GRAHAM WARWICK / WASHINGTON DC
Rockwell Collins video surveillance system joins FAA pilot programme, while Airbus decides on Goodrich equipment
United Airlines is to test a Rockwell Collins cabin video surveillance system in a Boeing 747-400 under a $3.3 million USFederal Aviation Administration pilot programme. Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines and eight other carriers are also involved.
United will conduct a six-month trial of Collins' Video Intelligence System (VIS) in scheduled service. The four-camera system will be installed in the 747-400 in July, with the trial to begin in August. The cameras will monitor flightdeck access, with the video displayed on two flat-panel screens mounted in the cockpit where they can be viewed by the seated pilots.
The airline will test wired and wireless methods of transmitting images from the cameras to the "electronic flight bag" displays, which can present multiple views simultaneously. A duplicate system will be supplied for a United 747-400 simulator. The United trial is the first announced application for Collins' VIS, which is designed to be expandable (Flight International, 26 February-4 March).
Delta began testing a closed-circuit television surveillance system late last year, installing Securaplane Technologies' CabinAlert and Monitoring System in a Boeing MD-88. Under the FAA programme, the airline will expand the trial to more aircraft. Continental will use FAA money to equip a Boeing 777 with a multi-camera cabin monitoring system for in-service trials.
Among the 11 airlines participating in the pilot programme, low-cost carrier JetBlue Airways is the first to begin fleet-wide installation of a cabin surveillance system. Earlier this year LiveTV received certification for an enhancement to its live television system on JetBlue's Airbus A320s. This uses the LiveTV audio/video network to link cockpit monitors with cabin cameras.
Goodrich, meanwhile, has been selected by Airbus to provide cockpit door video surveillance systems for all its in-production aircraft types. The US manufacturer's system has been selected by Virgin Atlantic Airways for installation in current and new Airbus A340s and for retrofit into its 747-400s. Boeing offers surveillance systems by France's Thales and Japan's Jamco.
Source: Flight International
