Duncan Aviation's "Glass Box" project is gaining traction
with customers as the list of certified installations for the cockpit display
suite continues to grow. Newly certified for this year are the Universal
EFI-890R for the King Air 300 and Challenger 600, and the Rockwell Collins
IDS-3000 and integrated flight information system for the Astra 1125 and Astra
1125SP (aka Gulfstream G100). Duncan has a G100 on static display here in
Orlando. The company unveiled Glass Box at last year's show.
"Pilots are buzzing about the electronic Jeppesen charts and
graphical weather," says John Slieter, completions sales vp for Duncan. "The
CRTs and EFIS displays of five years ago can't support these." Glass Box
replaces the older displays with active matrix liquid crystal display (AMLCD)
technology.
Duncan worked with Rockwell Collins to certify the IDS-3000
on the G100. The panel has two primary 8-in.-by-10-in. displays and a
multifunction display of the same size. The IFIS gives the IDS-3000 the ability
to display XM NEXRAD weather and Jeppesen approach and navigation charts.
Duncan says having weather, charts, altitude and airspeed within a compact area
on the new displays enhances safety
by doing away with clutter and reducing fatigue. The
avionics, part of the Pro Line 21 family, can also display TAWS, TCAS, LRN and
the technology required for CNS/ATM.
The King Air 300 retrofit with Universal Avionics' EFI-890R
features three 8-in.-by-9-in. AMLCDs that display primary flight information as
well as TAWS, TCAS, AHARS, weather, navigational information, CNS/ATM and
Universal's Vision 1, a simulated 3-D exocentric view of the aircraft's path
over terrain. Slieter says Duncan hadn't planned on offering the package for
the King Air, but customers at last year's NBAA Convention wanted it.
"Since we did it, King Air operators are overwhelming us
with requests for information," Slieter says. The Challenger 600 installation
is similar, but it has four 8-in.-by-9-in. displays plus an optional
multifunction display. Duncan last year certified the 890R in a company-owned
Challenger 601-3A. The company in April became the first and only authorized
service center in the U.S. for Universal.
In other news, Slieter says the Duncan Design Collection
continues to be a "quiet success." The idea behind the collection is to
simplify the interior design process by offering standard packages based on the
top-selling interior configurations. New this year in the catalog are Falcon 50
headliners that provide more headroom and offer "a cleaner look." On tap as
well is a "new look" for the Falcon 900 cabin.
Glass Box projects scheduled for next year include a Hawker
800 installation with Honeywell's Primus Epic CDS/R package and a Falcon 900
with similar avionics. Slieter expects first flight of the retrofitted Hawker
800 in February. "We're working with the manufacturers, taking a risk and
making an investment," he says. "When they're ready to certify, we'll be
ready."
