Whether it is a 747-jumbo jet or one of the modern very light jets (VLJ) intended for personal flight, it is imperative that the plane “straighten up and fly right” at all times.

Crossbow Technology makes products that do just that. The company designs and manufactures products using a wide range of solid-state sensors including accelerometers, angular-rate sensors (gyros), magnetometers, GPS and air-data sensors. One area of specialty is avionics systems.

“We were the first MEMS-based gyro available for purchase on the open market,” says Bill Butler, vice president of worldwide sales and marketing for the company’s inertial products. Other companies, like Honeywell, had developed their own for use with their systems.

One of Crossbow’s major clients is Eclipse Aviation (www.eclipseaviation.com), which produced the first certified VLJ. Eclipse’s goal is to design, certify and produce modern, affordable jet aircraft to revolutionize the transportation market. The company is applying advanced electronics systems, manufacturing and business practices to produce aircraft that cost less than a third of today’s small jet aircraft, will be significantly safer. Part of that package is the Crossbow technology.

Crossbow is providing the AHRS510GA Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS) for Eclipse. The MEMS-based AHRS510GA is the first OEM product of its kind certified as a primary instrument in a VLJ, according to Dean Johnson vice president and general manager of Crossbow’s Inertial Products Division. “The AHRS510 introduces ARINC429 compatibility and builds upon our extensive investment in MEMS technology, supporting Crossbow’s position as the price-performance leader in the market”, he adds.

The device provides pitch attitude, yaw attitude and magnetic heading to very high accuracy over a very wide range of temperatures, aircraft vibration characteristics and electronic noise.

What makes the device special is it is a true stand-alone, independent device. It was the first such unit to get FAA approval when it hit the market a couple of years ago. Since then, Butler says, they have continued to upgrade and improve the product.

For one thing, they have boosted the FAA certification from Level C to Level B.

Butler credits the improvement in the product both to changes in the hardware sensors and in the software used. “Both keep getting better and we add more rigor to the software,” he notes. The company has both one-axis and three-axis accelerometers.

Crossbow is a privately held with major investors Cisco Systems, Intel, Morgenthaler Ventures, Paladin Capital Group and The Cambria Group. Headquartered in San Jose, CA, Crossbow has representation in 24 countries world wide through direct offices and distributors.

Unless someone is purchasing a unit directly from Crossbow, it is unlikely they would see the firm’s name. The company does the vast bulk of its sales as an OEM provider and does not lose anything by not having its name in lights. “Most of the companies in the field use our product,” Butler says. “For us, it’s the right model.”

They currently are working with Honeywell to develop a primary flight display for the retrofit market.

Business is good. “We’re growing like crazy,” Butler says. The company also has a wireless division. But the inertial system group’s revenues alone have doubled on an annual basis.

PHOTO: This is the MEMS-based Gyro from Crossbow that Eclipse Aviation uses.