Safety Enhanced In Low Visibility, Night Operations

The Bombardier Enhanced Vision System (BEVS) and Head-up Display (HUD) for the Challenger 605 jet has received FAA certification, Bombardier Aerospace announced Thursday.

BEVS provides pilots with significantly improved situational awareness and the ability to observe runway lights and the runway environment in difficult operating conditions, such as low visibility and or darkness. BEVS also enhances safety by helping to identify runway incursions.

“This certification is great news for Challenger 605 aircraft operators in North America. Safety is a priority in our industry and the new BEVS will provide flight crews and passengers with a significantly increased level of safety in their operations,” said Michel Ouellette, vice-president and general manager, Challenger, Bombardier Business Aircraft.

The SureSight CMA-2600i InfraRed camera provides superior sensitivity and advanced processing of real-time images in darkness or low-visibility conditions. The camera’s positioning on the upper portion of the aircraft nose places the BEVS directly in line with the pilot's visual reference point and makes cockpit views more natural. It provides images of the approach, runway lighting and of terrain scenery that are displayed on the pilot’s head up display (HUD) and on the co-pilot’s Multi Function Display, a head-down display that provides the same level of situational awareness for better communication during critical phases of flight.

The BEVS HUD display features a wide field-of-view digital head-up display with a liquid crystal display image source. The system provides pilots with the same comprehensive flight-guidance symbology whether the EVS image is displayed or not, offering improved situational awareness, stable visual approaches, improved touchdown precision and greater safety through eyes-out-of-the-flight-deck operation.

BEVS is being developed in cooperation with Rockwell Collins, the overall HUD and Enhanced Vision System integrator, and Esterline CMC Electronics, the supplier of the SureSight CMA-2600i Integrated Sensor System, a new development of the currently certified CMA-2600.

FMI: www.bombardier.com