US regional airlines are gearing up to meet the mandate that all turbine-powered aircraft with six or more seats must be equipped with the terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS) within five years.
The US Federal Aviation Administration issued its final rule in late March. This requires all new aircraft delivered after 29 March, 2002 to be equipped with TAWS, and gives operators until 29 March, 2005 to retrofit in-service aircraft. "It makes sense to specify TAWS now," a Honeywell official advised at the RAA convention.
Honeywell has already booked orders for almost 11,000 Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems (EGPWS) from airlines and other operators. The second company to the market, Universal Avionics, is targeting regionals with its TAWS.
Bombardier began delivering CRJ200 regional jets fitted with EGPWS in April and a service bulletin (SB) allowing retrofits will be available in June, says Honeywell. Bombardier will deliver Dash 8s with EGPWS from this month, but does not plan an SB.
EGPWS has been available on new Embraer RJ-135/145s since 1998. An SB is set for the fourth quarter. Honeywell says SBs are expected soon for BAE Systems 146/RJs; in June for the Saab 340; July for the Fokker 70/100;September for the Fokker 50/100; and November for the Fokker F27/F28. EGPWS is being certificated on the ATR 42/72.
Source: Flight International
