite is managed with the intuitive FMS900w, while dual redundant databus interconnection automatically synchronizes data between displays, the FMS Keypad and a full complement of safety sensors.

Dual-Redundant Peer-to-Peer Databus

A true dual-redundant peer-to-peer databus, such as that developed for use in Avidyne’s Entegra integrated flight deck, means that critical sensor and computation modules are not “daisy-chained” together in a manner that can create cascading failures. With a true dual-redundant peer-to-peer databus, single-point failures remain just that, single point failures. They do not adversely affect other vital, otherwise operational functionality.

Simplicity

As pilots, we depend on our good judgment, training and situational awareness.

Now we can enjoy the power of Entegra Release 9, with Avidyne’s exclusive, easy-to-learn, easy-to-use pilot interface that reduces workload and enhances safety. Entegra Release 9 provides easy access to all critical flight information in a simple “page and tab” format without complex functions, modes or submenus.

So go ahead, say goodbye to the complex page structures, multi-day training courses, inches-thick user guides and “secret handshakes” required by previous generation avionics.

Access to any of Entegra Release 9’s powerful capabilities is as simple as pressing the desired bi-directional page key. The various display options within a page are represented as tabs. Pressing the same key in a desired direction navigates through the tabs.

Congratulations, you just learned how to use Entegra Release 9.

Intuitive. Simple. Safe.

Flight Plan Entry Made Simple

Designed for the second century of flight, the all-new Entegra FMS900w Flight Management System (FMS) delivers highly-advanced, yet easy-to-use FMS capability for single-pilot IFR flight.

Creating and editing Flight Plans is quick and intuitive with Entegra Release 9. All basic functions are easily accessible through the bezel controls or through the optional ACD215 Control/Display Unit. All FMS operations can be performed without removing your hand from the knob of the IFD. All drop-down menus are context sensitive and choices are displayed in a prioritized order. Even the cursor is context sensitive and provides a clear indication of whether the operation is intended to insert a leg or to modify an already existing waypoint. This avoids the use of menus and provides a completely intuitive method for performing basic editing functions.

Graphical METAR flags for each leg of the flight plan provide at-a-glance weather updates all along the route. CMax electronic approach charts can also be instantly accessed for any airport in the flight plan. An “I” inside the Chart icon indicates that there is an ILS approach available.

Its route construction, guidance and navigation are all breakthroughs in the general aviation market. All 23 ARINC-424 leg types, including RNP radius-to-fix (RF) legs, are used without modification to create the same flight plans commercial airlines use. The guidance algorithms use these leg types to determine roll-steering commands to the autopilot for all legs of the flight plan, including procedure turns and holding patterns. The navigation solutions use WAAS satellite corrections to provide a position solution to within three meters in all phases of flight.

GeoFill™ Reduces Data Entry Time

GeoFill intelligently predicts the next leg or waypoint on your flight—not based on its order in the database, but on its proximity to your current location or the previous waypoint in your flight plan—eliminating the fumbling through irrelevant NAVAIDs common to other systems. Auto-filling the remaining characters in the entry—based upon distance from the current position and avoiding the cumbersome need to go through obviously “bad” choices (too far away) to get to the desired entry—dramatically reduces the number of pilot actions. In fact, there is a high probability that it will display your desired waypoint on the initial suggestion.

As an example, the logical GeoFill choice based upon the existing route is HNK rather than an irrelevant waypoint such as HM – Haneida NDB in Japan which an older system would have suggested because it is alphabetically ahead in the database.

The segmented magenta line makes it very easy to see the next leg in the flight plan.

Airways and Procedures

Airway flight planning is easily performed via the FMS900w’s simple-to-use drop down menu system. After entering the ‘TO’ waypoint, the VIA edit field will drop down and display all airways and procedures (Victor, Jet, and Q routes) that contain the entered fix (as shown in the image above). Rotating either knob will move the cursor through the list and selecting (pushing the rotary knob) will select the airway and prompt for the termination fix. If the termination fix is already the next waypoint in the route, the FMS will automatically link the airway to that waypoint and close up all menus.

With the FMS900W’s Airway Flight Planning, combined with GeoFill capability, it takes 75% fewer keystrokes to enter a flight plan.

