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.
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