AVIDYNE AND IS&S ANNOUNCE HELIX INTEGRATED FLIGHT DECK FOR HELICOPTERS

The new Helix Flight Deck features IS&S’s 10.4-inch Flat Panel DUs and dual Avidyne Helios FMS systems, targeted for turbine helicopters flying offshore, cargo, commuter, and corporate operations.

Melbourne, FL. – March 1, 2023 –Avidyne Corporation of Melbourne, FL., along with Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) of Exton, PA., today announced their new Helix Integrated Flight Deck for turbine-class helicopters.

The Helix Integrated Flight Deck is a joint initiative that combines IS&S’s proven 10.4-inch flat-panel displays with Avidyne’s Helios Flight Management Systems to deliver significant new capabilities for operators looking to modernize their otherwise highly-capable legacy helicopters. Helix provides state-of-the-art avionics capabilities including large-format flat panel displays, 3D Synthetic Vision, electronic charts, ADS-B weather and traffic, and SBAS/LPV capability.

“Avidyne and IS&S have put together a solution that is designed and targeted to extend the life of the large number of legacy helicopters still in operation, including the S-76C++, the Blackhawk, the AW109 and more,” said John Talmadge, Avidyne’s Vice President of Worldwide Sales. “We are excited to be working alongside IS&S to develop Helix, which will give new life to these airframes at a cost that won’t break the bank, and that provides operators a whole host of new capabilities while dramatically improving reliability and dispatchability.”

“Helix will provide an appropriately-priced upgrade with significant value over anything currently available in the market,” Talmadge added.

“We are pleased to be working with Avidyne to bring the Helix Flight Deck to market and give these legacy helicopter operators a viable and affordable solution to keep them flying for years to come,” said Larry Riddle, IS&S’s Vice President of Commercial Sales &Marketing. “With single- and dual-pilot configurations available, the affordable Helix system provides operators with fleet-wide commonality that can dramatically reduce training and maintenance costs as well.”

About Helix (www.avidyne.com/helix)

Helix features two or four IS&S 10” Flat Panel Displays, which are self-contained smart display units (DU) with built-in Symbol Generators, offering superior performance with a high resolution XGA multi-color active-matrix LCDs.  The 6×8 inch viewing area (10.4” diagonal) provides enhanced readability, an 80 degree viewing angle, NVIS compliant display lighting, and a non-glare, anti-reflective display surface. Helix systems feature two flat panel DUs for the pilot ‒ one configured as Primary Flight Display (PFD) and one as Multifunction Display and Engine Instrument Display System (MFD/EIDS) ‒ with support an optional pair of DUs for the co-pilot. These versatile displays feature extensive I/O to accommodate retrofit into legacy aircraft with various engine, radar, and other sensors.

Helix also features dual Avidyne Helios FMS systems, which are dzus-mount GPS/SBAS flight management systems that meets TSO-C146c for full GPS SBAS/LPV approach guidance, including easy-to-use flight planning, ‘one-touch’ departure, airway, and arrival navigation, and Avidyne’s innovative GeoFill™ waypoint nomination.  Each Helios FMS features a full QWERTY-style keyboard along with touch screen ‘hybrid touch’ user interface that provides easy map panning and rubber-band flight plan editing.  Other features of the Helios include integrated wireless connectivity to iPads for third-party Apps including Foreflight or Avidyne’s IFD100 App, 16w VHF comms, Jeppesen® Charts and Airport Diagrams, intuitive Flight Planning, Video, Fuel Flow, display of ADS-B In (FIS-B, TIS-B), Moving Map, Synthetic Vision, and many more pilot-configurable options.

Pricing & Availability

Pricing for a turn-key installation of the Helix Flight Deck System in the S-76C++ will be forthcoming pending completion of the integration and certification, which is expected later this year.

About Avidyne Corporation (www.avidyne.com)

Avidyne’s continuing leadership in innovation and product design make flying safer, more accessible and more enjoyable for pilots and their passengers. The company offers a full line of avionics systems for corporate, military, and owner-flown piston- and turbine-powered fixed-wing and rotor-wing aircraft. Headquartered in Melbourne, FL, the company has additional facilities in Westerville, OH, and Concord, MA.

About Innovative Solutions & Support, Inc.(www.innovative-ss.com)

Innovative Solutions & Support, Inc. (IS&S) is a leading systems integrator that designs and manufactures cost effective NextGen flight navigation systems and precision flight instrumentation equipment to international Commercial Transport, Military and Business aviation markets. IS&S products include: Integrated NextGen Avionics Suites, Flight Management Systems, Flat Panel Primary and Flight Navigational Displays, Autothrottles, Engine Instrument Displays, Mission Displays, Integrated Standby Units, advanced Global Positioning Systems (GPS), RNP Navigator and Precision Air Data Instruments.  IS&S is at the forefront of developing sophisticated and technically advanced products which meet the increasing demands of the aerospace industry.

Media contacts:

Tom Harper
Avidyne Corporation
tharper@avidyne.com
+1.781.402.7434

Jason Zywalewski
IS&S
jzywalewski@innovative-ss.com
+1 610.646.9800 x609