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Glass Cockpit Retrofits Create "Born Again" Aircra

 
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PostPosted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 5:21 am    Post subject: Glass Cockpit Retrofits Create "Born Again" Aircra Reply with quote

By David Hughes
Aviation Week
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Integrated flat-panel cockpits are now being developed on a large scale for retrofitting airline and business aircraft, and similar systems are being designed for general aviation piston-powered aircraft as avionics suppliers penetrate new market segments.

New production aircraft have benefited from the situational awareness improvements possible with integrated flat-panel cockpits for many years, but until recently avionics companies haven't focused as much on soup-to-nuts refits of older cockpits. Meanwhile, the technology involved is becoming more affordable and the avionics companies are targeting the thousands of aircraft in mid-life that are candidates. One benefit is that the aircraft will be able to comply with rapidly changing ATC requirements for more performance-based navigation capability on the flight deck.

In the airlines arena, Universal Avionics, Innovative Solutions and Support (IS&S) and CMC Electronics are among the suppliers of integrated glass cockpits on classic airline aircraft. These companies are also involved in retrofitting business jets and turboprops. In the business aircraft and smaller piston-powered general aviation aircraft, the two companies behind the glass cockpit revolution in new production aircraft, Garmin and Avidyne, are pursuing retrofits.

Universal Avionics, for example, has developed an advanced cockpit for classic Boeing 737s including the -200, -300 and -400 that has many of the features found on a brand-new transport aircraft cockpit (see cover). The $1.25-million-retrofit cockpit allows an operator to modify a classic airplane to meet emerging air traffic management requirements, says Scott Campbell, Universal's director of airline and miltary marketing.

Universal's cockpit, already certified by the FAA on the 737-300F, offers several significant situational awareness features not available on any Airbus or Boeing aircraft now rolling off the production lines. The supplemental type certificate was approved in October 2006. The company's EFI-890R 8.9-in. diagonal primary flight and navigation displays are meant for retrofit situations. In addition, they can display three things not found on the front panels of any new production airline aircraft:

*Synthetic vision. Universal's Vision 1 system is the first to be certified and available for use on Part 25 aircraft such as the 737. It is also certified for use on smaller Part 23 aircraft. The feature allows the pilot to see the terrain ahead in a 3D graphical view in any weather to help the crew avoid controlled-flight-into-terrain and to aid situational awareness during approaches. This Aviation Week & Space Technology pilot flew on a Citation V with a synthetic-vision system being developed by Honeywell for Gulfstream and other aircraft manufacturers (AW&ST Oct. 16, 2006, p. 66). When a pilot's view is restricted by low visibility or darkness, being able to utilize synthetic vision provides a huge safety advantage.

*Electronic flight bag charts and documents. The Universal Class III electronic flight bag system makes it possible to display Jeppesen charts, aircraft manuals and other data for the EFI-890R on the front panel. Currently, only a few new production airline aircraft such as KLM's 777s have Class III EFBs, but the displays are off to one side of the pilot instead of on the front panel.

*Real-time weather graphics. These graphics, including Next-Generation Weather Radar (Nexrad) returns from National Weather Service radars, are beamed to the cockpit by WSI Corp. Most airline aircraft do not have this type of capability, although it is commonplace on business jets and turboprops. Satellite technology allows the continuous uplink of accurate, real-time weather and mission data to a WSI antenna and receiver.

In addition to these features, a terrain awareness warning system on the Universal advanced cockpit for the classic 737s will show pilots a 3D side view of the terrain ahead along with the traditional overhead map view. And it will also illustrate the flight path of the aircraft looking from the side with terrain underneath. A "look ahead" feature compares the entire flight plan with the terrain ahead before the aircraft even takes off and highlights any place where the flight plan is not high enough to avoid the terrain. This sort of vertical view is only available on a few of the newest Boeing and Airbus aircraft in production.

The Universal cockpit also swaps out the existing Smiths flight management system with dual multi-sensor UNS-1F FMSs with an internal 12-channel GPS with Wide-Area Augmentation System (WAAS) capability. The system has a 32-megabyte navigation database that can store up to 2,000 airline flight plans.

Universal expects many sales in Europe where noncompliant aircraft unable to fly Precision-Area Navigation (P-RNAV) procedures are now being restricted at a growing number of airports. The company's marketing partner for airlines sales is DAC International; two other partners on the 737 advanced cockpit are ARC Avionics and Commercial Jet, both based at Miami International Airport where the cockpit modifications will take place.

Universal also is offering retrofit cockpits with Synthetic Vision systems for a wide range of business aircraft including the Gulfstream G11 and G111, the Falcon 50, and the Pilatus PC-12.

Exton, Pa.-based IS&S, though it doesn't offer synthetic vision, provides integrated flat-panel cockpit retrofits for $400,000 on Classic 737s and for $250,000-325,000 on the 757 and 767. It also offers an engine display retrofit for Classic 747s for $150,000.

The 757 and 767 retrofit involves removing 27 instruments including two electronic attitude director indicators (ADIs) and two electronic horizontal situation indicators (HSIs) and replacing them with four data concentrator units, two control display panels, four 10-in. diagonal flat panel displays and a 3-in. standby instrument (a $40,000 option). ABX Air is the launch customer on the project. Mike Glover, the flat panel program manager at IS&S, says the retrofit system was built around the original design of the aircraft so that the company's developed data concentrator units, for example, are a form-fit replacement for existing symbol generators.

