Aspen’s EFD500 Set to Ship Following FAA Nod

Late last week, the FAA granted Technical Standard Order (TSO) approval for Aspen Avionics' EFD500 and EFD1000 multifunction displays, as well as the company's EWR50 weather radar receiver. With the approval, aircraft owners can now install all three units along with the already approved Evolution EFD1000 primary flight display. Together, the four components from Aspen provide a budget-priced, retrofit "glass panel" that is also relatively simple to install. Replacing mechanical "steam gauge" panels, the Aspen components' advantages include solid state reliability as well as high-resolution, graphical presentations of primary flight information such as attitude, airspeed, altitude, vertical speed and heading. The company announced that pent-up demand for the multifunction displays has been strong, and a rebate program has provided even more incentive for aircraft owners to upgrade. Aspen's list prices for the new components are: EFD500 MFD, $4,995; EFD1000 MFD,$7,995; EWR50 XM Weather receiver, $2,495. Installation costs vary.