Page 31 - AAA MARCH - APRIL 2016 Online Magazine

FEATURE AvIATION TECHNOLOGY

LEFT: Elbit Systems Helicopter
Skylens wearable head-up
display has now entered its final
flight test stages

OPPOSITE BOTTOm:
Swiss International Air Lines
will take delivery of the first C
Series equipped with Rockwell
Collins systems, which includes
a dual Head-up Guidance System
(HGS). Rockwell Collins also
offers a single HGS as an option

a very strong presence in the Asia-Pacific end of February that testing with the TopMax systems with the final hardware as part of
region. Development of Head Up Displays at head-worn display in 2015, had met all its certification programs for commercial
Thales’s started in the 1970s on-board civil expectations set by the company. “Feedback aviation were performed for a variety of
aircraft and today, Thales is the sole supplier was extremely positive, confirming our manoeuvres, including rooftop landings and
of HUDs on the entire Airbus aircraft family belief that TopMax has huge potential,” said oil rig approaches above the sea in both day
from A318 to A350WXB, including NEO. Guillaume Lapeyronnie, Thales marketing and night conditions to recreate SAR, EMS
Thales is now also working on 5th generation manager for avionics activities. Feedback and rig transportation missions.
of Head Up Displays. While Airbus is of the product’s performance in terms Development flight tests, of Skylens
promoting HUDs as the baseline offering of stability, latency and comfort and its have demonstrated its wider field of view,
for its entire fleet, Thales continues to offer virtually unlimited field of view have been which allows the pilot to be able to fly “eyes
single HUD systems as part of its portfolio very positive. The TopMax head-worn out” even in bad weather. The system also
under customer request. display is expected to enter service in early offers higher resolution and an upgraded
What is certain that HUD technology is 2019. “Several potential customers are tracking system that depicts EVS video
here to stay and will proliferate across all very interested in this new product in the imagery as well as synthetic vision in
fixed wing and rotary wing types in the future. business aviation segment, commercial air severe weather conditions. The operational
With limited cockpit space and the large transport and civil helicopters markets,” configuration flight tests for the Helicopter
head-down displays that are already the adds Lapeyronnie. TopMax which weighs Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS),
largest available, “eyes-out” systems such as in a just 700 grams, along with the audio HeliEVS which is now in final stages of
head-up displays and head-worn displays will headset with Active Noise Reduction (ANR), development for commercial aviation, were
take increasing precedence in aircraft of the is being offered by Thales as an alternative conducted on a BO105 helicopter testbed.
future. These displays will be able to display or complementary solution to current HUDs. According to Elbit, “Pilots indicated that
real and enhanced or synthetic information It can be quickly installed and has minimal they could recognize, even at night and from
along with the aircraft’s trajectory and vector. footprint in the aircraft, making it ideal for long distances, obstacles and landing point
“The capacity to offer a trajectory that is easy rotorcraft and light business aircraft. around the oil rig from far away and to be
to fly in all phases of flight, and whatever Israeli firm Elbit Systems also able to plan ahead optimal approaches.”
system degradations the aircraft may be announced at HeliExpo 2016, last month, While Skylens is offered as a display solution
experiencing, will also be a key feature of that its Helicopter Skylens Wearable for non-helmet users, that provides head-
the advanced cockpit systems of the future,” HUD and Enhanced Flight Vision System up information, SkyVis is an add-on to the
says Gil Michielin, head of Thales’s avionics for Helicopters, HeliEVS had completed helicopter pilot’s own helmet providing a
business. successful flight tests in Final Operational conformal “head up” view and displaying
Configuration (FOC). Both products are part flight, vehicle and navigation symbology
Head-Worn Displays of Elbit’s Clearvision Enhanced Flight Vision for day, night and NVG operation, in limited
Head-word displays are a new technology System (EFVS) family, and HeliEVS has been weather conditions.
that is rapidly demonstrating significant developed from the ClearVision EVS for fix
benefits to users. Thales announced at the wing applications. Testing of the Skylens
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