AvSoft Australia has won the Aerospace Australia Ltd Civil Industry National Innovation Award for 2015, recognising it as leading-edge technology in commercial aerospace innovation.
The company's primary product, the AvPlan Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) operates on iPad, Android and other devices providing electronic documents and GPS location in aircraft cockpits.
Bevan Anderson, CEO of AvSoft and designer of AvPlan EFB, received the award at the Australian International Airshow today.
"It’s absolutely fantastic," he said of winning the award. "We’re just astounded to win. It’s awesome, it really is. It’s a recognition of the hard work and effort that myself and the rest of our team, both the employees of our company and the wider testing team."
Anderson credits good connection with AvPlan's users for the ongoing development of the product.
"We listen to the people that use our product, respond to their needs and ptt a lot of effort into partnering with other organisations to help bring different technologies to the device, which benefist everyone."
From relatively humble beginnings as a private application for Anderson's own use, AvPlan is now used by thousands of pilots in Australia, three of the four largest training organisations in New Zealand and the Australian Army. Other military users in the Asia Pacific region are following the application with interest.
"We continue to grow strongly," Anderson said. "We now have thousands of customers. Our growth in Australia seems unbounded and we’re wondering where the end might be."
Anderson concedes that the growth in the USA has been slower than it has been in Australia, but is planning to push harder into the US market with a local office scheduled to open sometime in 2015.
Aerospace Australia Ltd, the not-for-profit foundation that organises the Australian International Airshow, presents the National Aerospace Industry Innovation Awards.