Open Source News

LynuxWorks has announced that Avidyne has selected LynxOS-178 as the embedded real-time operating system (RTOS) for Avidyne's next generation Entegra Release 9 Integrated Flight Deck. LynxOS-178 is a commercially available operating system and that enables manufacturers of DO-178B systems to get to market faster and with lower overall costs and risks associated with certifying FAA safety-critical flight systems. LynxOS-178 is a known certifiable RTOS package that allows avionics customers to achieve the highest degree of assurance and DO-178B certification to meet unique FAA requirements.

Avidyne's Entegra Release 9 flight deck systems include dual, triple, or quad Integrated Flight Displays (IFD) for general aviation and light business aircraft. The fully integrated design of Entegra Release 9 makes it ideal for high-performance singles, piston twins, turboprops, and light jets. "LynxOS-178 provided us with a combination of essential advantages that other software providers could not match," said Tom Neufelder, Avidyne's Vice President of Engineering. "Specifically, ARINC 653 partitioning that allows us to integrate DO-178 Level B applications functionally next to Level D applications within the same machine, POSIX API, a software tool chain based on industry standards, and an artifact package that now even includes an RSC (Reusable Software Component) which significantly reduces our product's certification burden." Avidyne is also able to protect its software investments going forward as LynxOS-178 is based on open and industry standards, such as POSIX and ARINC. "Until fairly recently, advanced integrated flight deck systems such as Entegra generally weren't available for smaller general aviation aircraft due to their cost, complexity, size, and weight," said Steve Jacobson, Vice President of Product Management at Avidyne. "LynuxWorks is playing a critical role in bringing our next generation state-of-the-art integrated display capability to market. We are able to leverage man-decades of safety critical LynuxWorks technology and integrate it within our avionics system design expertise. In essence, we are using the same core software technology that companies like Rockwell Collins use for larger commercial and military avionics systems. With LynxOS-178, we can apply the very same technology to provide unsurpassed value and reliability for our own customers and assure confidence that safety-critical applications will never be compromised."

"We're enthused about working with Avidyne and in LynxOS-178 playing a supportive role in their success," said Joe Wlad, director of certification, services and marketing at LynuxWorks. "Leading military and commercial aviation suppliers are transitioning from in-house or proprietary operating systems due to their inherent life cycle costs, technical and business risks, and limited functionality, all of which restrict product growth and hit the corporate bottom line. Instead, customers are selecting our open POSIX/ARINC technology, which has demonstrated to accelerate the development of safety-critical products. Further, our reusable software component (RSC) acceptance by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) provides vendors, like Avidyne, with a huge advantage in getting their products certified in a timely manner."