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48-611: SmartDeck is one of the many systems available today known as a “ glass cockpit .” Popularized by large transport category aircraft in the 1980s, the glass cockpit is a high technology cockpit configuration in which the traditional flight instruments and gauges are replaced by computer screens that combine information into an organized and user friendly format. As computer technology advances, glass cockpit systems are declining in cost and becoming available in smaller general aviation aircraft. These technologies are often able to offer pilots more flight information than would be available in

96-399: A trackball , thumb pad or joystick as a pilot-input device in a computer-style environment. Many of the modifications offered by the aircraft manufacturers improve situational awareness and customize the human-machine interface to increase safety. Modern glass cockpits might include synthetic vision systems (SVS) or enhanced flight vision systems (EFVS). Synthetic vision systems display

144-591: A PS Engineering audio panel, a transponder and the S-TEC Intelliflight 1950 Integrated Digital Flight Control System (DFCS). SmartDeck interfaces with the L-3 Avionics SkyWatch collision avoidance system, Landmark terrain awareness warning system (TAWS B), Stormscope lightning detection system and IRIS Infrared Imaging System, among other avionics technologies. The SmartDeck system is customizable for different customers and platforms. SmartDeck features

192-534: A backup battery. In 2010, the NTSB published a study done on 8,000 general aviation light aircraft. The study found that, although aircraft equipped with glass cockpits had a lower overall accident rate, they also had a larger chance of being involved in a fatal accident. The NTSB Chairman said in response to the study: Training is clearly one of the key components to reducing the accident rate of light planes equipped with glass cockpits, and this study clearly demonstrates

240-626: A conventional style cockpit and many feature a high level of automation that can aid the pilot in navigation and system monitoring. L-3 created SmartDeck as an alternative to other glass cockpit systems currently on the market. The major design objectives of integration and ease of use were achieved by designing the menu structure with a “three-clicks-or-less” philosophy similar to the Apple iPod and by incorporating navigation, weather, traffic and terrain avoidance, communication, flight controls, engine monitoring and enhanced vision into one cockpit system. This

288-438: A glass cockpit uses several multi-function displays and a primary flight display driven by flight management systems , that can be adjusted to show flight information as needed. This simplifies aircraft operation and navigation and allows pilots to focus only on the most pertinent information. They are also popular with airline companies as they usually eliminate the need for a flight engineer , saving costs. In recent years

336-418: A high level of redundancy that offers added safety in the event of a system failure. The dual ADAHRS continuously compare flight data and alert the pilot if the difference between the two units exceeds a predefined tolerance; during an ADAHRS miscompare, both flight displays will act as PFDs and the discrepancy will be highlighted. This is known as reversionary mode, a condition in which both screens combine all

384-644: A realistic 3D depiction of the outside world (similar to a flight simulator ), based on a database of terrain and geophysical features in conjunction with the attitude and position information gathered from the aircraft navigational systems. Enhanced flight vision systems add real-time information from external sensors, such as an infrared camera. All new airliners such as the Airbus A380 , Boeing 787 and private jets such as Bombardier Global Express and Learjet use glass cockpits. Many modern general aviation aircraft are available with glass cockpits. Systems such as

432-606: A serious glass-cockpit blackout, losing half of the Electronic Centralised Aircraft Monitor ( ECAM ) displays as well as all radios, transponders, Traffic Collision Avoidance System ( TCAS ), and attitude indicators. The pilots were able to land at Newark Airport without radio contact in good weather and daylight conditions. Airbus has offered an optional fix, which the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has suggested to

480-440: A true departure. They look and behave very similarly to other computers, with windows and data that can be manipulated with point-and-click devices. They also add terrain, approach charts, weather, vertical displays, and 3D navigation images. The improved concepts enable aircraft makers to customize cockpits to a greater degree than previously. All of the manufacturers involved have chosen to do so in one way or another—such as using

528-582: Is achieved by combining a number of L-3’s situational awareness technologies into the system. At the National Business Aviation Association annual convention in October 2010, CMC Electronics announced that it had acquired the SmartDeck technology from L-3 and L-3 ceased all development. CMC has continued the development and, as of March 2012, was expecting to announce a launch customer in

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576-448: Is coded “9900,” which means light and variable. ABR, ABI, and ALS are the weather station abbreviations used in this report. Wind speeds over 99 knots are extracted by subtracting 50 from the direction and adding 100 to the speed. Thus, for example, the wind forecast for Abilene (ABI) at 30,000 feet, shown above as 7603, indicates a forecast wind of 260 degrees at 103 knots (76-50=26 or 260, and speed became 100+03=103). This forecast

