fighter has had touchscreens marketing, commercial systems. vast majority of the complexity since the early 1990s. In July last year, Rockwell in an FMS is involved in com- “We are in the preliminary Collins unveiled a touchscreen puting performance capabil- stages,” said Bonnet. “It’s really “embedded display” version of ity for the airplane and all the a technology demonstrator. In Pro Line Fusion aimed at the other attributes needed for it to current cockpits, there’s no such Part 23 cockpit market. However, be an autonomous system. And by thing as a single screen. As you touchscreen panel displays likely autonomous, I mean it interacts can imagine, there are a lot of won’t find their way into larger with the crew without any inter- issues still to handle regarding aircraft cockpits, Ellis explained, action from the ground.” dispatch, safety and reliability. because reaching out and touch- The simpler way would be to Therefore, we imagine hav- ing the instrument panel isn’t shift some of that processing to ing such a product by 2020 or always possible in large cockpits, systems on the ground. “Airlines around [then].” especially when the seat is moved do it in their dispatch centers,” back during cruise. Ellis said, “and we do it through Rockwell Collins “In all classes of airplanes, our [Ascend] Houston Network The view out the cockpit window on a Honeywell demo flight on approach to Santa The head-up display (HUD) larger format displays with Operations Center. We have fully Barbara, left, is hazy, while Honeywell’s SVS/EVS display, right, shows the integration and synthetic vision are key devel- touchscreen capability in the qualified dispatchers and accu- of the infrared enhanced vision with synthetic vision in mountainous terrain. opments in Rockwell Collins’s throttle quadrant and pedes- rate aircraft performance profil- cockpits, especially when the two tal area are going to become the ing software. So in the future, we vision. Ellis calls this situation more range and more efficiency, technologies are merged, allowing norm,” he said. “It’s clearly more could move to an environment technology enhancement. which helps with engine perfor- pilots to see an image of the out- feasible to implement touch- where the flight management There is another benefit to mance and fuel consumption. side world while looking through screen on sidestick-equipped air- and the navigation function on Ellis’s vision, and that is using Those technologies may mani- the HUD. Earlier last year, planes than those with yokes and the airplane are significantly these high-speed connections to fest themselves in avionics con- Rockwell Collins announced that columns because of the reach- simplified and most of the com- deliver information between air- trol or display, but they have it has developed a compact HUD, ing-around-the-yoke issue.” plex computation for what- craft. An aircraft flying near haz- far-reaching implications into COCKPIT the HGS-3500, which elimi- For Ellis, the most exciting ifs and flight planning is done ardous weather transmits data to the other subsystems and tech- nates the heavy cockpit-ceiling- development has been the intro- within the ground environment.” a ground station, which retrans- nologies across the aircraft.” mounted projector and makes it duction of high-speed communi- Even if the broadband link to mits it to another aircraft farther That said, Esposito added cost-effective to install HUDs in cations, especially the Inmarsat the ground is lost, there remains away but headed toward the area that he could not identify spe- AVIONICS smaller jets and turboprops. Global Xpress–a Ka-band satel- enough processing capabil- of hazardous weather, in plenty cific aircraft that manufacturers 2012 Synthetic vision is a core lite broadband system expected ity on the airplane to fly safely, of time to make alternate plans. and Honeywell are working on. technology in the Pro Line to make its debut in 2014. “I’m perhaps not optimized for fuel “Connectivity has a num- “But you’ll see more efficient Fusion flight deck, which enters focused on how we take advan- burn, but “not a hazard to avi- ber of benefits,” he explained, utilization of the cockpit tech- service soon on the Bombardier tage of increased global data- ation,” Ellis said. His point is “both to airplane operations in nology to provide the mainte- Global 6000 and Gulfstream link capacity,” he said, “and what that, “we are over-investing in the future and to the passen- nance of those subsystems and Honeywell’s EVS/SVS combined vision system (left display) G280. In 2013, synthetic vision effect that’s likely to have on avi- those very complex planning ger experience through direct actually control them.” will be available as a retrofit for onics configurations.” functions that we replicate again connectivity,” and also allow- The other broad technology Pro Line 21-equipped aircraft. Not only does airborne and again in every flight deck of ing aircraft to share informa- focus for Honeywell is appli- 2009 and partners include Thales, Diehl is presented to pilots. Thales calls this The HGS-3500 should