​Redbird Elevates Flight Simulator Fidelity With New Avionics Upgrades

One of the best aspects of Redbird Flight Simulations’ aviation training devices (ATDs) is that with a change of the plexigas instrument panel and a swap out of the throttle quadrant you can be flying a different airplane.

Those aircraft are about to become more realistic as Wednesday Redbird introduced an evolution of its flight deck software and hardware, bringing new high fidelity to the users of Garmin G1000 NXi avionics.

Over the past 20 years there has been an increase in the use of simulation technology in the flight school environment. ATDs are cheaper to operate than aircraft, can be used in any weather, and serve as a better “classroom” because they can be paused with a push of a button when the learner falls behind the aircraft to allow instruction to happen in a less threatening environment.

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Redbird, one of the leaders in the field of simulation technology, has spent the past several years working on ways to increase the fidelity of its ATDs so they more accurately represent the aircraft they are meant to emulate. This enables more positive training for the learners as not only do they learn the procedures to fly the aircraft, but the ATD “flies” more like the real thing.

“Flight training providers—from local flight schools to large, academy-style, Part 141 programs—continue to express a desire for highly realistic training devices that emulate exactly what their customers will experience in their aircraft fleet,” said Redbird CEO Charlie Gregoire in a news release. “In our view, that means not only offering the look, feel, and functionality of specific aircraft cockpits but also the ability to represent and interchange between multiple aircraft configurations and avionics stacks in one device. The enhanced software and hardware options we are introducing today immediately deliver more training value without sacrificing a reconfigurable cockpit architecture that better serves flight schools that have multiple makes and models in their fleet.”

Founded in 2006, Redbird makes desk-style training devices and larger, more-immersive units, such as the cockpit-like SDX and the motion-enabled FMX. Redbird ATDs are being utilized in more than 50 countries at flight schools, colleges and universities, and K-12 programs as well as in the homes of individual pilots looking for a way to maintain proficiency away from the airport.

The G1000 NXi software emulation and an accompanying “E001” instrument panel represent the first wave of upgrades. The NXi software, set to release on August 17, includes improved graphics, faster processing speeds, and enhanced operational features used for training with integrated flight decks and technically advanced aircraft (TAA), such as Synthetic Vision Technology (SVT), HSI mapping on the primary flight display, and airport environment tools like SafeTaxi.

According to Redbird, the E001 enhanced aircraft panel will be available in early 2027. It will be the first installment in a new family of instrument panels with higher-fidelity hardware and embedded video displays. It features hardware for two G1000 GDU 1054Bs, a GMA1347 audio panel, and knobs to allow for three analog standby instruments.

Redbird, based in Kyle, Texas, near Austin, noted the panel is more flexible and intelligent than previous versions, capable of querying the rest of the hardware in the training device to determine which aircraft configurations can be simulated accurately at a given time.

Redbird also said the “roadmap” of the Enhanced Aircraft panels includes several configurations of popular Avidyne and Garmin avionics, including the IFD and GTN series—the same ones found in training aircraft on the ramp.

“Everything we will be developing for the Enhanced Aircraft product line is modular and backward compatible with our existing install base, meaning customers with devices dating back to the original FMX 1 can update individual software and hardware components piecemeal,” Gregoire said. “However, our product roadmap is focused on being able to offer complete, higher-fidelity cockpits for specific aircraft configurations.”

Redbird at AirVenture

Redbird will be showcasing the G1000 NXi software and a prototype of the E001 instrument panel at booth No. 301 at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh on July 20-26, along with a prototype of an enhanced yoke for Cirrus SR20 and SR22 configurations and plans for enhanced throttles.