Mercury Computer Systems, Inc. has released VistaNav version 1.5, its multi-function flight display system with synthetic vision technology. This latest release of the VistaNav system integrates XM satellite weather information including NEXRAD Precipitation and Cloud information, Live TFRs, METAR Flight Rules Indicators (FRI), as well as detailed METAR and TAF text information.

The VistaNav system provides the pilot with a complete portable navigation solution including 3D Synthetic Vision, Highway-in-the-Sky (HITS) Flight Path Guidance, 3D Terrain Views and 3D Approach Display. In addition to its synthetic vision features, VistaNav can display 2D navigation in either full or split-screen formats.

"Adding XM weather to VistaNav’s three-dimensional synthetic vision provides the pilot with a complete, portable navigation solution and greatly enhances their ability to negotiate both terrain and weather in challenging flight conditions," said Philippe Roy, Director of the Visualization & Simulation Group, Commercial Imaging and Visualization, Mercury Computer Systems.

"This combination of advanced 3D visualization technology and state-of-the-art inertial navigation hardware delivers unprecedented situational awareness to pilots in a portable cockpit solution."

The VistaNav system includes an INU (Inertial Navigation Unit) featuring 3D solid-state inertial sensors, a WAAS-enabled (Wide Area Augmentation System) GPS receiver, and a Bluetooth® wireless interface. The unit can be mounted in a number of places inside an aircraft and communicates through a wireless interface using a tablet PC mobile computing platform (MCP). The MCP has a high-resolution 5"x 8" LCD display with a full navigation user interface that allows pilots to manage all phases of flight, from preparation to parking. The entire unit is powered by the aircraft power supply and includes rechargeable batteries that will operate for up to one hour in the event of an aircraft electrical failure. Both the INU and MCP are designed to be removed or installed in an aircraft in less than three minutes.

FMI: www.mc.com/vistanav