start broadband facilitate use of the every delivered airplane.” tion, which makes each aircraft cations, he said. Honeywell Future flight decks promise more with less Aerospace, Alenia Aeronautica and Alita- “Cockpit 3.0.” Bonnet said, “Our vision becoming available after certifi- Rockwell Collins Ascend Flight The head-up display sys- a weather-gathering and trans- acquired EMS Technologies lia; subject-matter experts Imec and Opt- of what could be the cockpit of the future cation in 2014 or 2015. Information Services products tem enhances safety, allowing mitting station, enabling pilots last August, which added more by Matt Thurber invent; and the Technical University of is to design the cockpit around its crew.” Rockwell Collins is also seek- as well as upcoming safety ser- pilots to spend more time flying to avoid rough weather. “We’ve satcom capability to its offer- Denmark, University of Malta and Tech- Current cockpits offer different inter- ing approval from the FAA vices, but it also presents some the airplane and less time with been talking about it for 20 ings and increased opportunities vionics technology is ac-­ Thales nological Education Institute Piraeus. faces for each avionics system, he said, to allow aircraft to fly lower interesting future capabilities. their heads buried in the con- years, but never had a network.” for data integration. “Now you celerating, and while man- Thales researchers are not only help- Fundamentally, the Odicis project but Cockpit 3.0 would “reinvent the cock- approaches using synthetic “We can start envisioning sole trying to program the FMS, have access to real-time informa­ ufacturers have made tre- ing to develop what could be cockpits of seeks to move cockpit avionics into a pit, where interfaces are [focused on] the vision on the HUD. “We’re an avionics configuration that “which is always a good thing,” Honeywell tion as well as aircraft infor­ men­dous advances dur­ing the future but they are also participating bold new future, where the instrument task of the pilot. One of the tasks of the going to have a very frequent is fundamentally much simpler Ellis said. This means more As a manufacturer of avion- mation, and can present that to Athe past decade, the march of micropro- in studies, such as Europe’s Clean Sky, a panel is a single, even curved display, with pilot is to pilot, so there should be at least introduction of Fusion capa- than those we install today,” focus not only on flying, but on ics, engines and aircraft systems, the pilot in a very innovative way cessor speed, electronic storage growth public-private partnership between the the redundancy of multiple displays so a pilot interface. There should be also a bilities on a broad range of air- said Ellis. “The most complex tactical flying, getting the most Honeywell is in a unique position with a lot of focus on human and high-speed communications net- European Commission and aerospace there is no possible single point of failure. mission-management interface, a sys- planes over the coming few system on a flight deck today is out of tools like the HUD and to integrate all these products. factors,” Esposito said. works means that engineers can increas- industry to devise step changes that will “The idea is not to mimic existing dis- tem-management interface and a normal years,” said Bob Ellis, director of the FMS,” he explained. “The synthetic vision and enhanced “We look at how we can Technology apps include ingly do much more with less equipment, lead to reduced aviation environmen- plays with a single screen,” said Denis product-based interface. The idea is how bring technologies from other Honeywell’s Inav (for interactive bringing stunning new capabilities to the tal impact. Thales is also involved in Bonnet, Thales’s Odicis/cockpit expert, can we merge information so it can come areas of our portfolio and inte- navigation system), which pro- cockpits of tomorrow. research on flight management systems “but to think about how it can change the to the pilot directly in the form he needs to grate [those] into avionics to help vides “simultaneous display of Hardware–microprocessors, fast flash- (FMS), airport navigation, communica- way we interact. This is like the goal of the interact with it? The pilot cares about solve customer needs concern- traffic, terrain, airspace, airways, based storage and speedy bus archi- tion and navigation systems for Europe’s iPhone, which was not to mimic a phone, what he intends to do; he doesn’t care that ing safety, efficiency and perfor- airports and navigation aids,” tecture–is no longer a bottleneck for single European sky (Sesar) and the U.S.’s but to reinvent the way we use phones.” the calculator or the GPS is in the FMS. mance of operating their aircraft as well as SmartView synthetic avionics development, and future features NextGen air traffic management systems. Details of the Odicis panel’s technol- He wants to pilot and he doesn’t care so globally,” said Carl Esposito, vision by itself and combined likely will be mostly software-based. This But the cockpit is the arena where ogy are proprietary, but