American Eagle is to equip its regional aircraft with AlliedSignal's enhanced ground-proximity warning system (EGPWS), beginning with the Embraer EMB-145 regional jet.
The EMB-145s will be delivered with the EGPWS installed, with the first of 42 aircraft on order due to arrive in February 1998. American Eagle will then retrofit its Aero International (Regional) ATR 42s and ATR 72s and Saab 340s.
American Airlines is already installing the EGPWS fleet-wide under a $20 million launch contract awarded in September 1996, with 635 aircraft to be equipped by mid-1999. Alaska and United Airlines are also installing the system. American Eagle is the first regional to commit to installing the EGPWS.
The initial EGPWS is only suitable for use on aircraft with digital avionics, but AlliedSignal is developing a version for retrofit to analogue aircraft.
Source: Flight International
