Head-Up Guidance System Will Be Used On All New 737-700s

Rockwell Collins says Southwest Airlines has selected its Flight Dynamics Head-up Guidance System HGS 4000 for installation on new Boeing 737-700 aircraft. Southwest Airlines took delivery of the first HGS-4000 equipped airplane Tuesday at Boeing Field in Seattle.

The HGS-4000 system installed on the Southwest airplane is the 2000th shipset of HGS equipment delivered by Rockwell Collins.

"We've had many years of good service from the Flight Dynamics HGS-2300 and 2350 systems. These systems are flying on more than 400 Southwest Airlines airplanes. We have chosen to upgrade to the HGS-4000 on all our future deliveries to take advantage of its new features and capabilities," says Mark Clayton, director, flight operations for Southwest Airlines.

"Southwest Airlines is a leader in the airline industry, and we are very proud to be one of its valued suppliers. Having our 2000th system installed on one of Southwest's airplanes is a significant milestone for our company," said John Desmond, vice president, Flight Dynamics for Rockwell Collins.

New features of the HGS-4000 include runway remaining, tailstrike avoidance and unusual attitude recovery. The system has an instrument landing system (ILS) anomaly detect feature which will filter out ILS disturbances during the final approach phase. It will also allow Southwest to fly GPS-based Landing System (GLS)-based precision approaches to lower-than-standard Cat I minima.

HGS presents critical flight information in the pilot's forward field of view. Aircraft flight path and acceleration symbols overlay the outside scene enhancing situational awareness, improving energy management and increasing touchdown precision.

FMI: www.rockwellcollins.com