Rockwell Collins announced Sunday at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh that its engineers have developed a touchscreen interface for the Pro Line Fusion avionics suite. While no OEM has yet ordered Pro Line Fusion with the touchscreen interface, certification of the touchscreen capability will take place in 2013 and it is expected to appear in future Pro Line Fusion cockpits. Pro Line Fusion will first appear in Bombardier’s Global 5000 and 6000 and is slated for the Gulfstream G280, Learjet 85, Embraer Legacy 450 and 500 and Mitsubishi MRJ.
Rockwell Collins hasn’t exhibited at EAA AirVenture for many years, but this year chose to become a platinum sponsor of the show. The Rockwell Collins (air-conditioned!) tent showcases the old and the new, from the touchscreen Fusion PFD and MFD to examples of avionics that the company pioneered such as the Apollo lunar lander communications system, the HSI, V-bars and the first EFIS. Given that Rockwell Collins has been in the aviation business for 75 years, said Colin Mahoney, vice president of marketing, “Why haven’t we been here? This really is the absolute place to be in aviation this coming week.”
