Two yet-to-be-announced programs to upgrade the cockpits on older business jets will be firsts for Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics.

The wins bring to seven the number of major applications for Collins' advanced easy-to-customize integrated flight decks. They are now flying on the Cessna Citation CJ1 and CJ2 and the Raytheon Premier I, and have been chosen for the Bell Agusta BA609 tiltrotor, and the Bombardier Continental business jet and CRJ700 regional airliner.

"We are extremely busy, and the future looks very bright," Ted Fuhrer, VP and general manager of Rockwell Collins Business and Regional Systems told Show News.

But with new applications and opportunities coming fast and furious in this bizjet boom, so Collins is trying to speed up the time it takes to design and engineer the latest modules for the Pro Line 21 system.

A new tool that Fuhrer is excited about--and which can be seen here at NBAA (Booth 4653)--is Rockwell Collins' Advanced Flight Deck simulator. "It is an exceptional tool for capturing, defining and refining customers' requirements," Fuhrer said. "The modular, flexible system allows us to tailor a flight deck for specific aircraft size, type and mission."

The simulator allows manufacturers to test different cockpit configurations, while pilots can "fly" the simulator and evaluate each design. Use of the tool throughout the design and certification process will provide improved cockpit coordination and operations, reduce flight test time and lower product development costs.

"We use the Advanced Flight Deck simulator for real-time evaluation, and it is quickly reconfigurable," said Fuhrer. "It allows numerous options in a very cost effective manner much earlier in the design sequence. It used to be a case of 'Install it and see how it works.'"

The reconfigurable display is based on the Pro Line 21's advanced architecture. It features large 13.3-inch displays "and although we call it advanced, it isn't far down the road at all," Fuhrer maintained.

Collins is featuring three configurations of Pro Line 21 here at the show for entry level, super midsize and large business aircraft. The super midsize display, which is representative of that for the Bombardier Continental, incorporates the latest Pro Line 21 CNS radio sensor package, which Collins claims provides the most modern set of communications, navigation and surveillance capabilities in the industry packaged in less than half the weight and size of previous systems.

Testing of the CNS radio sensors will begin before the end of the year. They will handle both voice and the high speed, high integrity data communications that will be required for the emerging CNS/ATM free flight environment. Operational upgrades to the equipment will be achieved through software changes, providing new capability without hardware replacement.

The CNS black boxes represent another departure for Rockwell Collins: they are no longer black, but grey, giving them a more modern look.

Still very much in production and the company's "bread and butter" is the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 avionics suite, making its appearance on the exhibit as well as in its latest application, the Galaxy supermidsize business aircraft. Some 1,300 systems have been delivered, and Fuhrer anticipates this could more than double depending on future sales of the Bombardier RJ regional jet.

Fuhrer noted the exhibit at NBAA also features the Flight Dynamics Head-up Guidance System tool which allows pilots to "fly" manual Cat IIIa approaches using the popular head up display (HUD).

Collins this year completed its acquisition of Flight Dynamics and is still integrating the device with its avionics systems and Pro Line 21 in particular. "There are a few redundancies," allowed Fuhrer; his goal is to trim out the duplication and refine the HUD to bring its price down some 30% from a current $500,000 or so. "It will depend largely on the degree of integration," he explained.

Total orders for the HUD for business, regional, airline and military aircraft stand at 1,200, with options for another 850.

Another new product on display here is the TCAS 4000 traffic alert collision avoidance system, deliveries of which will begin this month. Orders stand at nearly 300 worldwide.