Avidyne to Offer New Lightning-Based Weather Avoidance System

Avidyne Corporation is introducing a new lightning-based tactical weather avoidance sensor that it says can detect lightning more accurately than previous-generation systems and displays storm intensity with a new color-coded display to help general aviation pilots make better tactical weather decisions.

Avidyne sees its TWX670 Tactical Weather Detection system as an ideal complement to the strategic weather avoidance benefits of datalinked weather data - which it also offers - and claims lightning to be the "first and best indicator" of dangerous thunderstorm activity.  The system generates a dynamically updated map of color-coded hexagonal grids of lightning strikes - denoting convective activity - enabling the pilot to easy identify their most intense regions.  Avidyne compares this capability to legacy lightning detection systems which require pilots to observe and interpret individual lightning indications over time.

The system's close-range accuracy is made possible through improved installation calibration, enhanced noise immunity, advanced signal processing and geostabilized data to compensate for aircraft maneuvering, Avidyne says.

Paul Hathaway, Avidyne's director of product marketing, sees the TWX670 as complementing the strategic benefits of datalinked graphical weather images because it doesn't suffer any time delay, and can to be used as a real-time tactical weather avoidance tool.  It also can be valuable for weather decision-making in situations when datalink weather is unavailable, Hathaway says.

The TWX670, which is being introduced along with its MLB700 broadcast datalink receiver, is part of a line of sensors developed by Avidyne's Safety Systems Group, which was formerly Ryan International.

It is compatible with Avidyne EX5000 and EX500 multifunction displays (MFD), as well as the Avidyne MHD (multi-hazard display).  Avidyne says it will announce the unit's pricing and availability details later this year.  07-31-2007.

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