Name: Robert Myers

Profession: Pilot, ERA Aviation

Pilot since: 1993

Aircraft: Twin Otter (DHC-6) and DHC-8

Home base: Anchorage (PANC)

Use: Scheduled Airline

Era Aviation operates nine Twin Otters and four Dash 8s offering scheduled and charter airline service from hubs located in Anchorage and Bethel, Alaska. In the last year, they have installed three screen Chelton Flight Systems EFISs in all nine Twin Otters. Robert Myers is the supervisor of flight for the Twin Otters and was somewhat familiar with the Chelton EFIS through the Capstone Program. "I also saw the Chelton EFIS at the Alaska Airmen's Association Expo. We participated in Capstone's Phase I, and applied for Phase II when we found out the Chelton EFIS was certified Class A TAWS." 

"We average 12 flights a day out of Bethel, with 2 hour round trips. Our other service links Anchorage Kenai and Homer, with about 20 flights a day, although it varies. We have a total of about 76 pilots; and of that - 45 are Twin Otter pilots. They are split about 2/3 in Anchorage and 1/3 in Bethel. The FAA TAWS mandate in March 2005 would affect all the Twin Otters, which can be configured with up to 19 seats. Some of these aircraft are 30 years old, with every kind of upgrade and patch it takes to meet the changing regulations over the years. If we could settle on an integrated system to install in all the aircraft, it would simplify scheduling, training, flying and maintenance. We had to have a TAWS solution to stay in the air, and decided to use this as an opportunity start from the ground up and standardize the Twin Otter fleet." 

Era was accepted into Phase II of the Capstone program, and because the Twin Otters have two pilot crews, they upgraded each of the standard two-screen systems with a third screen. "This way we have two Primary Flight Displays and one screen in center as a Multifunction Display," Robert said. Each pilot has a PFD in front of them. It's the most safe and efficient setup to have both pilots on the same instrument display. We set the MFD in the center for both pilots to reference. The TAWS alerts can be easily referenced by either pilot on the middle screen if necessary. 

"We installed the EFIS system in the Era Aviation Facility, and of course there was a learning curve. We were gutting the aircraft and starting over with a green cockpit. The first one took 6-7 weeks, but by the end we were down to 3 ½ weeks. We estimate each plane lost about 70 pounds. Our avionics and maintenance staff really did a great job. We started on the planes based in Anchorage, and the first one flew in revenue service at the end of Dec 2004. By March 2005, we had two more done in Anchorage. We started on the planes based in Bethel in April and by the end of August all of them were done. 

The training started in December 2004. Training on any EFIS is going to be difficult, because most flight schools still don't train on EFIS; everyone comes out flying on round dials. With the screens, there's a little bit of a shock factor. It's a big leap. But once you take to it, it becomes more and more natural. I did the flight training for about 30 pilots in Anchorage. At first there was resistance to the change, like anything new. But I've found the EFIS to be user-friendly and by the end of flight training a lot of the pilots agreed. We all appreciate the situational awareness we get from the forward-looking display and the moving map. We also like the ability to overlay any approach (ILS, RNAV, VOR, NDB) on the moving map."

" We are looking forward to the next software update to provide a data link for WSI weather and ADSB traffic. Gamma 3 GPS WAAS for precision GPS approaches will be very useful. Those features will add to a great system that is promoting safety and efficiency." 

For more information about Era Aviation, please see www.eraaviation.com

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Name: Bucky Oliver

Profession: Owner, JetCraft

Instructor since: 1961

Aircraft: Learjet, Citations, Citation I/SP

Home base: Raleigh, NC

Use: Business and Personal Travel

Bucky Oliver owns JetCraft, a company with offices in Raleigh, Minneapolis, San Antonio and Redding, California. They buy, upgrade and sell aircraft; they act as aircraft brokers for buyers and sellers; they are a completion and sales channel for the Challenger 604.

Bucky has been evaluating, upgrading and selling planes for 45 years. “I saw some of the media advertising on the Chelton system, but when a client of mine, an owner/pilot installed a Chelton system in his Citation, I was more interested. He recommended I talk to Jim Wright at Landmark Aviation. Since buying and selling airplanes is my business, I put them through the inquisition. I came to the conclusion that the Chelton EFIS was what I wanted for my Citation.

I consider this a long term investment because I fly this airplane four days a week. I have all the functionality I was looking for. My wife accompanies me on many trips, and we are both glad I put in the dual system in a ‘single pilot’ Citation. She has her own set of instruments.

I wanted RVSM capability, and looked at the difference in the price to install dual air data computers with and without the Chelton system. It was not that much more to upgrade it all. For traffic, I put in the L3 40-mile TCAS system, I put in charts, XM uplink weather. These will not return hard value to cost, but it’s worth it.

Landmark Aviation started the plane in the fall of last year. It took just over a month to finish the installation. The downtime was quite reasonable. Chelton used our Citation as the project plane to get FAA approval on the four-screen dual sensor system architecture. We were in the experimental category for about six months, which didn’t matter because of the way we fly. We fly private business trips all over the country, without other passengers.

