Author: neilw

Guardian Avionics is now shipping its Multi-Function Display system, the MFD 650, for installation in Experimental Aircraft panels. The purpose of the MFD 650 is to share information that is in front of the pilot with his passengers while creating a valuable record of flight data that can be stored in the Cloud. Two to six iPads, mini-Pads, iPhones or iWatches will allow passengers to view synthetic reality, a moving map display, engine data or the pilot logbook when those devices are connected to a Garmin GPS and an electronic engine monitor. At the same time the MFD 650 will monitor carbon monoxide levels in the cockpit and provide two USB Smart Charger outlets for rapid charging of cell phones or other electronic devices.

While the Garmin 3X, 430, 530, 650 or 750 and the JPI engine monitors or UL Power EMU offer excellent primary information, the MFD 650 offers a very reasonably priced alternative to mounting backup units in the panel, which may not even have the available space for a second display.

The MFD 650 can also combine navigation and engine information in a split-screen display.

During flight, IPads can be held in flush mounting docks attached to the panel or in the laps of back seat passengers. The patent pending docks have spring clips that allow for quick mounting and which provide secure holding in turbulence. An iPhone can easily be velcroed to a control yoke or held in a mounting dock.

IPhones and iPads are connected to the MFD 650 via Bluetooth and operate through the Guardian Avionics I-MFD app which is available through the App Store. The app will automatically record flight time, take offs and landings, engine and flight data. The information is stored during flight and then is automatically uploaded through a Wi-Fi connection to a secure Cloud location for post-flight analysis at home or conveyance to the pilot’s service mechanic.

“It’s intended to give real time information to the pilot and passengers in GA aircraft,” said Ash Vij, president of Guardian Avionics. “This way adults and kids will all have situational awareness and be able to track the progress of the flight. Or the pilot can simply use it as a second or third panel screen. The data recording feature can be invaluable if a mechanical problem develops.”

The MFD 650 can be mounted in the panel and an alternate version, the MFD 850 can be mounted remotely behind the panel. The MFD 650 weighs 8 ounces and measures 1.7” wide, 1.3” high and 7” deep.

The MFD 650 or 850 is available for $999.00 through Guardian Avionics. Guardian Avionics expects to introduce the FMS 750, a certificated version, in 2016.

 

Five Rockwell Collins engineers have been recognized for their leadership and innovation when they were named to the second annual class of Technical Fellows.

The Class of 2015 — Bob Foote, Vlad Gavrilets, Linda Peyton, Jim West and Ken Zimmerman — was honored with a special ceremony on July 14 in Cedar Rapids and joins 25 colleagues who were named to the Rockwell Collins Fellows program when it was introduced in 2014. The program was established as a way to honor and recognize engineers for their expertise in their respective disciplines.

Foote is a principal systems engineer in Vision Augmentation Systems in Cedar Rapids. His most distinctive technical contribution was leading the design and development of all major fixed wing fighter Helmet Mounted Displays fielded by our company over the last 20 years.

Gavrilets is a senior engineering manager in Flight Control and Navigation in Warrenton, Virginia. His patents and publications in the areas of flight dynamics, flight control, and sensor fusion have attracted more than 950 citations. He also demonstrated the world’s first autonomous aerobatic helicopter.

Peyton is senior director of Avionics Products Engineering in Cedar Rapids. While she has a broad grasp of government and commercial avionics technologies, she also was among the early pioneers in GPS receiver software and security design at Rockwell Collins.

West is a principal electrical engineer in Transmitter Technology in Cedar Rapids. He has been an enterprise-level antenna technology subject matter expert and leader for nearly 30 years. He created the Rockwell Collins Advanced Technology Center’s antenna research and development group and antenna lab, and has been responsible for numerous contract awards over the years.

Zimmerman is a principal systems engineer in Head-up Guidance Systems Engineering in Wilsonville, Oregon. For more than 30 years, he has been responsible for identifying and developing the key operational, safety, and certification aspects of essentially every new feature added to the company’s HGS products.

These five individuals join an elite group of employees who hold a total of more than 480 patents and have an average of 20 years with our company.

