FedEx gets FAA nod for situational awareness avionics system

Federal Express has received a US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) supplemental type certificate for a new avionics system that enhances situational awareness for pilots during the critical time of take off and landing. FedEx now plans to install the system on its fleet of MD-10 freighter aircraft.

The situational awareness system combines Honeywell's head up display (HUD) and Elbit Systems of America's infra-red enhanced flight vision system (EFVS). The system, according to Fed Ex, "dramatically improves situational awareness for pilots during take-off and landing, the most critical part of any flight."
How it works:

The system used the Honeywell HUD, which interfaces with the aircraft's navigational and flight data systems to present a high-resolution liquid crystal display (LCD) of critical flight guidance information. This is then overlaid with real-time EFVS infra-red video of the outside world, displayed in an overhead unit in the captain's forward field of view, using HUD "combiner" technology. Elbit Systems' electro-optics-elop manufactures the combiner glass.

A statement from Fed Ex said that upon activation, the system significantly enhances the pilot's visibility in poor weather conditions, including darkness, smoke, smog, haze, and other weather events, while simultaneously viewing critical flight data. ''This allows the captain to maintain a heads-up view of his surroundings, eliminating transition time normally needed to look down at cockpit primary flight information,'' it said, claiming it to be similar to enhancements created by infra-red night-vision technologies used in contemporary defence systems.

Fed Ex is the first commercial airline to receive a certification for the system, and is optimistic about seeking FAA approval to expand the installation of the system across its entire fleet. The airlines' MD-10F modification program for the system is scheduled to commence this summer, and will be completed around 2012.