The 757 and 767 cockpits have highly flexible display options to allow pilots to easily adapt to changing ATC requirements. The company also plans to certify a Class III electronic flight bag using the navigation display and is working with Jeppesen to provide upfront charts with "own ship" position. In addition to displaying charts, the systems can showcase XM Satellite-provided weather uplinked from the ground, checklists and video images. All of this is in a "forward field of view," notes Glover.

IS&S is able to install a new 757 or 767 cockpit in just three days, a critical capability, says Glover, who notes that it costs an airline as much as $70,000 a day to have an aircraft sitting on the ground. Minimizing downtime is a key objective, and Glover is trying to figure out how to cut installation time on the 757 and 767 by one or two days.

The company's cockpit for the 737, announced at last year's Farnborough air show, features engine displays as well as primary flight and navigation displays. U.K.-based Jet Partners is the launch customer with 30 firm orders and 30 options. The system replaces 65 traditional components with six liquid crystal display (LCD) display units, two control panels and three data converters for a weight savings of 150 lb. The displays offered similar features to the 757 and 767 configurations. And like Universal, IS&S has developed cockpits for the PC-12 and other business aircraft and may even start competing soon with Garmin and Avidyne for retrofits on piston-powered general aviation aircraft.

Meanwhile Garmin and Avidyne, the companies that created an integrated glass cockpit revolution for new general aviation and small business aircraft, are moving into the retrofit market. Garmin's first dedicated flat-panel system for this venue is the G600 which features 6.5-in. diagonal primary flight and multifunction displays. These two instruments are designed to fit into the space currently occupied by a six-pack of electromechanical instruments in many general aviation cockpits.

"This will bring glass to the masses," says Garmin official Jessica Myers, referring to the G600.

The glass cockpit displays will introduce major situational awareness improvements to mid-life aircraft for $29,772. It will, in essence, bring the digital revolution--started by the G1000 in new-production aircraft--to the workhorses of the general aviation world that rely on aging avionics. The G600 will usually be paired with a Garmin navigation system, now installed in many general aviation cockpits.

With the G600, pilots will be able to monitor Nexrad weather radar returns beamed up from the ground along with other graphical weather on the front panel. In addition, flight plan and navigation data can be presented and the G600 will store a worldwide terrain and obstacle database, a Class B terrain awareness and warning system and an optional library of charts and airport diagrams.

And the G600 even offers the latest "safe taxi" software from Garmin that is also available for the G1000. The Cessna Mustang very light jet will be the first aircraft to have safe taxi software installed with its G1000 integrated cockpit. The software shows a G1000 (or a G600) operator's "own ship" position on runways and taxiways, as it does on the Mustang.

This advanced navigation feature is only available now on a handful of airline aircraft using Class III electronic flight bags at a cost of $100,000 or more per aircraft. KLM's 777s, for example, can display "own ship" position. And the G600's ability to present Nexrad graphical weather on the front panel means it provides a feature available on few if any airline aircraft today.

But there are also good reasons why airline avionics are more expensive than their general aviation counterparts. The airline systems must meet Part 25 certification standards which require a high level of integrity in software. Meeting this rule entails extensive ground and flight testing to explore every possible failure scenario. Class III electronic flight bags for airlines are also approved at a much higher level than similar general aviation displays. Still the capability available to genav pilots these days is impressive.

And for those flying even smaller aircraft that would not be candidates for the G900, Garmin has introduced the G900X which it calls "the ultimate glass cockpit for kit planes." This new system can also display the safe taxi displays. So now even a kit plane operator can have two 10.4-in. diagonal LCDs with 1,024 X 768-pixel resolution with satellite weather, integrated terrain awareness warning and other features. There is also an option for charts on the front panel as well as a remote flight management system for simplified waypoint, navigation and communications tuning and selection. This all-glass panel for kit planes costs $66,745.

When it comes to glass cockpit retrofits, Avidyne officials share Garmin's assessment that it will be a very good market. Lincoln, Mass.-based Avidyne got its start developing such glass cockpits as the FlightMax Entegra flight deck for the Cirrus SR22, SR20 and SRV aircraft. It is also a supplier to other general aviation manufacturers. The company is now also focusing on retrofitting cockpits into existing aircraft.

The avionics company has teamed with autopilot maker S-Tec to develop the Alliant integrated flight deck for King Air 200s (see photo, p. 59). The Alliant package features dual 10.4-in. Avidyne primary flight and 5.5-in. multifunction displays. This installation also demonstrates how a fully integrated cockpit designed for retrofit gives an airplane a face-lift that is more than skin deep. The system is backed by dual solid-state attitude and heading reference systems (AHRS) instead of traditional mechanical gyros. And the two flight displays have a cross-compare feature to verify AHRS air data and navigation displays to the pilot 30 times per sec. Another backup feature is a set of three 2-in. standby instruments, notes Mark Sandeen, Avidyne vice president of sales and marketing.

The Alliant cockpit also features S-Tec's Intelliflight 2100 Digital Flight Control System. This includes an indicated airspeed hold function to reduce pilot workload and control wheel steering, which allows the pilot to interrupt autopilot control briefly and make course adjustments by hand.

This is the first "large glass" installation available in the King Air, says Avidyne, and the displays can handle electronic charts and XM satellite weather. The cockpit costs about $200,000 installed.

And at the rate Avidyne and its competitors in the avionics business are going, it seems like the availability of glass cockpits for retrofit in mid-life aircraft will only grow in coming years.
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