“During their careers, our Fellows have solved our customers’ most complex problems,” said Nan Mattai, senior vice president of Engineering and Information Technology. “They have developed leading-edge technologies that have resulted in many industry firsts, they have contributed to and influenced a broad array of technologies, and they have achieved a level of mastery in their field of expertise.

TE Connectivity (TE) announced its new Raychem INSTALITE lightweight braid system that the company says offers up to 50 percent weight savings over traditional copper braids. Made from a high-performance, nickel-plated copper alloy, the RoHS-compliant pull-on braid provides better low-frequency performance than plated fibers or microfilaments. Existing low-weight screening solutions are more limited with reduced electrical screen performance at low frequencies and lower protection against lightning strike. Plated fibers and microfilament stainless steel braids are more expensive options.

“Electromagnetic interference (EMI) protection is an ever-increasing requirement in the aerospace industry, especially as system functionality is increasing with higher signal speeds,” said Doug Jones, product manager, Global Aerospace, Defense & Marine, TE. “The INSTALITE lightweight braid has the ability to save weight while providing a high level of EMI screening across a wide frequency range. Its economical price makes it an attractive option for designers.”

TE’s INSTALITE lightweight braid is available in 3mm to 20mm diameters and installs and performs as a traditional metal braid. The lightweight braid is flexible and easy to handle. It also uses existing installation and termination methods and equipment to make integration into current applications simpler, according to TE. The INSTALITE lightweight braid is provided on a former to offer easy installation on variety of substrates.

Honeywell signed a contract with Turkish airline SunExpress to supply the company’s latest cockpit technologies for its first delivery of newly purchased Boeing 737-800 airplanes.

Honeywell will provide SunExpress with cockpit avionics, including the IntuVue 3-D Weather Radar and the SmartTraffic Traffic Collision Avoidance System. With these technologies Honeywell says SunExpress will be able to increase operational efficiency and maintain compliance with current and future industry safety regulations.

“With this agreement SunExpress will equip new Boeing 737s with some of the industry’s most advanced and capable avionics technologies available,” said Aileen McDowall, vice president, Airlines, EMEAI, Honeywell Aerospace. “SunExpress is the latest successful low-cost airline to invest in Honeywell’s avionics technologies to drive down costs while maximizing passenger safety and comfort.”

Honeywell says it has seen high demand for its cockpit avionics products in 2015. Other low-cost operators, including IndiGo and Southwest Airlines, have recently chosen Honeywell to provide safety and efficiency technologies for their new airplane fleets.

Southwest Microwave has announced the introduction of a new range of high-security SMKey 3.7 mm DC to 18 GHz Keyed Coax Connectors, which provide a failsafe mating solution for critical connections between mated connector pairs, the company says.

SMKey coaxial connectors are offered in 10 keyed combinations, each with uniquely polarized key positions. Each connector also includes one non-keyed (Universal) option.

“By assigning differing key positions for mating pairs within a set, SMKey connectors eliminate the risk of interconnect mismatch,” explained Holger Stuehrmann, Southwest Microwave’s director of Sales. “This unique solution ensures reliable protection against the potential for operator error that could otherwise have devastating results in connection-critical applications.”

The SMKey product suite includes two field-replaceable keyed .500 square, four-hole flange jack connectors, including a right-angle flange jack, which both accept a 36-mil diameter launch pin. A keyed .625 x .350 two-hole flange jack that accept a 15-mil diameter pin is also available, along with a keyed direct solder cable connector plug, configured for .141 flex cable. Southwest Microwave can provide complete cable assemblies to simplify high-performance interface to and between the complete range of SMKey connectors.

SMKey high-security keyed coaxial connectors are rugged and durable, featuring a 360° raised grounding ring and a temperature range of -55°C to 165°C, Southwest Microwave says. The connectors provide mode-free operation through 18 GHz and offer well-matched impedance, excellent repeatability and the low VSWR, insertion loss and RF leakage.

MidOcean Partners announced that it has reached a definitive agreement to sell Noranco Inc. to Precision Castparts Corp. Noranco is a supplier of complex machined components and assemblies for mission-critical landing gear, aerostructures, and aero engine applications to the aerospace industry.

