Gordon Pratt is the founder of Chelton/Sierra Flight Systems. (My Chelton actually has Sierra Flight Systems bezels, but has been upgraded somewhat). Maybe Chelton will re-enter the General Aviation business and experimental aircraft business again??
S-TEC And Chelton Flight Systems Acquired In MBO
Businesses Included In Management Buyout Of Cobham Avionics
Genesys Aerosystems Group has acquired Chelton Flight Systems, Inc. And S-TEC Corporation, previously doing business as Cobham Avionics, from Cobham in a management buyout.
Genesys Aerosystems was formed by Roger Smith, President, and General Manager of the two acquired companies, Rick Price and Gordon Pratt, co-founders of Chelton Flight Systems, and Tammy Crawford, Director of Finance, for the purpose of acquiring the businesses. Key customers include AgustaWestland, Airbus Military, Air Medical Group Holdings, Bell Helicopter, Carson Helicopters, Embraer, Grob Aircraft, Sikorsky, Textron AirLand, and commercial, military, and government fleets around the world.
Chelton Flight Systems, originally founded in 1997, developed the world’s first FAA-certified synthetic vision flight display system and GPS/WAAS navigator and has grown to become a leader in integrated cockpit avionics systems for special-mission aircraft. Key technologies include synthetic vision with three-dimensional highway-in-the-sky navigation, integrated flight management and hazard alerting, and ultra-compact, highly ruggedized sensors that provide ultimate customer benefits of increased safety, improved dispatch rates, mission flexibility, and seamless future growth. FAA-approved for all classes of aircraft, the company’s uniquely customizable open-architecture systems dramatically reduce integration costs and schedules for both OEM and retrofit applications. Chelton Flight Systems products have been certified on over 700 different aircraft types.
S-TEC Corporation, founded in 1978, offers a full line of autopilots for airplanes and helicopters. From low-cost analog wing levelers to sophisticated, digital, three-axis systems with Flight Director and envelope protection, S-TEC has FAA certification for nearly 1,000 aircraft types and has delivered over 40,000 autopilot systems. The company’s new HeliSAS brings digital, full-authority autopilot technology to the market in a package weighing an unprecedented 15 lbs. Available as a stability augmentation system only or with all autopilot modes, HeliSAS dramatically enhances safety for light single- and twinengine helicopters.
“We are a dynamic and growing company,” says Smith. “We will continue to support our customers with state-of-the-art technology, agile development, excellent quality, and superb product support. The name is changing but the people and our commitment to our vision are not.”