Rockwell Collins has announced that Lufthansa CityLine recently performed its first low visibility take-off using Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics Head-Up Guidance System (HGS). The Bombardier CRJ200 was taking off from Milan’s Malpensa airport under foggy conditions.

The reported visibility was below 150 meters runway visual range (RVR), which is normally required for take-off at Malpensa. With HGS, Lufthansa CityLine can take-off in visibility conditions as low as 75 meters RVR.

Lufthansa CityLine operates a fleet of 43 CRJ 200 and 20 CRJ 700 aircraft, which are all equipped with the Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics HGS.

Operational approval for the low-visibility take-off capability was granted by the Luftfahrtbundesamt on Oct. 31, 2004. Sixty-eight airports in Europe are now capable of supporting low visibility take-off operations.

“The weather situation in Northern Europe in general and Northern Italy in particular can be challenging for the airline industry. Any airline that can operate in reduced visibility conditions will have a competitive advantage. That’s why we like the Head-up Guidance System. It allows our jets to take off when the others can’t,” said Captain Raimund F. Neuhold, Area Captain for Lufthansa CityLine in Hamburg.

The HGS is an innovative system that redefines the interface between the pilot and the aircraft. By projecting the necessary flight guidance information onto a glass combiner directly in the forward field of view of the pilot, the system enables manually-flown landings down to a minimum visibility of 200 meters (Category III) in addition to low-visibility take-offs.

FMI: www.rockwellcollins.com