To Be Used In L-3 SmartDeck Avionics Suite

S-TEC announced Thursday it has received FAA Technical Standard Order (TSO) Authorization for its new IntelliFlight 1950 Digital Flight Control System (DFCS), to be incorporated as a standard feature on the SmartDeck Integrated Flight Controls and Display System from L-3 Communications.

"This is a major milestone in the ongoing development of the IntelliFlight 1950 as an integrated flight control solution for avionics manufacturers," said Greg Plantz, S-TEC's Vice President, Sales and Marketing. "The 1950 is the first S-TEC Digital Flight Control System to have its flight control computer fully integrated into the avionics suite. This is the way cockpits are evolving and we're excited that S-TEC is on the forefront of providing this capability."

"We designed SmartDeck to be a complete avionics system that puts everything a pilot could want at their fingertips, and the advanced integration capabilities of the S-TEC IntelliFlight 1950 DFCS helped us achieve that objective," said Larry Riddle, Vice President of Business Development for L-3 Avionics Systems. "Some of the features, such as Indicated Airspeed Hold and NAV/GPS (Roll Steering) Mode work seamlessly with SmartDeck's advanced navigation system. You can literally fly a full instrument approach all the way through the missed approach and hold using this autopilot with SmartDeck - it's an integral part of making SmartDeck a versatile system that will be used on a range of aircraft from piston singles to VLJs."

"We worked closely with L-3 to provide a system that would provide their SmartDeck with an integrated display and flight control solution that would aid in the reduction of pilot workload while providing optimum control functionality," explained Randle Jennings, Engineering Program Manager, S-TEC. "For example, the autopilot/flight director controls for the IntelliFlight 1950 are integrated with the SmartDeck, eliminating the need for another control panel in the aircraft."

Introduced last September at NBAA 2007, SmartDeck is a scalable, full avionics system that provides the user with an abundance of information in an intuitive "three clicks or less" arrangement. The system is designed to create a safe, simple and easy-to-control cockpit environment.

A number of leading L-3 technologies -- such as the SkyWatch collision avoidance system, LandMark terrain awareness warning system, Stormscope lightning detection system and IRISTM Infrared Imaging System -- interface with SmartDeck to provide a high level of situational awareness.

"The IntelliFlight 1950 uses control laws that have been proven on earlier versions of the product and certified on a wide-variety of high-performance aircraft," Jennings added. "In addition, changes required for the system's installation on different airplanes are contained in a separate memory to allow custom tailoring of flight control characteristics without having to re-certify the software."

Jennings also said that the packaging of the IntelliFlight 1950 DFCS has been updated from previous versions to minimize the systems weight and reduce the cost of installation. In addition, the 1950 has been tested to the latest industry specifications for environmental (DO-160E), software (DO-178B) and hardware (DO-254) requirements.

FMI: www.s-tec.com, www.l-3avionics.com