The Experimental Aircraft Assn.’s (EAA) annual AirVenture air show features some of the world’s most advanced, futuristic and obscure aircraft and technologies in the aviation industry. 2017 was no different, with several manufacturers unveiling new autopilots, low-cost ADS-B hardware and new flying cars, among other things.
Here are 10 new aircraft, avionics and flying cars that were unveiled at this year’s show.
Detroit Flying Cars
Michigan-based startup Detroit Flying Cars unveiled its first flying car prototype. The company was founded by Sanjay Dhall, an engineer who also runs a company that supplies automotive components. The company describes its prototype flying car as shedding the “superfluous constraints of symmetry,” with a wing span the size of a Cessna 150 and a six-foot-wide fuselage.
Dhall does not yet have a firm date on making the car available for purchase, but believes first flight will occur by 2018.
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Switchblade
Samson Motors, a transportation technology company based in Oregon, unveiled its own flying car prototype. A pre-production prototype of the three-wheeled flying sports car kit, Switchblade technically drives as a motorcycle on roads and will be an experimental aircraft when airborne. Samson is making the Switchblade available in kits, with aircraft parts built to FAR Part 23 certification standards. First flight is expected to occur later this year.
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Eclipse 700
First unveiled at AirVenture last year as “Project Canada,” One Aviation, manufacturer of the Eclipse 500/550, said that the company’s new aircraft will be known as the Eclipse 700. A cabin mockup and virtual reality display of the 700 was featured at the show, with the company revealing that the aircraft will feature a Garmin G3000 cockpit and a lithium-ion battery system supplied by Acme Aerospace. One Aviation CEO Alan Klapmeier said he expects certification of the 700 to occur within the next 18 to 24 months.
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AeroWave Text & Track
BendixKing unveiled its new “AeroWave Text & Track” technology, which is designed to provide two-way tracking and messaging, alerts and connectivity using Iridium’s satellite network for both pilots and passengers of general aviation aircraft. The tool is an easy hook up to smart phones to enable satellite-based communications.
AeroWave Text & Track. Photo courtesy of BendixKing
S-TEC 5000 Digital Flight Control System
Genesys Aerosystems unveiled its new next-generation autopilot technology — the S-TEC 5000. The Texas-based manufacturer said it’s the first autopilot to feature envelope protection and one-touch straight and level recovery functionality for Part 25 turboprops and business jets.
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Low-Cost ADS-B
Garmin unveiled the GDL82 universal access transceiver (UAT) called the GDL82. It is a small two-piece (remote box and GPS antenna) UAT with built-in GPS priced at $1,795. According to Garmin, the GDL82 also features its “AutoSquawk” interrogation technology, which is capable of interfacing with most Mode C general aviation aircraft transponders. This capability eliminates the need to install a separate dedicated UAT control panel in the cockpit as the self-interrogation capability eliminates the need for the pilot to manually keep the two squawk codes in sync throughout the flight.
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Certified SkyView HDX
Dynon Avionics officially entered the world of certified avionics by revealing that its existing SkyView HDX glass cockpit system will achieve FAA certification for the Cessna 172 and Beech B58 Baron in the near future.
Dyson features a touchscreen primary display, synthetic vision, ADS-B Out and a mode S transponder on the SkyView HDX. It will be capable of integration with navigators such as the Avidyne IFD series. Previously, all of Dynon’s products have been available for experimental aircraft only.
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Trio Pro Pilot
Trio Avionics’ Pro Pilot autopilot kit was unveiled to have achieved an STC for Part 23 aircraft, with Trio securing an STC for Cessna 172, 175 and 182 aircraft.
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