624-500: Is customizable and much of the information can be combined onto one page to decrease the need for frequently changing screens. The map page is displayed for the majority of a routine flight on the MFD to aid the pilot in navigation and to assist with situational awareness. A moving map can be displayed in a VFR or IFR format on the MFD with an aircraft icon that represents the aircraft’s present position. A number of selectable options allow

672-462: Is now made four times a day based on 0000Z, 0600Z, 1200Z, and 1800Z data (the Z stands for Zulu and indicates Coordinated Universal Time ). The forecasts are valid 6 (FD1/8), 12 (FD2/9), and 24 (FD3/10) hours after the observation date/times of 0000Z and 1200Z upon which they are based. Depending on station elevation, FD1/2/3 wind forecasts are issued for the following levels: 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, 24, 30, 34, and 39 thousand feet. The first level for which

720-581: Is reflected in the total acceptance of electronic flight displays. The safety and efficiency of flights have been increased with improved pilot understanding of the aircraft's situation relative to its environment (or " situational awareness "). By the end of the 1990s, liquid-crystal display (LCD) panels were increasingly favored among aircraft manufacturers because of their efficiency, reliability and legibility. Earlier LCD panels suffered from poor legibility at some viewing angles and poor response times, making them unsuitable for aviation. Modern aircraft such as

768-457: Is the integrated autopilot used with SmartDeck. It is a two-axis attitude-based digital autopilot with a flight director. Autopilot controls are located on the CCU and include heading, nav, approach, indicated airspeed hold, vertical speed hold, and altitude hold buttons. With the autopilot engaged, the system can fly full instrument approaches and holds automatically as well as pilot created holds using

816-408: Is the only glass cockpit system in the light aircraft market that includes a display dedicated to such functions. Because radio frequencies, flight plan data and airport info can also be manipulated on the MFD, SmartDeck provides a “feature in use” annunciation if the user is accessing or modifying information in two places at once. When airways or instrument approaches are loaded into a flight plan,

864-559: The Boeing 737 Next Generation , 777 , 717 , 747-400ER , 747-8F 767-400ER , 747-8 , and 787 , Airbus A320 family (later versions), A330 (later versions), A340-500/600 , A340-300 (later versions), A380 and A350 are fitted with glass cockpits consisting of LCD units. The glass cockpit has become standard equipment in airliners , business jets , and military aircraft . It was fitted into NASA's Space Shuttle orbiters Atlantis , Columbia , Discovery , and Endeavour , and

912-590: The Diamond DA42 . The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II features a "panoramic cockpit display" touchscreen that replaces most of the switches and toggles found in an aircraft cockpit. The civilian Cirrus Vision SF50 has the same, which they call a "Perspective Touch" glass cockpit. Unlike the previous era of glass cockpits—where designers merely copied the look and feel of conventional electromechanical instruments onto cathode-ray tubes—the new displays represent

960-534: The FAA . The system was certified in a Cirrus SR22 . A limited STC is available through aftermarket dealers for installation on the Cirrus SR22 G2 model aircraft. L-3 was also awarded the development phase for Cirrus’ new “ Cirrus Vision SF50 ”. Later in the program, Cirrus decided to switch to a similar system by Garmin, prompting L-3 to sue them for $ 18M. Following FAA certification, SmartDeck will compete directly with

1008-570: The Garmin G1000 are now available on many new GA aircraft, including the classic Cessna 172 . Many small aircraft can also be modified post-production to replace analogue instruments. Glass cockpits are also popular as a retrofit for older private jets and turboprops such as Dassault Falcons , Raytheon Hawkers , Bombardier Challengers , Cessna Citations , Gulfstreams , King Airs , Learjets , Astras , and many others. Aviation service companies work closely with equipment manufacturers to address

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1056-500: The Garmin G1000 , Avidyne Entegra , Chelton FlightLogic and the Collins Pro Line series. Glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features an array of electronic (digital) flight instrument displays , typically large LCD screens, rather than traditional analog dials and gauges. While a traditional cockpit relies on numerous mechanical gauges (nicknamed "steam gauges") to display information,

1104-707: The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 , Boeing 737 Classic , ATR 42 , ATR 72 and in the Airbus A300-600 and A310 , used electronic flight instrument systems (EFIS) to display attitude and navigational information only, with traditional mechanical gauges retained for airspeed, altitude, vertical speed, and engine performance. The Boeing 757 and 767-200/-300 introduced an electronic engine-indicating and crew-alerting system (EICAS) for monitoring engine performance while retaining mechanical gauges for airspeed, altitude and vertical speed. Later glass cockpits, found in

1152-472: The attitude indicator and horizontal situation indicator (HSI). However, the 2707 was cancelled in 1971 after insurmountable technical difficulties and ultimately the end of project funding by the US government. The average transport aircraft in the mid-1970s had more than one hundred cockpit instruments and controls, and the primary flight instruments were already crowded with indicators, crossbars, and symbols, and

