Rockwell Collins To Upgrade Air France B777-300 FFS

The French Civil Aviation Authority, La Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile (DGAC) has granted Level D approval for Rockwell Collins’ EP-8000 image generator on an Air France Boeing 777-300 full flight simulator. Following this first approval, Air France has selected the device to upgrade three additional Boeing 777 simulators this year.

“The EP-8000 delivers unsurpassed levels of realism in lighting, atmospherics and special effects in the environments it generates for flight training scenarios,” said Ken Schreder, vice president and general manager of Simulation & Training Solutions for Rockwell Collins. “Our customers tell us that this is the most realistic training visual they’ve experienced, which is a key driver behind the Air France decision to add the EP-8000 to more of their simulators.”

Another key factor is the high reliability and maintainability of the EP-8000, which is made possible by the system’s unique software architecture. Using commercial-off-the-shelf Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) technology, the EP-8000 generates unparalleled scene density, environment processing and performance. With a completely programmable graphics pipeline – unique in the marketplace – the EP-8000 provides an open, scalable approach that allows new features and technology insertions over the life cycle of the training program.

“The EP-8000 is the first visual system to apply software programmable technology to the entire graphics rendering process, which makes it much more cost-effective because it’s easier and less expensive to maintain,” explained Schreder.

The EP-8000 is available for both commercial and military training platforms and features:

• Near eye-limited resolution driving very high resolution displays.
• Real-world scene density and depth complexity.
• Sub-one meter out-the-window and sensor imagery over very large areas.
• Real-world correlated lighting, atmospherics, and special effects.
• An economically upgradeable graphics pipeline.
• The largest dedicated texture memory in the industry for high-resolution imagery.
• Industry leading reliability and maintainability – up to 20 years.

FMI: www.rockwellcollins.com