Approach Launches Sport Hub System

The news release is directed torward general aviation aircraft both factory built and homebuilt/expermental, i.e. 2-6 person planes.

Orem, Utah, December 6 2001, Approach Systems Corporation (Approach) a manufacturer of aviation electronics products, announced availability of the Sport Hub. The Sport Hub replaces the snake pit of wires required when installing or upgrading a general aviation aircraft avionics stack." Now, for the first time, a modular approach to avionics interconnection eliminates the time consuming and messy wiring inherent to most general aviation aircraft. The Sport ties together all the components of a typical stack" with a Hub and standard cables for most popular GPS, Nav/Comms, Audio Panels and Intercoms. Future changes to your stack" require merely a new cable. The entire system for a typical VFR aircraft with a full panel costs $299 for the Hub and $99 for most cables. A minimum system can cost as less than $500. This is nearly an order of magnitude less costly than the ‘till now only available hand wired systems. The Sport Hub system uses the latest technologies and Milspec Tefzel standard cable wiring. Grounding and shielding is uniform and properly terminated and now eliminated as a major source of problems. A typical hand wired stack" can take from 40 to 200 man-hours to fabricate, and who knows how long to debug. With the Sport Hub, your panel can be in and wired in less than 4 hours.

The most significant impediment to the upgrade and installation of new avionics is unknown labor and technical details in panel wiring. We solved that." Said Kieth Sorenson, Approachs President. According to Sorenson, He has financed a number of avionics sales and service shops that avoided significant panel upgrades due to the risk in labor cost overages. This helps install shops immensely as it replaces 90% of the required labor with modern plug and play technology". Approach feels there is significant demand upgrading older aircraft to modern GPS/Comm" technologies but the fear of astronomical labor install costs prohibits most general aircraft owners and operators.

Additionally, according to Sorenson, Sport aircraft and kit plane builders can install their own avionics with the assurance that they are installed and wired properly".

Approach Systems in a one-year-old company focused on developing products to automate the upgrade and retrofit process of general aviation electronics (avionics). The products are based on modular technologies using aerospace standard components, materials and computer technology. In the near future Approach will announce a more comprehensive hub" for IFR capable complex aircraft.
For more information, visit www.approach-systems.com.
For further information, please contact Kieth Sorenson, Chief Executive Officer, kiethsorenson@approach-systems.com, of Approach Systems Corporation, +1-801-802-8079;