1200-557: The integrated standby instrument system . Glass cockpits originated in military aircraft in the late 1960s and early 1970s; an early example is the Mark II avionics of the F-111D (first ordered in 1967, delivered from 1970 to 1973), which featured a multi-function display . Prior to the 1970s, air transport operations were not considered sufficiently demanding to require advanced equipment like electronic flight displays. Also, computer technology

1248-400: The 73 and add 100 to the 19, and the wind would be 230° at 119 knots with a temperature of –60 °C. If the wind speed is forecast to be 200 knots or greater, the wind group is coded as 99 knots. For example, when the data appears as “7799,” subtract 50 from 77 and add 100 to 99, and the wind is 270° at 199 knots or greater. When the forecast wind speed is calm, or less than 5 knots, the data group

1296-566: The Aux page are normal, abnormal and emergency checklists, aircraft performance charts and a setup page for customization of the PFD and MFD screens. Checklist progress is maintained when switching to other pages giving the pilot quick access to procedures without hindering safe navigation. The SmartDeck CCU is a smaller display screen used for entering flight plan data, obtaining airport information, and entering nav/com frequencies or transponder codes. SmartDeck

1344-661: The Boeing 737NG , 747-400 , 767-400 , 777 , Airbus A320 , later Airbuses, Ilyushin Il-96 and Tupolev Tu-204 have completely replaced the mechanical gauges and warning lights in previous generations of aircraft. While glass cockpit-equipped aircraft throughout the late 20th century still retained analog altimeters , attitude , and airspeed indicators as standby instruments in case the EFIS displays failed, more modern aircraft have increasingly been using digital standby instruments as well, such as

1392-460: The CCU will automatically change to the appropriate navigation frequencies as the flight progresses. The system displays the location identifier next to communication frequencies when selected from the database and identifies the Morse code ID for navigation frequencies. A save feature allows up to 30 flight plans with as many as 100 waypoints to be saved on the unit. The S-TEC Intelliflight 1950 DFCS

1440-440: The PFD. Dedicated buttons along the bottom of the PFD are used to change the reference bugs for indicated airspeed , course, heading, altitude and vertical speed as well as the barometer setting and source for navigation information. The reference bug settings also control the autopilot and flight director . SmartDeck's PFD is also equipped with synthetic vision , a 3D rendering of obstacles, terrain and airports that allows

1488-661: The Russian Soyuz TMA model spacecraft that were launched for the first time in 2002. By the end of the century glass cockpits began appearing in general aviation aircraft as well. In 2003, Cirrus Design 's SR20 and SR22 became the first light aircraft equipped with glass cockpits, which they made standard on all Cirrus aircraft. By 2005 , even basic trainers like the Piper Cherokee and Cessna 172 were shipping with glass cockpits as options (which nearly all customers chose), as well as many modern utility aircraft such as

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1536-571: The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as mandatory, but the FAA has yet to make it a requirement. A preliminary NTSB factsheet is available. Due to the possibility of a blackout, glass cockpit aircraft also have an integrated standby instrument system that includes (at a minimum) an artificial horizon , altimeter and airspeed indicator . It is electronically separate from the main instruments and can run for several hours on

1584-532: The US and Canada, but becoming known as "FB", following the World Meteorological Organization [WMO] nomenclature), is a forecast of specific atmospheric conditions in terms of wind and temperature at certain altitudes , typically measured in feet (ft) above mean sea level (MSL). The forecast is specifically used for aviation purposes. The components of a winds and temperatures aloft forecast are displayed as DDss+/-TT : Above 24,000 feet,

1632-461: The electro-mechanical flight instruments in the space shuttles with glass cockpit components. The articles mentioned how glass cockpit components had the added benefit of being a few hundred pounds lighter than the original flight instruments and support systems used in the Space Shuttles. The Space Shuttle Atlantis was the first orbiter to be retrofitted with a glass cockpit in 2000 with

1680-788: The event of a failed connection; however, the system will continue to function normally as long as part of the redundant network connections remain linked. The chief purpose of the SmartDeck Primary Flight Display is to provide the attitude , airspeed , altitude , turn rate , vertical speed and course information available in the standard six pack of a conventional cockpit. In addition, the PFD gives autopilot mode information, abbreviated engine parameters, glide slope and localizer information and winds aloft . Quick reference true airspeed , ground speed , density altitude , outside air temperature, bearing , ground track , DME data, and time en route data are also displayed on

