Luma Technologies Adds C90 Variant To Its Line of Certified LED Caution/Warning Panels for King Air
Luma Technologies continues to see strong interest and growing sales of its LumatechTM line of LED Caution/Warning Panels for King Air aircraft. With that they have just completed DO-160 environmental testing on a 45-station variant for the C90 model and will be submitting the completed package to the FAA by month’s end. Once it’s added to Luma’s AML STC, it will be available for delivery, and this is scheduled for mid-June. Bruce Maxwell, Luma’s President and company founder said,
“We’re excited to have this wrapped up. There’s been a lot of activity with our 200, 300, 350, & 1900D systems, but up until now we haven’t had anything to offer the C90 fleet (LJ-1063 and newer).”
Maxwell says there have been a few pre-sales and a lot of people with their names on the waiting list so it won’t take long before we see them in the air. He’s equally excited because Luma can now apply for EASA certification of the entire LumatechTM line of King Air offerings.
History & Additional Detail:
One of the key benefits of the LumatechTM LED Caution Warning Panels over the aircraft’s existing annunciators is the use of LED technology in lieu of incandescent lamps. The existing design is well known for their low operational life and problematic Cap/Lampholder Assemblies on King Air and other aircraft fitted with the iconic “press to relamp” annunciator styles dating back to the late sixties and seventies. The LumatechTM LED system solves this problem while offering dramatically improved lighting and a modern flat-panel appearance. LED’s also add the benefit of low-temperature operation and dramatically increased reliability and panel life. The units can be installed on a stand-alone basis on both new and older aircraft or as a compliment to a full scale glass upgrade package such as those offered by Rockwell Collins, Garmin, and others.
While the majority of existing aircraft are currently fitted with banks of “press to relamp” incandescent annunciators ganged together to make up the King Air’s annunciator suite, the LumatechTM line includes seven separate panel sizes. These panels provide enhanced EMC/EMI protection and with their one piece flat-panel appearance are an attractive complement to the newer displays and avionic systems being installed today. A key feature of the LumatechTM system is that all panels are specifically designed to be a one for one drop-in replacement to the existing incandescent units with immediate plug-n-play functionality. According to Luma’s Bruce Maxwell,
“The installation process is very straightforward and definitely a low-risk undertaking. Confirmation of a proper install is to simply follow the prescribed ground test validation procedures (ICA), hit the Press-To-Test button along with a bright/dim check to verify those circuits are also functioning as intended and you’re done! There’s obviously a bit more to it than that but it’s all done on the ground in a couple three hours or less with no flight testing involved.”
Maxwell applied for the AML STC through sister company Advanced Quality Certifications Group LLC (AQCG) but has since transferred the STC direct to Luma. The license fee is included in the price to help expedite the installation process at a fraction of the cost.
“We’re proud to offer such an elegant and final solution for King Air owners and operators. I cringe every time I see a photo or advertisement of a beautiful new glass cockpit, only to have it overshadowed by those same old annunciators. It’s like changing your oil, but not the filter. It just doesn’t make sense.”
Luma Technologies has other platforms using the LumatechTM system. These include the two re-engined BeechJet offerings by Nextant and HawkerBeech’s 400XPR. Next in the wings are the Cessna Citation 525/CJ family, Caravans, older Falcons, and various rotary-winged programs as well. Like the King Air design, each will have the same drop-in replaceable plug-n-play simplicity. Based on strong demand and a desire to increase sales overseas, Luma Technologies has started the process for EASA review and validation of their STC #SA02133SE. In regard to the LED annunciator systems sales, Maxwell says,
“It’s been a great year already, but we’re starting to get a lot of inquiries from King Air operators all across Europe and its time we made things easy for them by obtaining EASA Certification. We’ll soon be able to ship on a global basis which adds a whole new dimension to the business.”
It has always been in the cards but they wanted to get their C90 variant added to the STC before handing the package off to EASA. It’s hard to determine the actual flow but Luma is hoping to have it in-hand later this summer or early fall. Luma is also building a growing Dealer Network across the US with plans of expanding into Europe, Australia, Africa, and South America in the coming months.
Nextant Aerospace’s G90XT To Include Led Caution/Warning Panel From Luma Technologies
Luma Technologies is pleased to announce that Nextant Aerospace is offering the LumatechTM 45-station integrated LED Caution Warning display as standard equipment on their G90XT slated for certification later this year.
Bruce Maxwell says, “Nextant and Luma Technologies have enjoyed a good working relationship since the beginning of the 400XTi program and it’s a natural extension for them to carry the 400XTi’s reliable LED technology over to the G90XT platform. That, combined with the unit’s incredible lighting performance over the C90’s existing incandescent annunciators make it a great match with the G90XT’s G1000 avionics suite.”
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About Luma Technologies LLC
Luma was founded in March of 2006 with a primary focus on the design and manufacture of high performance lighted products incorporating LED and other solid-state technologies that allow for increased safety, reliability, and value to its customers throughout the global aircraft industry. Typical products include Integrated LED Caution-Warning Systems & Display Panels, Low-profile LED Switches & Annunciators, Integrated Gear Levers, and other Electro-mechanical Controls.
For more information, visit www.lumatech.com