Rockwell Collins has received the first certification of its Integrated Flight Information System (IFIS) on a Bombardier Challenger 601. Part of its Pro Line 21 family of advanced avionics, Collins IFIS enables such advanced capabilities as electronic charting, graphical weather and enhanced map overlays.

The system's electronic charting functionality provides operators with approaches, procedures (SIDs and STARs), airport diagrams and NOTAMS. When integrated with Collins flight management systems, operators have ready access to the appropriate charts for the entered flight plan and aircraft position may be viewed on geo-referenced charts, improving situational awareness. The charts are enhanced through proprietary graphics and color pallets designed to improve readability, especially at night.

Collins IFIS enables operators to take advantage of a variety of weather services to receive real-time data link weather images. For Continental US coverage XM WX Satellite Weather offers a low-cost solution providing continuous, real-time graphical weather. For aircraft equipped for data link, Universal Weather offers a wide range of graphical weather information--in addition to its traditional textual weather and Air Traffic Services capabilities--including NEXRAD and echo/tops movement data for the Continental United States, as well as worldwide turbulence, icing, graphical METARS and wind information.

The system's enhanced map overlays increase situational awareness on the flight deck. These overlays include geo-political boundaries, restricted and controlled airspace, and high- and low-level airways.

Central to IFIS is the Collins File Server Unit (FSU), integrated with the Pro Line 21 system's active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD) multifunction displays using an Ethernet network. The system's easy-to-use, graphical interfaces are designed to reduce complexity and improve efficiency. The FSU supports more than two gigabytes of data with growth to 16 gigabytes.

The FSU features an Ethernet portal for faster and more convenient software/database uploads, including FMS databases and traditional ARINC 429 interfaces. Future functionality is intended to include support of Controller Pilot Data Link Communication, two-dimensional vertical terrain profiles, three-dimensional terrain and live video.

FMI: www.rockwellcollins.com