1728-412: The format changes by omitting a +/- sign on temperature. Temperatures at high aviation altitudes are below zero Celsius. If the wind speed is forecast to be greater than 99 knots but less than 199 knots, the computer adds 50 to the direction and subtracts 100 from the speed. To decode this type of data group, the reverse must be accomplished. For example, when the data appears as “731960,” subtract 50 from

1776-452: The growing number of cockpit elements were competing for cockpit space and pilot attention. As a result, NASA conducted research on displays that could process the raw aircraft system and flight data into an integrated, easily understood picture of the flight situation, culminating in a series of flights demonstrating a full glass cockpit system. The success of the NASA-led glass cockpit work

1824-551: The launch of STS-101 . Columbia was the second orbiter with a glass cockpit on STS-109 in 2002, followed by Discovery in 2005 with STS-114 , and Endeavour in 2007 with STS-118 . NASA's Orion spacecraft will use glass cockpits derived from Boeing 787 Dreamliner . As aircraft operation depends on glass cockpit systems, flight crews must be trained to deal with failures. The Airbus A320 family has seen fifty incidents where several flight displays were lost. On 25 January 2008, United Airlines Flight 731 experienced

1872-432: The life and death importance of appropriate training on these complex systems... While the technological innovations and flight management tools that glass cockpit-equipped airplanes bring to the general aviation community should reduce the number of fatal accidents, we have not—unfortunately—seen that happen. Winds aloft Winds aloft , officially known as the winds and temperatures aloft forecast , (known as "FD" in

1920-597: The map page. Chart overlay gives aircraft position on the designated Jeppessen chart in lieu of the map. This function allows the pilot to maintain additional situational awareness throughout the approach and departure phases of the flight. The auxiliary page combines a large amount of aircraft system data into one easy to navigate page. The various submenus of the auxiliary page display aircraft systems, such as engine parameters and electrical; system health, which displays connections of different components; and subsystems, like GPS or transponder functionality. Also available on

1968-606: The near future. The user interface for a basic SmartDeck system consists of one primary flight display (PFD) , one multi-function display (MFD) , one flight display controller (FDC), and a center console unit (CCU) display system. Other components include two air data attitude and heading reference systems (ADAHRS), two data concentrators, two magnetometers , two WAAS GPS receivers, two nav/com radios with

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2016-631: The needs of the owners of these aircraft. Today, smartphones and tablets use mini-applications, or "apps", to remotely control complex devices, by WiFi radio interface. They demonstrate how the "glass cockpit" idea is being applied to consumer devices. Applications include toy-grade UAVs which use the display and touch screen of a tablet or smartphone to employ every aspect of the "glass cockpit" for instrument display, and fly-by-wire for aircraft control. The glass cockpit idea made news in 1980s trade magazines, like Aviation Week & Space Technology , when NASA announced that it would be replacing most of

2064-412: The pilot to easily customize the detail level of the moving map. Selectable map overlays include: Additionally, pilot selectable traffic, weather and terrain information is available on dedicated thumbnails or overlaid on the map. A thumbnail overlay for an enhanced vision display is also available. During instrument approaches or while performing SIDs and STARs, a chart overlay option is available on

2112-416: The pilot to see "through" weather and darkness. The image moves in real time with the aircraft and presents a clear view of the outside environment. SmartDeck’s MFD contains a host of flight information available on a number of “pages” dedicated to different functions. Each page features its own menu and submenus that are used to control the display options. The amount of information available on each screen

2160-469: The standard PFD information with a number of key MFD functions. Each component in the system is connected via a dual IEEE 1394 interface , also known as FireWire . This high speed connection interface is common on high-speed computers and is also used on military aircraft such as the F-22 Raptor and F-35 Lightning II . Users can monitor the system health on the MFD during flight and will be notified in

2208-468: The technology has also become widely available in small aircraft. As aircraft displays have modernized, the sensors that feed them have modernized as well. Traditional gyroscopic flight instruments have been replaced by electronic attitude and heading reference systems (AHRS) and air data computers (ADCs), improving reliability and reducing cost and maintenance. GPS receivers are usually integrated into glass cockpits. Early glass cockpits, found in

2256-478: The “place hold” function. After the desired mode is activated, autopilot parameters such as vertical speed and heading are selected using dedicated buttons along the bottom of the PFD and changed with a concentric control knob on the Flight Data Controller. The various autopilot modes include: SmartDeck has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) Authorization and Supplemental Type Certification (STC) from

2304-437: Was not at a level where sufficiently light and powerful electronics were available. The increasing complexity of transport aircraft, the advent of digital systems and the growing air traffic congestion around airports began to change that. The Boeing 2707 was one of the earliest commercial aircraft designed with a glass cockpit. Most cockpit instruments were still analog, but cathode-ray tube (CRT) displays were to be used for

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