A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

Avionics manufacturer Avidyne of Lincoln, Mass. is showcasing its soon-to-be-certified touch screen IFD 540 and IFD 440 FMS/GPS navcoms this week at the Sun ’n’ Fun Fly-In in Lakeland, Fla. Featuring plug and play design, the units are aimed at the retrofit market, specifically as replacements for Garmin GNS 530 and GNS 430 GPS navcoms, providing an upgrade alternative to Garmin’s own GTN 750/650.
The new Avidyne units provide VHF communication and SBAS/LPV navigation, as well as ADS-B accuracy and integrity requirements. The touchscreen functionality includes pinch-zoom, map panning and graphical flight plan editing.
The IFD 540 and 440 can slide into racks designed for Garmin’s GNS 530 and 430, respectively, and are compatible with all common interface configurations. The 540 and 440 costs $16,995 and $14,995, respectively. “The 540 is priced the same as Garmin’s 750, but there are no installation costs,” and Avidyne marketing director Tom Harper. “If [owners] want to replace their GNS 530 with a [Garmin] 750, they’ll have to put in a bigger rack. And we think customers will like the features on our unit.” Avidyne plans to have the unit certified and available for purchase at EAA AirVenture in late July in Oshkosh, Wis.

Avidyne Previews IFD 440/540 Touchscreen GPS Navcoms

New Avidyne FMS/GPS navcoms target the replacement market for the Garmin GNS 430/530.

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