NORTHWEST AIRLINES has selected Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) to supply altimeters and altitude-alerters for retrofit to ten McDonnell Douglas DC-9s.
The solid-state barometric altimeter will replace the DC-9 pilot's electromechanical unit and the co-pilot's pneumatic unit. Malvern, Pennsylvania-based IS&S says that its altimeter functions as a repeater and a self-sensing unit, via its own internal pressure-transducer.
The unit has a predicted mean-time-between-failures of more than 20,000h. The alerter provides voice and visual warnings of minimum descent altitude, and displays air temperature and cabin altitude.
IS&S says that its altimeter has been retrofitted to 15 different aircraft types, including NASA Northrop T-38s and Swiss air force Northrop F-5s. The company supplies altimeters and alerters to Lockheed Martin for the C-130H as part of a total air-data system.
IS&S is also providing an air-data system for retrofit to Gulfstream II business jets to meet new reduced vertical-separation minima requirements.
Source: Flight International