I was very comfortable with the training materials. I had some advantage, being in experimental category, we had to go on flights to prove the system to put it back in certified category. So there was time to read the manual, fly the plane and put it all in practice. I have not had many questions, that I couldn’t find answers to in the manual. The Chelton pilots are very helpful too. I read the manual in flight, in downtimes enroute. I would also like to see an internet-based training.

The Chelton EFIS is extraordinarily user friendly. It is not burdensome at all to trap, load and fly. I like the mapping of the traffic displayed on the screens, forward looking, as well as top down which is dramatically different than the competition.

I enjoy the topographical portion. I like the zoom function on approach. Once you get older, you need to have a bigger view of things. Approaches are simplified. The only thing Chelton ought to do is paint the centerline on the runway. You could actually land it on the centerline if it was depicted. It is that accurate.

“We don’t have reason to put in a lot of flight plans. We are a nimble company with very little repetition in the routes. I usually just put the destination in, and work backwards. I fly direct 90% of the time. On the East coast I use the Victor airways, and the airspace display.

The HITS is so tight — 400 feet wide — we find we don’t really need it enroute. But on the approach, whether VFR or IFR it is much more useful. It is very easy to program. It doesn’t take much to understand this system, and be able to set up an approach. For example, my wife is planning to take the pinch hitter course, and I am looking forward to her learning to set up an approach with this system. It would give me a lot of comfort to know she knows how to use it, and use the information displayed during approach.

I have shown a lot of professionals this system. Everyone comes away with their chins on their chests. They recognize I am getting more performance and features out of this system than anything else on the market. Compared to the Honeywell and Collins systems, frankly, this outdisplays information. It is more user-friendly, more integrated, with the GPS, the fuel, the navigation, the TAWS, the call outs. It provides a more understandable, integrated system than the Proline 21; the biggest difference is, the Chelton EFIS is much more flexible.”

For more information contact
Landmark Aviation - Roanoke
22 Waypoint Dr Roanoke, VA 24012
800-768-4401
www.landmarkaviation.com

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Name: Stuart Boblett

Profession: Chief Pilot

Instructor since: 1974

Aircraft: Citation 501, Eagle 400

Home base: Roanoke, VA

Use: Corporate

Stuart Boblett is a corporate pilot, and has flown Citations on and off for the past 20 years. After owning a Citation 501 for 10 years, his company started exploring the possibly of converting the existing analog panel to an EFIS system. He explained: “The cost of the other systems available was pretty much cost prohibitive for an older aircraft like the Citation. When we learned about the Chelton System from magazine articles it seemed like a good fit for our situation.” 

“Not only was it a cost-effective way to convert our analog instruments to a modern EFIS type of system, the added features were impressive, such as the TAWS capability, the ability to interface with our existing analog autopilot and the increase in situational awareness with the synthetic vision on the PFD. 

While researching the system, we received quotes from several dealers. We chose Piedmont-Hawthorne Aviation in Roanoke, VA from their competitive quote and from the huge effort they put forth in getting us all the information we needed to make a decision. They showed us before the sale that they really wanted our business. They have done work for us before with excellent results. The Chelton install, along with several other upgrades performed at the same time went smoothly and professionally. All of their staff worked tirelessly to make the install a success. Problems after the install were minimal which is remarkable considering the scope of what was accomplished.” 

The plane was delivered in July 2005, and they’ve put about 75 hours on it. Stuart said, “My favorite features may be the flight planning capabilities. It is very easy to enter and modify flight plans. This system requires much less ‘head down’ time when entering information in flight than other FMS’s. It has many capabilities and is also designed for easy upgrade in the future as technology improves.” 

“When other pilots ask about the system, we highly recommend the Chelton. It increases situational awareness and makes many procedures easier and safer, cutting down on pilot workload during critical phases of flight. I have flown other EFIS systems using other FMS units and this is by far the most user friendly system I have experienced.” 

Stuart’s advice to others: “If you are looking for an upgrade for your aircraft, it will be well worth your while to consider the Chelton System. It gives much more for the dollars spent on an EFIS system than anything else on the market at this time. Like any new system, it takes several hours to get really comfortable with the system and its capabilities, but the effort is well worth it.”


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Name: Greg K. Webster

Profession: Pilot

Pilot since: 1972

Aircraft: MS 760 Paris Jet, 
               Cessna 310, Metroliner 

Home base: Carlsbad, CA (CRQ)

Use: Business/Pleasure

When Your Aircraft Source decided to launch a refurbishment program using the MS-760 Paris Jet, they quickly decided that the appropriate upgrade for the panel would be a Chelton EFIS. 

Paris Jet production is located at Calhoun Airport near Atlanta, Georgia and to date, they have remanufactured 20 copies of the rugged, aerobatic, four-place light twin. Their first plane was introduced at the Sun ‘n Fun Fly-In last year. Greg Webster, explains why they chose the Chelton EFIS: “ As a Chief Instructor for a Part 141 school, I have frequently had the opportunity to fly the G-1000 in the Cessna, and the Avidyne in the Cirrus. I just logged my first 30 hours behind the Chelton FlightLogic EFIS installed in an MS-760 Paris Jet, and no amount of reading the manual or viewing their CD could have prepared me for how incredible the system is. 

