Avidyne’s attitude-based DFC100 autopilot is now FAA certified for installation on Cirrus SR22s and SR20s equipped with Avidyne Release 9 avionics suites, the company announced.
The DFC100 has a “Straight & Level” feature that is capable of recovering from extreme unusual attitudes, and it gives aural and visual warnings of excessively high or low airspeeds and bank angles—even when the autopilot isn’t engaged. The combination of Release 9 avionics and the DFC100 are the technology foundation on which many future Avidyne upgrades are likely to be based.
“Entegra Release 9 was designed to significantly reduce pilot workload and enhance safety and the DFC100 represents the next building block in this fully integrated system,” said Avidyne CEO Dan Schwinn. “Leveraging the power of R9 and the DFC100, Cirrus owners can now have a truly integrated flight deck system that reduces heads-down time, enhances redundancy, … protects against inadvertent departure from the flight envelope, and dramatically reduces workload in all phases of flight.”
The DFC100 is nearly identical to the previously FAA-certified DFC90. ( Watch the DFC90 recover from unusual attitudes, including a loop.) The DFC100 retail price for Release 9-equipped Cirrus aircraft is $14,990.
