Cemair announced it will be the first operator to launch passenger service in South Africa using 19-seat Beechcraft 1900D Airliners retrofitted with the Garmin G950 Integrated Flight Deck (IFD). The G950 system offers a new level of safety-enhancing situational awareness tools, solves avionics obsolescence issues, improves dispatch reliability, and expands the operational life and capabilities of this venerable aircraft.
“The G950 upgrade provides next generation avionics capability, including ADS-B, with an impressive feature set at a fraction of the cost of traditional flight deck retrofits,” said Miles Van der Molen, CEO. “It’s a complete avionics modernization with all new wiring replacing unreliable and obsolete parts. And it saves 220 pounds. In addition to the operational benefits, G950 offers significant safety improvements resulting from the large 15-inch moving map, TCAS II traffic system, weather radar, and Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS). Passengers and crew can expect fewer delays as a result of the more reliable avionics.”
The G950 modification was completed by AMI Aviation Services, a Garmin G1000 qualified dealer, at its Orlando/Sanford International Airport facility in the United States (KSFB). AMI Aviation’s parent company, AeroMech Incorporated, engineered and received supplemental type certification (STC) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the modification. Both companies, in conjunction with Garmin, are now working to integrate the G950 system into B1900D autopilot-equipped aircraft, a solution that is expected to be ready in early 2016. “AMI Aviation is pleased to see the first G950-equipped 1900D Airliner flying in South Africa, a market that holds tremendous opportunity for our solution. We would like to thank CemAir for trusting us to modify their first aircraft and we look forward to working with them on modifying the rest of their 1900D fleet” said Dave Doucette, president of AMI Aviation.