LoPresti SpeedMerchants, manufacturer of the “FURY” aircraft, has announced the full integration of the iPod into the Fury’s systems, allowing the popular music device to be used as a flight data recorder.

“This is a watershed technology for aviation,” said VP of Operations, RJ Siegel, “and we are delighted to be the first to bring it to market. It would be very nearsighted to think of the iPod as merely an entertainment device.”

The iPod presents LoPresti with three aviation solutions:

• LoPresti has implemented the iPod to serve as a digital data recorder. With the ability to record over 500 hours of flight time, the iPod becomes the first truly portable, personal flight recorder with a huge recording capacity
• Using it as an audio recorder, LoPresti has the ability to capture and replay audio on demand. This includes cockpit conversation as well as two way audio transmissions. (Clearances for example)
• It is a non invasive, completely portable and pervasive technology. This means it’s cheap, easy to replace and available on almost every street corner. The complete antithesis of aviation electronics.

“This is the perfect marriage of a consumer product to the aviation market” said Siegel. “The iPod has an ideal product spec for aviation. It’s light and small, with very low power requirements and a simple interface. By introducing such a mainstream device to aviation, we open the door to increased functionality at bargain basement prices. There are thousands of developers passionate about writing applications for the iPod. With such a large body of programmers we literally have no idea what the next great aviation application may be.‚Äù