Electronic Standby Instrument
L-3 Avionics Systems, Grand Rapids, Mich., introduced the Trilogy ESI-1000 Electronic Standby Instrument, a solid-state integrated standby system created for Part 23 aircraft. L-3 said the system is designed as a backup for glass cockpit avionics and is expected to receive certification in 2009. Trilogy combines attitude, altitude, airspeed and optional heading data on a 4-inch by 3-inch LCD, and fits into a standard 3-ATI mounting cutout. It also has an integrated air data computer, solid-state attitude sensor and optional external magnetometer, the company said. Trilogy units will be calibrated to 400 knots and 55,000 feet, with the ability to store aircraft configuration and options at time of installation. Visit www.l-3com.com.
Door Monitoring System
AD Aerospace, Cheshire, U.K., obtained a Validation of Supplemental Type Certificate (VSTC) from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) for its CabinVu and CabinVu-123 Cockpit Door Monitoring Systems on the Boeing 737. AD Aerospace said the systems increase security by providing pilots with a live view of the area outside the flight deck door and adjacent galleys from their usual seated positions. A series of cameras are linked to either one or two monitors and associated controllers. The VSTC covers the entire Boeing 737 family, using installation designs produced by Aircraft Engineering and Installation Services, Orlando, Fla. Visit www.ad-aero.com.
QMS Certification
Pentek, Inc., Upper Saddle River, N.J., achieved ISO 9001:2000 quality management system (QMS) certification. The certification measures a company’s ability to meet customer satisfaction and quality. A quality management system review was implemented addressing operation, including engineering, product design, manufacturing, delivery and customer service to verify the TSO initiatives. Pentek supplies commercial and rugged board solutions for digital signal processing, data acquisition and software radio applications. An independent agency conducted the QMS audits. Visit www.pentek.com.
Navigation Charts
Jeppesen, Englewood, Colo., released the VFR+GPS chart series for navigation in North America. The new VFR+GPS chart coverage areas will initially include en route and area charts stretching from Miami to Atlanta, with expansion to other areas across the United States in 2009. Jeppesen said it aggregated aviation data with cultural and terrain data to make the Visual Flight Rules chart easier to read and interpret. Visit www.jeppesen.com.
Tower Enclosure
VMETRO of Norway introduced a five-slot VPX/VXS portable tower enclosure and backplane designed to accelerate and simplify VPX system integration and development. The backplane is designed to support the speed and bandwidth I/O and backplane interconnectivity of VMETRO’s VPX boards. The VPX/VXS backplane is equipped with 3 VPX slots and 2 VXS slots (1 payload and 1 switch). The VXS payload slot enables existing VXS payload boards to be used; the VXS switch slot supports the VMETRO CSW1 switch, providing up to 12 front panel fiber optic transceivers and backplane connections between the VPX and VXS payload slots. Visit www.vmetro.com.
Online Education
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is offering 25 new aviation specialty courses online for continuing education for pilots and other aviation professionals in the general aviation, business aviation and airline industries. The courses include Low Visibility CAT II / CAT III Operations; Required Navigation Performance; Reduced Vertical Separation Minimums; GPS; RNAV SAAAR Approaches and Precision Runway Monitoring. Visit www.erau.edu.
ARINC 818 IP Core
Great River Technology, Albuquerque, N.M., released its ARINC 818 IP core with support for Xilinx Virtex-2 Pro, Virtex-5 and Altera Stratix II GX FPGA devices. The ARINC 818 core is compliant with ARINC specification and provides flexibility for implementing and tuning a variety of video formats and timing classifications, the company said. The IP core is targeted for cameras, IR sensors, video processors and cockpit displays. It uses Xilinx Rocket IO or Altera GX transceivers to achieve ARINC 818 interfaces up to 4.25 Gbps. Visit www.greatrivertech.com.
LED Backlighting
DDP, El Segundo, Calif., designed a LED backlighting system compliant with night vision imaging system (NVIS) devices for aviation and military applications. The assembly uses two LEDs to create a 28VDC PCB array that offers a NVIS compatible Green Class A light source, the company said. It offers 50,000 hours of life. Visit www.ddpleds.com.
