The A318 has become the first Airbus aircraft to be approved for Thales' D-HUDS digital head-up display system.

The Pratt & Whitney PW6000-powered A318 and A318 Elite were certificated by the European Aviation Safety Agency on 23 November and Airbus says that approval will be extended to the other A320 family members. "Certification activities are ongoing for the A330/A340 and A380," it adds.

The HUD, based on a liquid crystal display imager, allows take-off visibility minima to be lowered from 125m (410ft) to 75m. It can also enable operations at reduced approach minima on suitably equipped runways, says Airbus.

 HUD-a318
 © Airbus
The Thales HUD is offered in a single installation on the A320 and A330/A340 families, while on the A380 it will be available in either a single or a dual installation. The system comprises the HUD projector, a stowable combiner - the glass plate mounted in front of the pilot's head - the system controls and the HUD computer, which is situated in the avionics bay.

Meanwhile, the CFM International CFM56-powered A318 and the A318 Elite were approved by EASA for steep approaches on 19 November. The clearance, which follows approval of the PW6000-powered version in June, enables the twinjet to operate into airports with stringent approach requirements, such as London City.

Source: FlightGlobal.com

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