The Company, with operations in Canada, the United States and Mexico, focuses solely on the aerospace industry, covering commercial/regional jet, business jet and military/rotorcraft markets.  The Company’s key customers include Honeywell, United Technologies, Bombardier, Safran, Spirit AeroSystems and Boeing.  Through its key customers, the Company supports high growth OEM platforms for Boeing, Airbus, and Bombardier, including the B737, B787, B777, A350, A320, and Global Express. Noranco sells its products under long-term contracts and is a sole source supplier for most of its revenues.

MidOcean acquired the company in April 2013. “We are very pleased with this outcome,” commented Ted Virtue, MidOcean’s CEO, “which reflects the successful completion of MidOcean’s strategy to leverage our operating resources to drive growth and operating efficiency. Noranco has been a terrific platform to consolidate the highly fragmented aerospace sector and we are proud of the job the Noranco management team and our operating resources have done.”

USAIG says it is proudly welcoming Pulsar Informatics to its Performance Vector safety initiative. Performance Vector delivers valuable, forward-looking safety support for USAIG-insured operators of turbine aircraft. Eligible policyholders can choose annually from a range of safety enhancing programs and services delivered by the industry’s leading providers.

Aviation operators have varying levels of maturation when it comes to Fatigue Risk Management Systems (FRMS). Pulsar Informatics provides expertise and tools to implement a customized FRMS to meet the unique needs of organizations relative to government regulations (14 CFR Parts 121, 125, 135, and 91).

USAIG says eligible policyholders can select from two new Performance Vector options. The Pulsar Fatigue Risk Management Policy and Training Package helps operators baseline their existing fatigue risk posture and delivers fatigue training through three separate webinars designed for management, operational personnel and aircraft maintenance technicians respectively. The Pulsar “Fleet Insight” Fatigue Risk Management System Package includes a year’s subscription to the Fleet Insight web and Fatigue Meter mobile apps, which enable up to five safety managers/schedulers to proactively evaluate fatigue across the entire operation’s schedule. Pulsar will extend preferred pricing for USAIG members if more users are needed beyond the five that come with the Performance Vector subscription package.

“We are delighted to connect our policyholders with Pulsar Informatics’ expertise and world class fatigue risk management programs. Pulsar’s approach perfectly blends attention to policy, training, and continuous risk monitoring. These programs are practical, easy to implement, and represent real advances in addressing fatigue risks in aviation” said David McKay, USAIG president and CEO.

“Fatigue affects safety and adds cost to the bottom line. It is the professional responsibility of every person involved in safety sensitive operations to understand where fatigue comes from, how to measure it, and how to reduce fatigue risk. We look forward to helping USAIG policyholders in this regard,” said Pulsar Informatics CEO Daniel Mollicone, Ph.D.

Performance Vector programs meet aviation regulatory requirements, accreditation protocols and industry standards such as FAA, IS-BAO, NBAA’s Certified Aviation Manager program, and ICAO.  Eligibility for additional Performance Vector services refreshes upon each policy renewal.

For additional information about the USAIG Performance Vector program, check the Safety tab at usaig.com or contact Paul S. Ratté, USAIG Director of Aviation Safety Programs at: safety@usaig.com.

Duncan Aviation’s satellite avionics facility at Houston’s Hobby Airport recently received certification from Mexico’s Dirección General de Aeronáutica Civil (DGAC), which is the civil aviation authority for the Mexican state. The certificate is good through April 2017.

The certification will allow Duncan Aviation to expand avionics services for our customers based in Mexico. “This authorization provides our Mexican customers with a sense of solidarity, commitment and respect for their processes and procedures,” says Matt Nelson, Duncan Aviation’s manager of Satellite Operations. “We expect to see an increase in our business from Mexico.”

Duncan says it is important to be able to provide service to all of their customers, regardless of location.

“Duncan Aviation continually evaluates its certifications and is constantly communicating with customers and prospects around the world to secure new and maintain current certifications when it makes sense to do so,” says Chris VanderWeide, Duncan Aviation’s chief inspector of International Airworthiness.

