Aspen Evolution E5 Turns Five

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Aspen Avionics is marking the fifth anniversary of the initial certification and shipment of its Evolution E5 dual electronic flight instrument. First announced at the 2018 Aircraft Electronics Association convention, the E5 received AML-STC approval for over 300 aircraft models later that year. Aspen introduced new features including a horizontal situation indicator (HSI) and optional advanced software package for true airspeed, outside air temperature, wind direction and speed and WAAS GPS mode annunciations in 2020.

“Like all Aspen displays, the Evolution E5 is configurable, upgradeable, and affordable,” said Mark Ferrari, Aspen vice president of sales and customer support. “In contrast to many other standalone systems, Aspen’s versatile design and open architecture allow features to be easily configured to specific flight needs with the opportunity to add additional options without unit replacement.”

The Aspen Evolution E5 combines an attitude indicator and HSI into a single display along with offering a rechargeable backup battery, Global Position System Steering (GPSS), air data computer and attitude heading reference system (ADAHRS). As a nod to the instrument’s debut, Aspen stated that is rolling back the unit cost of the E5 to its introductory price of $4,995. The optional advanced software package runs an additional $495.

Kate O'Connor
Kate O’Connor works as AVweb's Editor-in-Chief. She is a private pilot, certificated aircraft dispatcher, and graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

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3 COMMENTS

  1. That is just a lot of technology for the price. Look back to the ’60s ads, a Narco or King 1 1/2 system an a few gyro gauges to go with it. I’m still a six pack and HSI kinda guy for more quickly digesting the info at a glance. But still am amazed at what we have now. Wow.

  2. I installed an E5 in my Grumman last year. I really like it. The only quirk for me is that the upper half attitude display looks almost exactly like the Honeywell screen in the aircraft I fly at work. Honeywell, and most other transport aircraft displays use a sky pointer to reference bank angle, so the two triangles at the top that meet with wings level are reversed from GA displays like the E5. IOW, with a sky pointer the lower triangle which points upward is what you roll to to level the wings. In the E5, the upper triangle which points downward is what you roll to, which is the GA standard. This threw me off for a while with small bank angles. Once you fly with a sky pointer you won’t want to go back to the GA display protocol. I wish sky pointers would become the standard across the spectrum.

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