Universal Avionics, the Tucson, Ariz. avionics manufacturer known best for its line of FMS equipment, anticipates gaining FAA certification early next year for civil aviation’s first commercially available synthetic-vision primary flight display system. Developed with seed money from the company’s own coffers, the revolutionary concept, called Cockpit 1, is designed to assist pilots during low-visibility operations, which remain a leading contributor to fatal aircraft accidents. FAA evaluations of the concept are scheduled to start this month.
Begun nearly three years ago as a major engineering initiative at the company’s headquarters in Arizona and at its engineering centers in Redmond, Wash., and Norcross, Ga., the Cockpit 1 synthetic-vision system (SVS) applies sophisticated software and computer processor technology to drive full-color flight displays, providing pilots with a virtual-reality view of the world ahead of the airplane that is intended to replicate clear, sunny conditions no matter what the actual weather outside the aircraft happens to be.
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