Bonnet did say much about the architecture.” vice president of marketing and with enhanced vision. “You’re means that once a cockpit infrastruc- Thales is pushing the engineering enve- that a liquid-crystal display wouldn’t Like other avionics manufacturers, product development. “Those going to see applications around ture is in place, it will remain the same lope, with the Odicis consortium work- work because a single failure could turn Thales sees touchscreens as a viable inter- resources include power and air traffic management, ADS-B, for nearly the life of the aircraft, while ing on the concept of a single-display off the entire display. “One of the main face. “We have to take into account the thrust, minimizing emissions, Inav, synthetic vision, flight upgrades and added features will come in cockpit. According to a Thales spokes- challenges was to have an architecture way we interact with devices,” Bonnet maximizing range and maximiz- management systems, flight plan­ the form of software updates. man, “The cockpit will be a key factor and a product that is robust to any fail- said. “If you think about the pilots of ing the reliability and availability ning technologies and data ser- The ultimate result may be something shaping the aircraft of the future. In an ure” and many failures, he explained. For 2020, they will probably have been born of the aircraft.” vices,” he said. “It’s a pretty like what French avionics manufacturer increasingly complex environment, the example, for fighter aircraft the system in the 1980s or 1990s. They have learned One technology that Esposito exciting time in avionics.” Thales is developing with an industry/ cockpit must be engineered to be more must be robust enough to handle “two, computers since their birth, and for them cited as helping Honeywell opti- Honeywell’s technology focus university consortium called Odicis– user-friendly and give pilots the informa- three, four, five failures, depending on the interacting with something like an iPhone Rockwell Collins is studying how to use high-speed connections, such as Inmarsat’s Global Xpress, to deliver information between mize aircraft subsystems is doesn’t ignore how crew and pas- a futuristic single-display cockpit with a tion they need to do their jobs.” way we design the product,” Bonnet said. is completely natural. So we probably have aircraft. An aircraft flying near hazardous weather transmits data to a ground station, which retransmits it to another aircraft headed fly-by-wire flight controls. “Fly- sengers interact with avionics toward the area of hazardous weather, in plenty of time to make alternate plans. “Connectivity has a number of benefits,” Rockwell wraparound instrument panel that blurs Odicis stands for “one display for Odicis doesn’t just rearrange hard- to take touch interaction into the cock- Collins’s Bob Ellis explained, “both to airplane operations in the future and to the passenger experience through direct connectivity,” by-wire,” he explained, “can take and cabin equipment. “We have the line between the displays and the a cockpit interactive solution.” The ware in the cockpit, it also offers oppor- pit.” He pointed out that touch interfaces and also allowing aircraft to share information, which makes each aircraft a weather-gathering and transmitting station, enabling weight out of the aircraft, make more than 30 years of focus on structure of the cockpit. 30-month project was launched in May tunities to revamp the way information are not new to Thales; the French Rafale pilots to avoid rough weather. “We’ve been talking about it for 20 years, but never had a network.” the structures lighter, provide Continues on next page u

40 Aviation International News • January 2012 • www.ainonline.com www.ainonline.com • January 2012 • Aviation International News 41 COCKPIT AVIONICS2012 system begins deliveries this month, a substantial investment by CMC and the offering Fans capability to meet Euro- government to develop and mature tech- uContinued from preceding page pean and North Atlantic Track require- nology,” Champagne said. human factors with Ph.D.-level scientists ments as well as Acars VDL Mode 2 CMC’s CMA 5024 offers one path and engineers,” Esposito said. “It’s impor- compatibility. This enables high-speed toward satisfying the needs of the three- tant that the software and the user inter- and high-capacity digital communica- year Green Aviation Project, a stand- faces be intuitive and easy to use.” tions at speeds up to 20 times faster than alone in-aircraft GPS that provides One area that Honeywell’s human current Acars communications, accord- precision approach capability without factors experts are exploring is touch- ing to Universal. ground-based navaids. screen interfaces, a feature of its Aviator The overwhelming amount of informa- “We’re seeing a convergence of handheld GPS units. “You’ll see us con- tion flowing into cockpits could become a requirements from NextGen,” said tinue to innovate in interface technology, problem, according to DeHerrara, and Champagne. “[The CMA 5024] just like we did on our cursor-control