Frivolous expenditures are definitely a fashion faux pas in this economic season; it is no different in the cockpit. Avionics manufacturers in Paris made it clear that their customers - airlines - need more than ever to have a value proposition to justify aftermarket expenditures.
Goodrich launched a class 3 electronic flight bag-focused cockpit data management solution (CDMS) for the retrofit market at the show, an offering that the company says takes EFBs to the "next" level.
"We've seen relatively slow adoption by the airlines," says Jim Schmitz, director of commercial aftermarket business development.
"It's a difficult business case if all you're going to show is electronic documents and charts to justify a flight bag," he says. "Airlines want to use the devices more like an aircraft PC, to get computerised functions on board, to connect to enterprise IT systems."
That need spawned the idea for CDMS, an early application of which will be with US Airways as part of a next generation air transport system (NextGen) demonstration programme funded by the US Federal Aviation Administration. The package is actually a suite of data management hardware and software solutions, which Goodrich will help the airline select to best suit its own needs, culminating in a turnkey system.
The interface to the pilots is a 26.4cm (10.4in) EFB, dubbed SmartDisplay, that includes a processor and is only 3.18cm thick. Goodrich has been working with a series of software partners on software applications for the unit, some thought up by airlines, which will be selectable by the customer.
Schmitz says the CDMS will be the first class 3 EFB available for the commercial airline aftermarket, and the price will be right. "Boeing offers a class 3 system for the retrofit market, but it's been very difficult for the price point where they're at for airlines to make a business case to retrofit the product." Goodrich CDMS, depending on options, will come in "somewhere between an OEM retrofitted class 3 and a traditional class 2 system," he says.
ACSS is also taking cues from airlines needing a faster return-on-investment for avionics add-ons to its SafeRoute automatic dependent surveillance - broadcast product. SafeRoute is a series of software tools that provides separation information on a cockpit display, thus allowing for closer separation distances between aircraft fitted with the system, even in adverse weather.
UPS uses the system for merging and spacing on approaches as well as fuel-saving and noise-reduction continuous descent approaches at its Louisville hub, and several other airlines are using or will soon be using the system as part of NextGen pilot programmes.
Based on ideas from airlines, ACSS president Kris Ganase says the company is working on several new applications, including staggered approaches that will eventually allow aircraft to land in parallel on closely spaced runways.
The capability, in theory, will allow airports to build new parallel runways between existing parallel runways that are typically 1,310m (4,300ft) apart to operate simultaneous approaches, increasing capacity by one-third, says Ganase.
An associated application will be related to wake vortex management, which will take advantage of the wealth of data shared by aircraft with ADS-B out capability to compute how closely aircraft can fly laterally on an approach.
GE Aviation Systems is looking at how to improve its flagship flight management systems to save airlines money. "What advantage can we bring to existing customers and future customers by improving FMS, taking it to the next level and retrofitting thousands of aircraft today that are not utilising that system fully," says Lorraine Bolsinger, president of GE Aviation Systems.
Bolsinger says GE wants to be "thought leader" in air traffic management in the future, working with the US Federal Aviation Administration to have its systems be part of a solution package that includes continuous descent and 4D approaches.
"Our FMS allows companies like Southwest Airlines to do upgrades and fly 'green' approaches that result in a 6-12% decrease in fuel burn per approach," says Bolsinger, adding that the company is working with FAA "on a couple of demonstration projects to prove out the savings" and to help create equipage, policy and procedures to make the savings available to everyone. With those savings will also come the environmental benefits of saving fuel and making less noise.
Source: Flight International