FMS Vectors™ - Fly the Magenta Line All The Time

The FMS900w provides an easier way to fly with Avidyne’s innovative new FMS Vectors feature. With FMS Vectors capability, the FMS900W calculates the transition from the en route GPS phase of flight to the ILS intercept, draws a curved intercept flight path on the display and provides wind-corrected roll steering commands to the autopilot. In previous-generation navigators, the pilot must often artificially suspend navigation between an en route GPS-guided course and the terminal phase of flight to a VHF navaid such as an ILS.

During the transition between the en route and terminal phases of flight, these systems are essentially “coasting” in a heading mode, which is not corrected for wind and ground track. As a key feature of Avidyne’s Flying Made Simple™ philosophy, the pilot is given FMS guidance for the entire route of flight, from 200 AGL to 200 AGL, without the need to suspend or interrupt guidance to the Autopilot, enhancing safety and eliminating “modes’ confusion. The pilot simply “flies the magenta line” all the time.

Easy to Edit

In order to minimize heads down time, any changes to the flight plan are immediately applied if they do not affect the active leg. A two-step activation process provides confirmation for any edits or changes to the active leg. All other edits are immediately applied to the flight plan as entered. Editing of an active route using the Avidyne FMS900w is simpler with its easy-to-understand insert cursor, which makes it extremely intuitive to know exactly where a new waypoint will be added.

The FMS900w allows the pilot to insert any planned alternates into the flight plan and even add instrument approaches to the alternate as part of the primary flight plan. In addition, the FMS intelligently analyzes the route of flight and will graphically warn the user of any discontinuities between the airway structure and the entered route. It’s dual-system capability means multiple instances of the FMS run concurrently, providing fully-synchronous and redundant FMS processes.

ACD215 Control/Display Unit

While the FMS900w is optimized to use the dual concentric rotary knobs and line select keys on the IFD bezels, one or more ACD215 Control/Display Units can be added to facilitate alphanumeric data entry and meet the aircraft operational demands. The ACD215 contains the basic control keys for radios and FMS, including Direct-To, PROC, Vectors, and NRST functions, as well as the map range and pointer control.

Communications Made Simple

The heart of Entegra Release 9’s navigational and communications power lies in its CNS modules.

The DVX740 is the first certified 100% digital software aviation radio, and the only datalink-upgradeable radio available that is capable of supporting NEXCOM next generation datalink protocols including VDL Mode 2, 3, 4.

An all-digital software-controlled design means that the 4 COM/Datalink channels and the 4 NAV (VOR, LOC/GS) channels in each radio operate simultaneously, providing serious navigational power to the Entegra Release 9 FMS.
The Upgrade Path to Entegra Release 9 & Beyond

As a pilot, you look for tools and information that will enhance your aircraft’s performance and your safety of flight. As a technology-savvy consumer, you look for products that provide a growth path to the most advanced features and functions as they become available, providing the highest level of capability and the greatest value.
Entegra Release 9 includes:

• Upgrade to two fully-interchangeable IFD5000 Integrated Flight Displays with XGA (1024x768) glass
• Innovative Page and Tab user interface concept means all functions are a maximum of 2 buttons away
• Map, FMS, Checklist, Engines, Traffic, Datalink, Lightning
• New and unique features such as FMS Vectors™ and Geofill™
• Split view display formats allowing simultaneous display of map with flight plan or chart or Nearest pages
• Full alphanumeric data entry panel with display
• Dual ADAHRS with sophisticated cross comparison checking
• Dual WAAS GPS receivers
• Dual 16 watt, 8.33 MHz, 4-channel digital VHF COMM/VLOC radios
• Dual revolutionary FMS
• Full Redundancy with no special “reversionary” modes
• Much tighter integration with on-board autopilot – no manual mode changing required
• Nav Display (ND) Box concept that allows all functions to be displayed on the pilot’s IFD
• Dedicated baro and autopilot target controls on data entry panel
• All database and software updates are automatic using the front bezel USB ports
• New warranty and improved service

Looking to the Future

The Entegra Release 9 upgrade provides the hardware platform to support future software releases which will support new display formats including Synthetic Vision (SVS), Enhanced Vision (EVS), and Highway in the Sky (HITS).

Avidyne has been at the forefront in developing advanced display formats, dating back to our development of HITS and work with Synthetic Vision in 2001 on the NASA Advanced General Aviation Transports Experiments (AGATE) program.