AEROWORKS AND Gull Electronic Systems have teamed to offer a two-man Boeing 727 cockpit, eliminating the flight-engineer's position. The "DuoDeck" conversion is "largely based on the proven design reliability of the two-position Boeing 737-200 cockpit", says Incline Village, Nevada-based AeroWorks.
Gull, a division of Parker Bertea Aerospace, based in Smithtown, New York, will act as principal subcontractor for the conversion kit.
Conversion of the flight test certification aircraft is expected to get under way by the end of September, with test flights scheduled for January 1996. Discussions with "several potential launch customers" are under way, says AeroWorks.
The company claims that the modification would save operators $350,000-$650,000 an aircraft annually in labour and support costs, compared with the standard Boeing 727 flight deck. The DuoDeck would be installed during a scheduled C-check, with support from AeroWorks.
Source: Flight International
