In a policy shift partly inspired by the 787 programme, Boeing has chosen Rockwell Collins to be sole-source provider for the entire suite of flightdeck avionics and displays for the 747-8, and plans to start testing initial components in early 2008.
Boeing admits that the decision to specify standard equipment prompted some "concerns" among its customer group, but asserts that the trade-off in terms of commonality, interchangeability across different operators and residual values has more than compensated for these worries.
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The 747-8's flightdeck will be almost identical to the -400's |
By appointing Rockwell Collins as supplier and prime integrator, Boeing says it plans to avoid the situation with the current 747-400 flightdeck, which has evolved to have "30 different boxes with 60 different unique part numbers, rolling over every five to six years", says 747 chief project engineer Corky Townsend. "That's a huge number of permutations. This way we avoid that haphazard evolution and this allows us to plan the growth of capabilities."
The 747-8 flightdeck will be virtually indistinguishable from that of the -400 on the surface, says Townsend. "The key consideration was to make this have a common pilot rating with today's 747. There are 10,000 pilots currently certified to fly the 747, and yet at the same time we are creating an aircraft with similar capabilities to the 787," she adds.
The -8 will therefore retain the DU-7001 display system, but it will be upgraded to include advanced features found on the Boeing 777 such as an electronic checklist with cursor control panel, navigation performance scales and vertical situation displays. Similarly, GPS landing system capability will be added to the autopilot and navigation systems. The aircraft will also feature the latest derivative of the same WXR-2100 MultiScan radar that will be common to the 787 and which has been developed to provide clutter-free weather detection out to over 590km (320nm).
"Communications, navigation, surveillance and data management systems were traditionally buyer-furnished equipment, and Boeing made the decision to switch to a sole-source model," says Rockwell Collins senior director of airline marketing Bryan Vester. "Boeing also wanted to go to a single integrator for those systems, so we're delivering a complete package to them." Non-core Rockwell Collins equipment like the cockpit and flight data recorders and emergency locator transmitter will be sourced externally over coming months and integrated into the package by the Iowa-based avionics specialist.
Rockwell Collins will also supply the communication management unit, satellite communications system, VHF and HF transceivers, VHF Omnidirectional Radio, distance measuring equipment, automatic direction finder, multi-mode receiver, Mode S transponder, flightdeck printer and the data management unit. The first complete shipset of equipment for the first 747-8F is due to be delivered around December next year.
Source: Flight International
