Integrated Flight Information System works alongside Pro Line 21

Rockwell Collins has received certification of a dual Integrated Flight Information System (IFIS) on a Falcon 50. The system is integrated with the Falcon 50’s Pro Line 21 avionics system retrofit.

The Rockwell Collins IFIS enables such advanced capabilities as electronic charting, graphical weather and enhanced map overlays. Installation of a dual system brings level three Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) capability to the flight deck, allowing operators to transition to “paperless” operations.

“Collins IFIS provides enhanced safety and cockpit management through the use of a fully integrated EFB,” said Denny Helgeson, vice president and general manager, Business and Regional Systems. “Pilots who have flown with this new capability appreciate the enhanced situational awareness and intuitive user interface the system provides.”

Rockwell Collins received its first dual system certification earlier this year on a Challenger 601.  The system will also be standard on the Cessna Citation CJ3 and an option on the Gulfstream G150.  Additional Pro Line 21-equipped platforms are in development.

The system’s electronic charting functionality provides operators with approaches, procedures (SIDs and STARs), airport diagrams and NOTAMS.  Operators of Pro Line 21-equipped aircraft have ready access to the appropriate charts for the entered flight plan and aircraft position may be viewed on geo-referenced charts, improving situational awareness. The charts are enhanced through proprietary graphics and color pallets designed to improve readability, especially at night.

The IFIS system can also be integrated with non-Rockwell Collins flight management systems for operators who elect to install Rockwell Collins’ IDS-3000 integrated display system.

Rockwell Collins’ IFIS enables operators to take advantage of a variety of weather services to receive real-time data link weather images. For Continental US coverage, XM WX Satellite Weather offers a low-cost solution providing continuous, real-time graphical weather. For aircraft equipped for data link, Universal Weather offers a wide range of graphical weather information--in addition to its traditional textual weather and Air Traffic Services capabilities--including NEXRAD and echo/tops movement data for the Continental United States, as well as worldwide turbulence, icing, graphical METARS and wind information.

The system’s enhanced map overlays increase situational awareness on the flight deck.  These overlays include geo-political boundaries, restricted and controlled airspace, and high- and low-level airways.

Central to IFIS is the Rockwell Collins File Server Unit (FSU), integrated with the Pro Line 21 system’s active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) multifunction displays using an Ethernet network. The system’s easy-to-use, graphical interfaces are designed to reduce complexity and improve efficiency. The FSU supports more than two gigabytes of data with growth to 16 gigabytes and features an Ethernet portal for faster and more convenient software/database uploads, including FMS databases and traditional ARINC 429 interfaces.

FMI: www.rockwellcollins.com.