[Avionics Today 02-19-2015] Piedmont Airlines has selected Universal Avionics to provide GPS-based Flight Management Systems (FMS) for their fleet of Bombardier Dash 8 100 aircraft. Under a new contract, Universal will provide an FMS to support operations with all procedural leg types adhering to ARINC 424. This will allow Piedmont to fly complex procedures such as a heading to altitude, precision arc, procedure turn, holding pattern and all the necessary maneuvers required to accurately fly Standard Instrument Departure Routes (SIDs) and Standard Arrival Routes (STARs).
Piedmont is upgrading the Flight Management Systems for its fleet of Dash 8 aircraft, pictured here. Photo: Universal Avionics.
“Solely VOR/DME-based navigation can’t be part of the equation anymore for a U.S. regional airline. In standardizing for the Q-Series, Piedmont will benefit from Universal Avionics’ FMS innovations while realizing operational efficiencies through investment in technology,” said Norm Matheis, regional sales manager, Canada for Universal Avionics.