Universal is working on a concept it calls can be added to the existing cock- devices,” he said. “We will do human fac- “condition awareness,” replacing the tra- pit without having to replace tors [studies] on how easy is it for a pilot ditional “situational awareness.” a lot of avionics, supporting a to reach out and point during turbu- “Pilots are facing exponential growth lot of NextGen features at the lence versus our cursor control devices. in the amount of data they have to assimi- same time.” The 5024 is Rus- [The screens have handholds on them late,” he told AIN. “New technologies will sian Glonass-compatible and will so pilots can hold onto them.] Touch- help them with this increasing burden, be compatible with Europe’s Galileo screens are a technology innovation that enabling them to make better decisions in when that becomes available. customers are getting more used to, and the cockpit, decisions that will save energy CMC’s recently announced Tandem Esterline CMC’s 10.4-inch PilotView electronic flight we need to understand how that technol- and at the same time improve the safety system is bringing new functionality bag displays en route weather. ogy becomes effective in an airplane.” and reliability in all flight regimes.” to the traditional electronic flight bag Recent research at Honeywell has Universal, which invented the FMS, is (EFB), marrying the attributes of por- business aviation markets. “We’re look- shown that a head-down display show- continuing research into how the system table devices, such as iPads and cock- ing at expanding the number of plat- ing enhanced vision combined with syn- fits into future cockpits. “The FMS has pit-mounted EFBs. “What we’re seeing forms that we can address,” he said. “We thetic vision matches the performance of always been the central hub of informa- is this enables a future evolution of an don’t want to compete everywhere with a HUD on instrument approaches below tion for the pilot,” DeHerrara explained. EFB,” said Jean-Marie Begis, direc- the sole objective of competing; our existing minimums. “We continue to “We believe the FMS of the future will tor of EFBs and wireless systems. “We objective is to provide value. mature that technology,” said Esposito. work more synergistically with the pilot, see this growing from being purely a “Now as you look at a science fiction “We feel that the head-down solution, as presenting data more graphically and in a replacement of paper to also support- future,” he concluded, “you will have a very we’ve shown in flight test data, produces sequence consistent with the needs of the ing what we call advanced applications.” large round display around the pilots with results that are very good. We’re very pilot. Streaming weather, topographical These could include advanced moving multiple data entry devices, from voice to bullish on that technology. You reduce data, electronic charts and airport infor- maps with real-time weather overlays and touchscreen to keypads to all kinds of cur- weight in an aircraft by taking things out, mation jointly offers opportunities to terrain databases running on the EFB. sor-control devices, and a slew of software and using things for multiple purposes. provide the pilot with better information “We think the EFB will become more a applications of different certification levels One of the areas is using those large-for- and guidance for all profiles of flight. crew information management display, a and multiple processors everywhere.” mat LCDs for more innovation.” “We believe more integration of capa- system that not only holds applications, bilities into our display technologies is but also [is] the gateway for communica- Garmin Universal Avionics a future game changer,” he continued. tions, such as connecting the rest of the When Garmin unveiled the GTN series Universal Avionics also sees a huge “About 10 years ago we integrated syn- aircraft systems that are typically certi- navigators last year, featuring touchscreen benefit in high-speed satcom data con- thetic vision into our display technology, fied to the outside for data load or flight control of all functions, the company sig- nections, especially to satisfy the needs which started a revolution of capabilities plan inputs,” Begis said. naled that it sees touch control of avion- of upcoming Future Air Navigation Sys- being added to the displays, such as graph- He anticipates that an EFB combined ics as a core feature. Of course, touch is tem (Fans) communications and ADS-B ical representation of runways and traffic. with tablet devices will offer a quicker not new for Garmin, and it is baked into surveillance in modern air traffic man- This trend will continue with better graph- way to move useful applications into the the G3000 and G5000 controller, which agement systems. ical representation of the flight plan, bet- cockpit, without the lengthy certifica- sits closer to the pilot than the instrument “This, combined with high-speed Inter- ter visual cues for the pilot and better tion process needed for avionics updates. panel displays. net capabilities, will open up a revolution