Gulfstream Aerospace has increased its technology offering to operators. The OEM’s PlaneBook portable electronic document manager (EDM) is now available on its mid-size Gulfstream G150 and G200. The EDM provides pilots with immediate access to critical information during flight.
First introduced for Gulfstream large-cabin aircraft at NBAA 2007, PlaneBook is a tablet computer preloaded with a complete reference library that includes the flight manual, operating manual, pilot checklist and the quick reference handbook (QRH).
The electronic version of the QRH serves as the master document that links to all other documents for easy cross-referencing. It is the result of a collaboration between Gulfstream pilots and technical writers, who created the software to reduce pilot workload.
The manufacturer has also received European aviation safety agency (EASA) approval to retrofit any of its four in-production large-cabin Gulfstream aircraft models with synthetic vision-primary flight displays (SV-PFD).
Operators of EU-registered G550, G500, G450 or G350 aircraft will have the option of using the advanced avionics add-on application, which enhances the manufacturers’ PlaneView flight displays. The SV-PFD combines terrain data from Honeywell’s enhanced ground proximity warning system with obstacle data to depict major obstacles.
Earlier this year Gulfstream announced that it had successfully tested fibre-optic fly-by-light (FBL) technology. A GV test aircraft equipped with a fibre-optic harness transferred pilot input from a flight control computer to spoilers on the wing. The jet flew for almost 75 minutes. FBL technology provides significant weight savings and increased safety over fly-by-wire as the system streamlines a bulky wire bundle into just four strands.
Source: Flight International
