Avilution 'Unpanel' Represents A Major Change In VFR Avionics…

One of the most innovative things on display at AirVenture this summer was the Avilution Unpanel, which represents a major change in avionics for VFR airplanes.

Mark Spencer, Founder of Avilution, told Aero-News editor Tom Patton that the company designed the Unpanel by approaching avionics as a software "problem", making it possible to bring a product to the market much faster. The Unpanel was developed in conjunction with Zenith Aircraft for their STOL CH-750 Super Duty airplane.

Spencer said that pilots doing the kind of flying for which the Super Duty is designed are most interested in things like angle of attack, altitude, and other basic flight information. So the Unpanel places the instruments most important for VFR flying at the top of the display, with the remainder of the screen used for things like engine instrumentation and moving maps.

The architecture of the Unpanel is modular so that it can support other new and innovative technology that may already be in the pipeline or developed in the future.

The moving map is a separate software solution than the avionics display, and Spencer said that the company intends to allow third parties to develop different moving map displays as the system gains wider acceptance. Spencer said the company is open to talking with other aircraft manufacturers about developing the Unpanel for their aircraft.