Enhanced Vision System II/Head-Up Display II Provide Operational Credit

The FAA has certified Gulfstream's Enhanced Vision System (EVS) II and Head-Up Display (HUD) II for the new G280 business jet. The systems allow pilots to see terrain, runways, taxiways and possible obstructions in low-visibility conditions. The FAA certification means the enhanced flight vision system, which has been integrated with Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics and HUD II, provides operational credit. G280 aircraft equipped with the systems can land in weather conditions that would be prohibitive for nonequipped aircraft.

“The addition of EVS II/HUD II as an option for the G280 enhances the PlaneView280 flight deck, already the most advanced in its class,” said Dan Nale, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. “EVS and HUD work together to dramatically increase a pilot’s situational awareness at night and during low-visibility conditions. The end result is improved safety in nearly any weather.”

EVS II captures actual, real-time images of an aircraft’s surroundings using an infrared camera mounted in the nose. The HUD II uses a liquid crystal display to project images onto a transparent combiner in the pilot’s forward field of view, and integrates the images with flight guidance information. EVS II/HUD II is now available as an option on new G280s and as a retrofit on in-service aircraft. The systems are a standard feature on Gulfstream’s in-production large-cabin aircraft, the G650, G550 and G450. EVS II with a Head-Down Display is available as an option on the in-production, mid-cabin G150.

To date, Gulfstream’s EVS (I and II) is on more than 800 in-service Gulfstream aircraft. In September 2001, EVS became the first advanced vision system to be certified by the FAA. It was initially installed on a GV. The FAA validated the safety benefits of enhanced flight vision  systems in January 2004, when it made a Federal Aviation Regulation Part 91 rule change, allowing pilots to use enhanced flight visibility to identify the runway environment and continue the approach below decision height.

EVS II earned FAA approval in late 2007. It is 22 pounds lighter than the original and has four times the computational power and memory. The G280, which was certified and entered service in 2012, is one of the most comprehensively equipped aircraft in the super mid-size class. Standard features include auto throttles, auto brakes, automatic descent mode, Wide Area Augmentation System/Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance approaches, and Future Air Navigation System 1/A capability.

FMI: www.gulfstream.com