NexAir offers glass Saratoga “transformation” What do you get when you take a used Piper Saratoga, replace the steam gauges with glass, revamp the paint and interior, hang a zero-time engine on the mounts, and tack on a slew of other mods? Then you’d have the Saratoga NX, a fly-away, nearly new airplane from Massachusettsbased NexAir Avionics. The keystone of the transformation is the Avidyne Entegra Release 9 glass avionics suite.
Morgan Freeman buys new jet
undertake long flights without having to stop for fuel all the time,” said Freeman, an Air Force veteran and owner of a Cessna 414 and Citation SP.
Actor and pilot Morgan Freeman has taken delivery of a new Emivest SJ30 jet. Freeman traveled to the company’s Dubai headquarters over Christmas to take delivery of the sleek twin-engine light jet, which boasts a Mach .83 cruise speed and 2,500-nautical mile range.
Emivest Aerospace, the plane’s manufacturer, says Freeman’s purchase will free up capital to allow the company to explore new markets for airplane production in the UAE. Freeman says he’ll use his SJ30 to travel as he tours to promote his new movie, Inivctus.
“It’s fast, economical to run, and will allow me to
G1000 now available on PA-46 models The Garmin G1000 glass cockpit is now available on the entire Piper PA-46 model line. All three variants of the plane, the turboprop Meridian, the turbocharged piston Mirage, and the unpressurized Matrix will feature a 15-inch multi-function display flanked by two 10.4-inch primary flight displays. Prior to the announcement, the Avidyne Entegra FlightMax was the only glass avionics suite available
“Rather than simply installing devices in a panel, we leverage our knowledge as engineers and pilots to integrate the avionics into the aircraft in a way that optimizes performance and ease-of-use,” said David Fetherston, president of NexAir. In addition to Avidyne system, the Saratoga NX features aerodynamic modifications from LoPresti and can be outfitted with options like AmSafe seatbelt airbags and even a DVD entertainment system. A standard, well-equipped Saratoga NX has a fly-away price of $395,000. NexAir will modify an owner’s existing Saratoga for $250,000.
on the Matrix and Mirage; the G1000 was only available in the Meridan. “By adding Garmin’s G1000 to all of the PA-46 series of aircraft, we are providing our customers with a wider array of options than they have ever had on our flagship aircraft,” said Piper President Kevin Gould. G1000-equipped PA-46s will come standard with Synthetic Vision Technology and the GFC 700 threeaxis autopilot. Terrain warning, weather radar, and XM Satellite Weather are additional options.
Release 9 now Cirrus factory option Cirrus has added the Avidyne Entegra Release 9 flight deck as a factory option on new SR20s and SR22s. Previously available strictly as an aftermarket option, the newest iteration of the system features dual fully redundant IFDs (Integrated Flight Displays), integrated radios, and a QWERTY keyboard for data entry. “Cirrus and Avidyne launched the glass flight deck revolution back in 2003,” said Cirrus CEO Brent Wouters. “We are making Entegra Release 9 available as a post production option on new aircraft to meet the needs of those customers desiring the next generation Avidyne avionics platform.” Earlier iterations of the Entegra system are flying on 4,000 Cirrus aircraft. m ay / j u n e 2 0 1 0
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