General aviation manufacturer Vulcanair’s owners are targeting the avionics market through a new company based in Naples, Italy.
The new company, Axitude, has 11 employees and is launching onto the general aviation avionics market with an attitude and heading reference system (AHRS) to be used in glass cockpits, says Remo De Feo, director of Axitude and Vulcanair’s sales director.
Axitude’s founders have invested approximately €1 million ($1.18 million) in setting it up, including purchasing machines, and further investment is likely to follow.
“This is only the beginning,” says De Feo. “We’re hoping to certify the AHRS product as soon as possible. For now it is in an experimental phase, but Axitude has applied for certification and applied to EASA to obtain ETSO authorisation, which will allow it to be installed on certificated aircraft.”
The company will target certificated general aviation aircraft through marketing the AHRS to other avionics manufacturers to be incorporated into their glass cockpits as a component, rather than targeting the aircraft manufacturers directly. De Feo says Axitude will not initially be supplying the new diesel P68C aircraft now being developed by Vulcanair. “But once certified, we hope the AHRS will be a component of the glass cockpit Vulcanair will adopt,” he adds.
Several avionics manufacturers are evaluating Axitude’s AHRS product, De Feo adds.
HELEN MASSY-BERESFORD/NAPLES
Source: Flight International