Duncan Aviation’s locations in Lincoln, Nebraska; Battle Creek, Michigan; Provo, Utah; and now Houston, hold certificates for 10 additional civil aviation authorities around the world. The Lincoln facility has certifications for Argentina, Bermuda, Brazil, Cayman Islands, China, EASA, Mexico, South Africa, Venezuela and India. The Battle Creek facility has authorizations for Argentina, Bermuda, Brazil, Cayman Islands, EASA, Mexico, South Africa and Venezuela. The Provo facility has certificates for Brazil, EASA and Mexico. And now Houston has a certificate for Mexico.

Ergonomically constructed personal tool tethers maximize worker productivity, convenience, safety and compliance. For heavy tools up to 25 pounds, Gear Keeper’s ergonomic Anchored Tool Tether Series has been designed with a low-force polyurethane elastic core that has a 3:1 stretch factor (i.e. 3’ relaxed – 9’ extended). As a result, the new Gear Keeper polyurethane elastic core tethers have the shortest retracted length combined with the longest extension length offering significantly more stretch and retraction than competitive bungee-type core tethers, says the company.

The ability of Gear Keeper’s polyurethane elastic to retract to one-third of its extended length is a compelling safety advantage. The reduced length helps to avoid entanglement issues when climbing or working in close quarters. Additionally, to protect against dangerous “drop shock,” the new Gear Keeper heavy-tool tethers are load tested with a built-in safety margin beyond the breaking point.

Both of Gear Keeper’s new TL1-4021 and the TL1-4025 Anchored Tethers, with their polyurethane elastic cores, employ a very low stretch force. This minimizes arm fatigue at full extension, while still providing the proper degree of comfortable recoil. Gear Keepers says employees will appreciate the significant reduction in arm-stress the result will be higher employee compliance with your tethering program.

The model TL1-4021 ($46.99) specifications include 1” tether webbing and two stainless steel carabiners load rated above 500 kgs (1100 + lbs.) with gates that do not hang up from a side load. It has a retracted length of 41” and extended length of 118”. The model TL-4025 ($42.99) specifications also includes a 1” tether webbing but has one stainless steel carabiner and a fixed web tool attachment loop. It has a retracted length of  50” and and extended length of 118”. Both models are of an adequate length to attach to buckets.

PPG Industries’ aerospace transparencies group has introduced redesigned sliding cockpit windows for the Airbus A320 Family that are expected to have improved field performance over the previous design and afford cost-effective replacement.

The new windows have passed successfully all ground and flight tests in PPG and Airbus facilities. They can be used for original-equipment and replacement applications on Airbus A318, A319, A320 and A321 single-aisle airplanes as well as the NEO (new-engine option) Family that includes the A319neo, A320neo and A321neo airplanes.

PPG’s redesigned aft fixed side cockpit windows were qualified by Airbus in 2012 with similar enhancements. A new simplified clamp design for the windows enables the frame retainer and window panel to be installed as a complete assembly while being distinct components.

Operators can now salvage undamaged PPG frame retainers for reuse when only window panels need to be replaced. PPG offers replacements of the complete framed window assemblies consisting of the frame retainer and window panel as well as window panels for installing in salvaged PPG frame retainers.

According to Arthur Scott, PPG global director for commercial aerospace transparencies, PPG has continued to improve performance of the windshields and side cockpit windows for the A320 Family since it was certified to supply them in the 1990s.

To defend against moisture ingress and delamination, the redesigned side cockpit windows have an added stainless steel Z-retainer, proprietary PR-2060 polyurethane sealant as an internal sealant behind the Z-retainer and S-123 urethane interlayers.

PPG’s redesigned windshields for the A320 Family, which it introduced in 2010, incorporate S-123 urethane, PR-2060 sealant, PR-1425CF chromate-free sealant and an improved electrical system. According to Scott, thousands of aircraft are flying with the new-design windshields.

“These windshields are demonstrating service life more than double that of the previous design, resulting in lower operating costs.”

PPG produces windshields and side cockpit windows for Airbus aircraft at its Huntsville, Alabama, aircraft transparencies facility. PPG is also the transparencies supplier to the Airbus MRTT tanker, which is based on the A330 platform.