Spirit Aeronautics at John Glenn Columbus International airport in Columbus, Ohio, has completed a 13-month project for one of the world's largest private aviation companies, upgrading 11 Citation 750 X aircraft to Honeywell flight management systems (FMS) 6.1.

The project began in May 2022 and was completed last month. In addition, Spirit has also completed over 20 additional individual aircraft upgrades using this unique solution, making it one of the most adept providers of this service.

Spirit addressed a need for cost-reduction and efficiency in avionics upgrades necessitated by parts obsolescence challenges. It achieved this by providing an FAA-approved engineering path to address the FMS obsolescence with the 6.1 upgrade. With Spirit, the WAAS GPS upgrade is necessary only if the owner chooses to do so, as it is not affected by current obsolescence-driven requirements.

Prior to this unique solution, Cessna Citation X aircraft owners were compelled to have Textron Aviation's OEM service centres upgrade both their FMS and GPS sensors. Previously there were no options for independent MROs to support this very expensive need. As a result of its innovation, Spirit provided a better, faster alternative to the customer versus having work done by the aircraft OEM. This innovation allowed the aircraft owners to isolate significant costs.

Spirit Aeronautics is a leading avionics solutions provider for business, special missions and military aircraft operators. Working from hangar facilities in Columbus, Ohio, and the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, its team has been providing leading-edge avionics installation and complex aircraft modification services for over 20 years.