Genesys Aerosystems is bringing to market a new digital flight control system, the S-Tec 3100, which is designed to provide a lower-cost option for light aircraft that incorporates the safety features of systems built for higher-end aircraft. Pricing details are anticipated in upcoming months. "With more than 1,500 STCs, we were able to utilize our vast autopilot experience to leverage the technology from our Level A S-Tec 5000 autopilot to bring a more cost-effective solution to the Part 23 market,” said Jamie Luster, Genesys Aerosystems director of sales and marketing.

Created for single and twin-engine aircraft, the S-Tec 3100 incorporates a number of safety-enhancing features, including envelope protection and one-touch straight-and-level recovery. These features were highlighted by piston operators as the top functions they would like to see in a new digital flight control system, Luster added.

Along with envelope protection and straight-and-level recovery, the S-Tec 3100 includes the option for a two-axis or three-axis autopilot system with flight director and optional yaw damper built into the autopilot. Other features include precision and non-precision approach mode, heading hold, altitude preselect and hold with autotrim, vertical speed control, indicated airspeed control and course intercept. The system was designed with open architecture to have the ability to integrate with both legacy analog avionics and digital systems.

Genesys is targeting the Cessna 182, Cessna 210, Beechcraft Bonanza and Piper Saratoga for the initial STCs. Those STCs are anticipated in 2018.