Northstar Avionics’ M3 GPS receives top-level

FAA approach certification

The Northstar M3 is reputed to offer the best performance backed up by the best customer service in the industry, which has led to a fiercely loyal customer base. With a continued loyal following from demanding aircraft operators, Northstar Technologies moves towards the strongest aviation sales growth in the company’s 27-year history.

ACTON, Mass., August 1, 1996 - Northstar Technologies announced today that its M3 GPS has received TSO C-129, Class A1 approval for en route, terminal, and non-precision approach operations -- the highest level of FAA certification for GPS receivers. Not only does the M3 now hold Class A1 certification, but its overall design surpasses all of the FAA’s basic, yet stringent requirements.

How does the M3 exceed these requirements? Steve Bennett, Northstar product engineer and M3 project manager, explains: "Two years of rigorous usability testing has produced the kind of superior-quality product that pilots demand-consistent, accurate, totally reliable, and with a significantly reduced workload. We’ve reduced this workload to the point that the pilot simply selects the approach and follows the needle. The entire approach, complete with each leg of procedure turns and holds, is programmed into the database. This feature alone far exceeds the FAA’s basic requirement of simply being able to fly a procedure turn. And if you receive radar vectors to the final approach course, you just select the Vectors to Final function, and the M3 automatically bypasses intermediate waypoints, provides situational awareness relative to the final approach course, and continues sequencing as you pass the final approach fix. Since the M3 GPS Approach doesn’t distract a pilot with unnecessary manual tasks, approaches are now easier, safer, and more accurate than ever before. All these unique new features will continue to promote the kind of customer loyalty Northstar has earned in the past."

Regarding customer loyalty, Lou Rota, Northstar national sales manager, notes, "Northstar’s marketing strategy has always revolved around backing up superior products with superior customer service. This means that the customer’s input has been instrumental in the ongoing development process, which only promotes and improves usability. In fact, Northstar was voted by several consumer market surveys as first in responsiveness to customer’s needs." Regarding the FAA certification, Rota reports, "This certification will give a tremendous boost to new avionics sales, as well as to sales from our existing customer base of M1 and M2 owners, who now have an upgrade path to the M3 Approach."

About the company 

Northstar Avionics is a brand name of Northstar Technologies, Inc., which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Canadian Marconi Company (CMC) Electronics, Inc. Incorporated in 1903, with its corporate, R&D, and manufacturing operations headquartered in Quebec, Canada, CMC is a world leader in the design, manufacture, and sale of high-technology electronic products, including avionics (GPS and DGPS receivers, flight management systems, passenger video services, and cockpit management systems); communications; surface transportation electronics; and specialized electronic components. In the area of satellite communication antennas, for example, CMC leads the worldwide major airline market with more than half of that market.

Founded in 1970 and acquired by CMC Electronics in 1992, Northstar Technologies is headquartered in Acton, Massachusetts, and has a loyal, worldwide customer network for its family of high-end products in the avionics, marine, agricultural, and recreational arenas. Northstar’s current strategic initiatives include land-based markets, such as road and rail applications, as well as its core marine and aviation business. Northstar’s strategic alliance with Canadian Marconi has given the company access to superior technologies, which ultimately are passed on-at affordable prices-to the consumer.

Norm Cantin, manager of engineering and operations at Northstar, states, "Northstar is totally committed to designing and manufacturing high-performance commercial and consumer products, products that are top quality, extremely durable, and easy to use. The GPS technology specific to the M3 GPS Approach Navigator comes from Canadian Marconi Company, which is the primary supplier of GPS navigation to the new Boeing 777 aircraft. This top-of-the-line GPS technology far outweighs other GPS technologies, and, of course, far exceeds the FAA’s basic requirements for GPS. This high-end technology has good implications for avionics sales growth, and very positive implications for the development of new GPS-based products."

Availability and pricing

The M3 GPS Approach navigator is available immediately from Northstar Technologies, with a choice of four Flitecards built from Jeppesen NavData: North American, North American/Approach, International, and Helicopter. List price is $6,395. Class A1 upgrades are also available for M1, M2, and existing M3 owners.

Northstar demonstrated its M3 GPS Approach at the EAA Fly-In at Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on August 1, 1996. The product was also on display at the AOPA Convention, October 17-19, in San Jose, CA.