Bendix AV80R EFB
Honeywell introduced the Bendix/King AV8OR series electronic flight bags (EFB) for general aviation pilots. The series includes GPS navigation systems, a hand-held multifunction display and two Synthetic Vision-equipped portable cockpit information systems – the AV8OR Horizon 3D and AV8OR Vision 3D. The AV8OR Horizon 3D and AV8OR Vision 3D include Synthetic Vision graphical rendering of the environment. The AV8OR Horizon 3D includes a Samsung tablet PC with 4.3-inch, high-resolution touch-screen display. The AV8OR Vision 3D features a ruggedized touch-screen display and remote-mounted computer module. Both systems include air data sensor, Attitude Heading and Reference System and GPS. Both interface with optional traffic sensors and datalink weather receivers, and display approach plates for enhanced safety and convenience. Visit www.honeywell.com.
Class 3 EFB
DAC International, Austin, Texas, said its Gen-X Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) was approved by FAA for Class 3 installation in Bombardier CRJ series regional jets. The EFB package includes DAC’s GENESYS software suite, which supports digital chart data from Maptech, Jeppesen or Lido. GENESYS also provides operators the back-office server side software for centralized control and automatic update of all charts, publications, software and data. Visit www.dacint.com.
PCI Card
North Atlantic Industries (NAI), Bohemia, N.Y., upgraded the functionality of its 3-module, multi-function, half-slot PCI card. The 76C2 PCI card can accommodate 3 independent modules. NAI said the card is available in both commercial temperature range and severe environment, industrial temperature range. The 76C2 is available with operating temperature ranges of -40°C to +85°C and 0°C to +70°C. The company said the PCI card is suited for military and commercial programs, including airborne, shipboard and ground mobile applications. Visit www.naii.com.
Iridium PMA
International Communications Group (ICG), Newport News, Va., received FAA Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) to produce an updated version of its NxtLink 200 Iridium Communications System with fax and Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) capabilities. The approval expands the in-flight communications options for all aircraft, specifically for Gulfstream G150 and G200 operators, the company said. The NxtLink 200 incorporates two channels of Iridium that can support voice, fax and ACARS in one unit. The system’s dual Iridium transceivers with an internal Cabin Telecommunications Unit provide a system that can operate over a single coax and Iridium antenna. Visit www.intcomgrp.com.
Air Data Boom
SpaceAge Control, Palmdale, Calif., introduced the 101100 subminiature air data boom and customized derivatives, enabling technicians to accurately monitor airspeed, altitude, angle of attack and angle of sideslip on small unmanned aerial vehicles. The boom measures 18.5 inches long and 0.50 inches in diameter, and weighs 0.60 pounds. The boom includes pitot and static pressure ports and angle of attack and angle of sideslip sensors with voltage divider outputs. It has a temperature range of -65° to +125° C. Visit www.spaceagecontrol.com.
USB Interface
Data Device Corp. (DDC), Bohemia, N.Y., introduced a multi-protocol USB 2.0 Interface for Mil-Std-1553 and ARINC 429 data bus applications. The device, designated BU-65591U, provides two dual redundant 1553 channels, four ARINC 429 receive channels, two ARINC 429 transmit channels, seven Digital Discrete I/Os and an IRIG-B time synchronization input. Visit www.ddc-web.com.
Cabin Systems PMA
Flight Display Systems, Alpharetta, Ga., received FAA Parts Manufacturing Approval (PMA) for two cabin entertainment products — the Flight View Camera and the Satellite Radio Amplifier. The camera is mounted on the cockpit glare shield and allows passengers to see taxi, takeoff and landing. The amplifier allows passengers to have a satellite radio receiver at their seat. Visit www.flightdisplay.com.
EFB Adapter
Flight Deck Resources, Irvine, Calif., released the SkyFi 2000 wireless serial adapter for electronic flight bags (EFB). The SkyFi 2000 is a serial (RS-422,232,485) to wireless (802.11) adapter that enables a wireless connection between a GPS receiver and/or satellite weather receiver and any EFB equipped with 802.11 wireless connectivity. The connection enables pilots to show "own ship" position on airport maps and can also be used to provide moving maps and satellite weather displays. The company said adapter will help pilots with takeoffs and landings; reduce errors associated with taxi procedures and provide increased situational awareness. Visit www.flightdeck.aero.
Pre-Flight Software
Westar Aerospace & Defense, Huntsville, Ala., developed a pre-flight software system, called Vertical Visual Optimizer (VVO). The system retrieves wind data at user-defined altitudes from defense weather sites and other sources and then graphically displays head and tail wind speeds on a desktop, laptop or knee-board computer. Applicable to both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, VVO is available to all U.S. military aviation platforms and those of allied nations, Westar said. Visit www.westar.com.