WAAS GPS together with the HITS (highway in the sky) allowed me to effortlessly program a VFR or IFR approach from my current position to any airport or user defined waypoint, with tremendous accuracy and confidence in low visibility night approaches to unfamiliar airports. I even practiced 0/0 landings under the hood with a safety pilot and although I would never bust minimums in actual conditions, it sure gave me some confidence that in an emergency situation I could get the airplane and passengers down safely using the HITS in approach mode and utilizing the “Zoom” feature to magnify the airport and landing environment. I successfully completed over 10 such approaches and landings during a trip from Atlanta to Reno and return. 

The TAWS and synthetic ground mapping feature are vastly superior to anything offered by Avidyne or Garmin and provide realistic simulated terrain and obstacle views on takeoff and landing. When making turns, the TAWS looks ahead to where you will be in one minute and actually gives you terrain warnings for your future path (even behind the aircraft in a 180 degree turn) Many, many additional features such as low fuel warnings that only come on in cruise and descent to avoid giving you that incessant false warning we all come to ignore in take off situations. Very smart engineering all around. 

Don’t get me wrong; I love the Garmin and Avidyne. Therefore, I have to ask myself if the extra money Chelton costs is worth all of the bells and whistles. After 30 hours behind the knobs of Chelton, I guess I have concluded that the first time it saves my life it’s worth whatever I had to pay. Frankly, it is not that much more than other alternatives and is more readily available for after-market installations. Garmin wouldn’t even talk to me about installing a G-1000 in my Paris Jet, and although Avidyne was very nice, they wanted to pass on their certification costs in my Type. I could not have been more enthusiastically welcomed or professionally treated than I was by the Chelton team. I think the marketplace will certainly respond and reward this technology and outstanding customer service! 


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Name: Pat Cronin

Profession: CEO Cronin Company

Pilot since: 1963

Aircraft: P210 - Sliver Eagle 

Home base: Hillsboro (HIO)

Use: 70% Business/30% Pleasure

When Pat Cronin has had a 1980 P210 as the Cronin Company plane since 1985, flying it from the Portland area to their branch offices in Washington and Oregon. The plane was great for shorter distances, but on the longer trips, the refueling stops added time and trouble. Last year Pat started looking at upgrading the plane. He found that O&N Aircraft Modifications in Factoryville, PA offered a Rolls Royce Gas Turbine 250-B17F/2 engine for the Pressurized 210 airframe (the Silver Eagle conversion) for more range and speed. While the plane is down, interior and paint can be completely redone and the avionics upgraded. O & N has currently done over 10 Chelton EFIS installs and offers it as an option during the retrofit. 

Pat said, “I had seen the Chelton EFIS in magazines and was generally aware of the capabilities, but the first time we really looked at it was at the AOPA Expo in Long Beach last year. We had the Sandell, the MX-20 and the CNX-80. I was interested in keeping the newer equipment, but updating the old gauges. We saw a demo of the displays and then saw a P210 O & N conversion with the Chelton EFIS installed. After seeing the installation we knew they had the experience for the job.” 

“The plane was delivered in June. Overall, the whole conversion went very well, it ran long, but at least they had the airplane for the winter months. We went over to Pennsylvania to deliver it and then back to pick it up. It was like a whole new plane, but for less than half the price of a new turboprop. It had all new interior, upholstery, paint, the works. We got rid of the Sandell, but kept the MX 20 and the CNX 80 which compliment the Chelton EFIS. We had chartview and WSI weather on the MX20 and added the Ryan TCAD and WX500 Strikefinder. We also added the Chelton APC-3 auto-pilot. 

My favorite feature is probably the Highway in the Sky. I also like the scan. All the info is in one place. It’s an easier instrument platform to fly now. Before we picked up the plane, I studied the video and the book. When we got to O & N, we had about 30 hours of time with an instructor at the factory. Then we flew it back across the country. Thunder storms were a problem, so we took the southern route with stops in St Louis, MO, Pueblo, CO, Cedar City, UT then on to Hillsboro, OR. The trip took 1 day and about 13 hours of flying.

I visit the branch locations quite often, so I’ve programmed in a series of flight plans we can use over and over. Once you get used to it, the flight planning features are simple to use. The new range is over 1,000 miles. We fly non stop Portland to Denver or Portland to Phoenix now. The plane is about 30% faster, and much more capable, and I’m glad the avionics are too. The EFIS makes it easier and safer to fly. When I fly with other pilots who may not have seen the system first hand, they are always very impressed with the system. It really is state of the art.” 

My advice to other pilots considering the Chelton EFIS: while researching, I found that the Chelton EFIS is the only real choice for upgrading the Silver Eagle from the standard instruments. But even if there were more choices approved, I’d pick the Chelton hands down. If you want to go to the state of art, this may be the only approved one, but that’s for good reason. The highway in the sky, the terrain, everything it offers is superior to anything else we looked at.”

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