ways for the pilot to interact seamlessly “Eventually those applications may “When the GNS [400 and 500 series in cockpit capabilities, enabling data to be with the information presented.” become part of the cockpit applications,” navigators] came out,” said Ben Kowal- streamed to the ground or information to he said, “so it plays the role not of a stop- ski, Garmin director of OEM sales and be streamed to the flight deck,” explained Esterline CMC gap but more of an intermediate imple- marketing, “our goal was to release prod- Paul DeHerrara, Universal’s COO. “Our major drive for the future mentation step.” ucts that are user-friendly, solid and work Universal’s UL-800/801 UniLink is exploiting the technology we acquired “This is why we believe the flight every time. The user interface at the time with SmartDeck,” said Patrick bag has a significant future between was a solid step forward in usability of Champagne, Esterline CMC vice a uncontrolled commercial consumer GPS units. Touchscreen has the ability to president of cockpits and sys- device, like an iPad,” Champagne take that further. Folks can access infor- tems integration. added, “which performs a useful func- mation they want faster than before.” CMC acquired an exclusive tion, but has no configuration control, Another advantage of touchscreens is license for SmartDeck technol- and installed avionics where adop- the ease of making changes to the system ogy from L-3 Communications tion of new technology is often diffi- and the user interface, without having Avionics in 2010. CMC plans cult and takes a long time. We believe to add new buttons to the unit. “We’re to add more features to the the flight bag as CMC has envisioned it pretty excited about touchscreen technol- SmartDeck integrated cock- as installed avionics, but with the flex- ogy and what it can do,” Kowalski said. pit and, as part of a CMC ibility of the product we have, it will “The faster you can get information to technology demonstration proj- continue to have a place in the cockpit. the pilot, we believe, the better decision ect to make avionics ready for That’s why we’re investing our efforts [he can make].” NextGen and Sesar air traffic and making the EFB platform more Weather information in the cockpit is management systems, to take capable and providing applications to another area where Garmin is delivering SmartDeck components like it, because it has its place in the cock- more capability. Pilots are used to flying synthetic vision, chart display and others pit of the future, not just now until the with XM WX, which works only in the and offer these as products to other avi- iPad gets better, but forever.” U.S., noted Jim Alpiser, director of avi- onics manufacturers or for other CMC CMC is focusing on the Part 23 avion- ation aftermarket sales. “The rest of the avionics products. ics on the civil side in the medium term, world has not been as fortunate to see Universal is set to begin deliveries of its UL-800/801 “This is a program that we’re doing “in niches where we bring competitive convective activity or lightning and rain- UniLink this month. The system provides high- in partnership with the Quebec govern- value,” said Champagne. Other areas of showers [and so forth].” speed, high-capacity digital communications. ment under a green aircraft framework as focus are the military, air transport and Continues on page 44 u

42 Aviation International News • January 2012 • www.ainonline.com COCKPIT AVIONICS2012 Honeywell’s KSN 770 communication/ navigation system and Aspen displays is u Continued from page 42 expected in the middle of this year, when Garmin currently offers weather data Aerospace 550 very light jet, which is the 770 receives FAA certification. Aspen via Iridium using the GSR 56 trans- slated to begin production in 2013. The is assisting Honeywell with bringing the ceiver (which also includes voice call- IS&S cockpit, dubbed Avio iFMS, will 770 to market. ing) in Europe and Australia and parts bring the latest capabilities to the 550, “People are really realizing the bene- of the U.S. like Alaska where there is no including synthetic vision, enhanced fits of [Connected Panel],” Hayden said. XM coverage. “We’re looking to expand vision, ADS-B, iPad data integration and “Those partnerships are another thing our footprint of radar coverage,” he said, optional autothrottles. we can do to add a lot of functionality “but we also have worldwide Metars and Like all IS&S systems, Avio iFMS and make systems more affordable.” winds aloft data. We’re trying to provide includes the patented “zoom” feature, The key to making systems like Con- as many tools as we possibly can to those which pops up the function that the nected Panel work is Aspen’s open folks who are flying globally.” pilot is changing on the display to make architecture, which allows other compa- nies to develop products that work on that platform. “Our products are known to be interoperable with other manufacturers’ retrofit avionics,” he said. “It didn’t take a huge leap to go from that to the con- With its Connected Panel, Aspen Avionics cept of Connected