SIDNEY, British Columbia, 19 May 2008. Aircraft designers at Viking Air Ltd. in Sidney, British Columbia, are fitting the company's latest Twin Otter Series 400 airplanes with an integrated avionics suite from Honeywell Aerospace of Tempe, Ariz.
The Twin Otter, a 19-seat commercial aircraft which is noted for its rugged construction and short-takeoff-and-landing, is popular for backcountry operations away from large commercial airports.
"Our customers told us they wanted a more complete airplane," says David Curtis, Viking president and chief executive officer. "They wanted their new 400 Series aircraft delivered with a full-IFR suite of rugged, dependable upgradeable avionics, and after a careful and thorough review, we have selected Honeywell as the provider, with its Apex integrated avionics package."
The Apex avionics integrates aircraft systems, safety sensors, and navigation information, decreases pilot workload, and improves safety through enhanced situational awareness, Viking officials say. Its architecture enables integration of hardware and software as new technology becomes available.
Viking launched the DHC-6 Series 400 Twin Otter last year. Viking also provides support for the de Havilland heritage line of aircraft (DHC-1 through DHC-7). For more information contact Viking Air online at www.vikingair.com.
