Company unveils first elements of Vision-Based Cockpit concept for very light jets
Kollsman is bidding to bring head-up displays (HUD) and enhanced vision systems (EVS) to general aviation cockpits as the safety-enhancing technology moves into the business aviation market.
The company has unveiled the first elements of its Vision-Based Cockpit concept, including the µ-ViS HUD and GAViS EVS aimed initially at very light jets (VLJ). Kollsman is targeting an initial price of about $100,000 for both systems in a VLJ, aiming to reduce this by half for the GA market, says Randy Moore, executive vice-president and general manager. “The VLJ is the sweet spot,” he says.
“A traditional HUD costs around $100,000,” says Moore. “We are looking at less than half that for the µ-ViS, with the GAViS in the same ballpark, and at an ultimate production price half that again.” Certification is planned for mid-2006 for the GAViS and late 2006 for the µ-ViS HUD, which is now flying in Kollsman’s Cessna 340.
Designed to provide situational awareness in night visual flying, the GAViS is an uncooled infrared sensor mounted on the cockpit roof. The µ-ViS injects the image into the HUD combiner, eliminating the projector, reducing size and allowing the display to be mounted on the glareshield or overhead. The display weighs less than 4.5kg (10lb), but the 150 x 100mm (6 x 4in) combiner has a 32° field of view.
Kollsman is also flight-testing the ESViS combined enhanced and synthetic vision system, which overlays the sensor image on terrain computer-generated from an onboard database. ESViS is expected to be certificated in late 2007 or early 2008 for advisory use and includes a terrain awareness warning system supplied by Sandel.
Interest in infrared EVS for situational awareness is increasing, with Raytheon Aircraft Services agreeing to install Max-Viz’s EVS-1000 on Hawker business jets, starting with the Hawker 800 in the first quarter of 2006. Pilatus, meanwhile, is to offer CMC Electronics’ M-Series EVS as a factory option in the Pilatus PC-12.
The Raytheon agreement adds to a growing list of applications for the Max-Viz EVS family, which now includes 36 individual supplemental type certificates (STC) and 149 units. “In terms of deliveries, we’ve got 60 units out in 2005 so far, and our expectation is to grow at around 100% next year,” says Max-Viz president and chief executive Jim Tuttle. “We expect it will continue to grow at that rate.”
Tuttle believes the increasing rate of new applications and installations is partly due to the passing of mandated re-equipment efforts such as reduced vertical separation minima (RVSM). “With things like RVSM winding down, we’re seeing a tremendous increase in attention to EVS,” he says.
New STCs include one for the EVS-2500 on all the Boeing 767 family, with the first installation performed by Associated Air Center on a corporate 767-200. The uncooled EVS-1000 is also approved on the Agusta A109E, Bell 212/412, Cessna Citation Excel/XLS and X, Eurocopter EC135/145, Gulfstream IV and Sikorsky S-76. Installations in early 2006 include the Bombardier Learjet 31, 35 and 36, Dassault Falcon 2000/2000EX and GulfstreamV.
Source: Flight International