Panel. As we develop integrates certified avionics, such as the these new products like the DFC90, Evolution, with pilots’ mobile devices. KSN 770 and other products coming from our Connected Panel partners, Aspen’s unique Evolution displays we’re going to see some exciting func- replace mechanical cockpit instruments­ tionality bubble up.” without requiring modifications to the instrument panel, an easy way Avidyne to upgrade older aircraft to mod- Avidyne is working closely with com- ern displays. Although smaller aircraft panies like Aspen Avionics, including as a Garmin introduced its G3000 in 2009. The system brings touchscreen technology to the upper are ideal for Aspen upgrades, the com- partner in the Connected Panel program. echelon of the Part 23 market. pany has found that more turboprop and “Cockpit integration will continue to light jet owners are taking advantage of be enhanced through a higher level of the Evolution displays for Garmin’s G3000 and G5000 programs it easier to see and assure what IS&S their upgrades. remain on track, with the G3000 entry calls “undeniable, simplified, situational “We’re getting pulled into service on the HondaJet in the second awareness user interface.” into those markets,” Hay­ half of next year and the G5000 slated to IS&S also offers avionics upgrades for den said, adding that appear in Cessna’s Citation Ten in 2013 a variety of business and commercial air- owners see the benefit of and Latitude in 2015. Garmin’s new Telli- craft, ranging from the Pilatus PC-12 to protecting their investment gence Voice Command technology now Boeing’s 757/767. in the aircraft by upgrad- allows voice control of the GMA 350 and According to IS&S, “Integration of ing the panel but at a rea- 350H audio panels and this year Telli- practical but needed information is part sonable cost, “especially gence will be available in the GTN 750, of the focus for IS&S. Customers need if they have been burned using the GMA 35 remote audio panel. integrated video, sensors, new airspace by [an obsolete prod- “That goes toward one of Garmin’s requirements, more accurate primary uct], getting left behind holistic goals, which is to make an easier and secondary systems, better digital from a technology stand- environment for pilots to interact with,” communication and easy-to-use graphi- point. Looking at some- said Alpiser. “We’ve got a good arsenal cal interfaces.” thing that is designed to of products that continues to expand in be upgradeable is going to Avidyne is offering its Entegra R9 glass cockpit for the lower tier of capabilities, whether it’s autopilot sup- Aspen Avionics be compelling. That value the turboprop segment. port for retrofit product or increased “What we’re seeing happen in cock- proposition applies when capabilities and interaction with new pit technology is that more and more it looking at aircraft that operate from a ­connectivity with portable devices using things like Telligence. All that is aimed is mirroring consumer technology,” said business standpoint.” wireless technologies,” explained Tom at keeping the cockpit as clean and Brad Hayden, Aspen Avionics vice pres- Earlier this year, Aspen began deliv- Harper, Avidyne director of marketing. friendly as possible.” ident of marketing. “Developments are ering the ACU-2 (analog converter unit), “Ease of use is still the biggest obstacle that happening at a faster pace. We recog- which added support for Bendix, Col- most avionics manufacturers will need to Innovative nized from early on [the importance of] lins, King and Sperry autopilots found address to stay competitive.” Solutions & Support bring[ing] consumer design philosophy in many of the larger Class III airplanes Avidyne is preparing for the 2020 man- IS&S has been selected to provide into a retrofit panel to build a product for which Aspen upgrades are approved. date to install ADS-B out equipment, but the cockpit avionics for the new Eclipse that is modular and upgradeable.” (Aspen displays are also approved in another key effort is a bus design that will Class I and II aircraft, under an FAA- lead to future products. approved model list STC). According to Harper, “Avidyne has This year, Aspen is planning to invested heavily in the development of a add support for the King KFD300/ dual databus avionics architecture, which 325 and Bendix FCS 810 autopilots provides significant redundancy and reli- installed in many turboprops. Aspen ability benefits and that will be the back- systems also work with Avidyne’s DFC90 bone of a wide range of integrated systems autopilot system. and point-solution products over the com- Aspen’s Connected Panel, which inte- ing decade.” o grates the iPad with panel-mounted avi- onics, now has 15 partners signed on, the most recent being FltPlan.com and Air- guide Publications. Aspen expected cer- tification of the Connected Panel by the end of last year or early this year. The IS&S Avio iFMS will bring synthetic and enhanced vision and ADS-B capability to the Eclipse 550 cockpit. Integration of Connected Panel with

0044 Aviation International News • January 2012 • www.ainonline.com