Professional Pilot, October 2017
The AeroVue package is more than just flight instruments and displays It also includes an autopilot radios 2 GPS units a Flight Management System FMS and add on options such as broadcast XM weather integrated with an aircraft radar display A significant side benefit is the weight savings from eliminating the legacy wiring package The cost of carrying this type of extra weight is sometimes overlooked but it has real impact on the aircraft operator Older conventional instruments require a wiring harness and power supply that supports single instruments When multiplied the instruments themselves and the extra connectors and power supplies all add more weight If you can also translate an upgrade into a payload increase of 200 lbs now youre talking By using Honeywells Primus Epic as the core of the BendixKing AeroVue wizardry all the legacy wiring is replaced with a computer style 88 PROFESSIONAL PILOT October 2017 network connection from the engines and other critical sensors that are connected to small cards rather than boxes This architecture was unveiled in the late 90s with the goal of replacing box type Line Replaceable Units LRUs in new bizjets with a small computer card for each system function The cards called Modular Adoptive Units MAUs by Honeywell are now your air data computer navigation system and FMS These cards and the backplane or computer board connection provide the flightdeck with jet style flight displays navigation communications and more Single or dual pilot operation From the beginning the AeroVue was planned to provide the largest Primary Flight Displays PFDs and map display possible for the lower end of bizjets and turboprops So at startup the AeroVue flightdeck comes alive in a big way with 2 large format PFDs nav weather graphical flight plan and readouts on aircraft engines and other critical levels Each shows all the aircraft instruments and even the engine instruments can be seen on this single display tucked nicely into the right side of the pilots scan The HSI is integrated with radar imagery and the aircraft navigation and autopilot modes are at the top of the PFD enabling a single straightahead glance The central Multifunction Display MFD is used for flight planning and map modes vertical profile flight info integrated weather and aircraft location With this design AeroVue superbly supports single and dual pilot operations in the King Air or Citation Everything critical for a single pilot is built into this display which provides an easy scan to allow precise navigation Centralized tactical and strategic planning capabilities from departure to approach are augmented with even more useful information such as enroute weather to help the pilot make good decisions The panel layout and controls on the mode control panel and pedestal allow both single and dual pilot activities to share the workload So if you have helping hands when flying there is space and information to work and share planning navigation and communications tasks On the arrival phase you can display approach plates taxi maps and more Even the design of the backup flight instrument fits well and can be accommodated for both sides of the panel if desired There are also several safety features integrated within these displays that include Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems TAWS and Traffic Collision Avoidance System TCAS Additionally Bendix King enables the integration of legacy components for these functions If the aircraft is not already equipped there are options for adding in TCAS and Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning Systems EGPWS Everyone wants an easier cockpit scan and better situational awareness and the AeroVue delivers The PFD and the map or the MFD will coagulate traffic terrain and weather information into a single integrated picture So whether youre flying solo or with a copilot your safety management program is taken to a new level with this flightdeck AeroVue has optional Synthetic Vision Systems SVSs that provide details of the terrain and runway features which significantly reduce crew workload when flying IFR
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