Avionics News November 2015 - 21
them with the three large format LCD displays," he said. "We also replace a number of legacy components and sensors with new units." He added that one change all Fusion King Airs will get is the elimination of the pedestal-mounted FMS CDU and the placement of the FMS information onto the Fusion displays themselves. So all FMS and graphical flight planning is now done via touchscreen. "Part of the Fusion philosophy is heads-up, eyes-forward," Bernstein said. "If you're looking down at the FMS or other controls, you're not flying the airplane - the airplane is flying you. That's not a good place to be. "We want you looking ahead so you can put the FMS display on your MFD or PFD - it's up to the likes of each pilot. With Fusion, you can easily customize the layout of each of the three displays to fit your needs. That's another nice benefit of our software-based architecture." Bernstein said that besides making the installation as easy as possible, another reason Rockwell Collins went with the minimalistic approach was to retain as much cockpit familiarity as possible for pilots. He explained that one major legacy system remaining unchanged is the APS-65 autopilot, and the decision was made for a couple of reasons. "It's an extremely robust and reliable autopilot, and pilots are comfortable with their operation," Bernstein said. "Also, keeping the APS-65 greatly reduces the cost and complexity of the upgrade. Again, we didn't change things just for the sake of change." Everything old is sometimes new Bernstein stressed that while the Fusion STCs (there are two separate STCs) for Pro Line 2- and Pro Line 21-equipped King Airs include keeping some of the aircraft's original avionics, a good percentage is replaced with new-generation hardware and software to meet emerging requirements, including ADS-B Out. "We do replace key systems and components that will help improve the performance of the aircraft in today's airspace," he said. "For example, for the Pro Line 2 upgrade, we put in two new AHARS units. That's nice because they are now all solid-state with no moving parts. We also put in a new GPS 4000S unit that enables LPV and GPS approaches. It's also WAAS qualified for all airspace and mandates." One optional upgrade the majority of King Air owners may desire is the elimination of all those annoying annunciator buttons that currently live on the glare shield. Bernstein said the option is to remove all those lights and put all the information into the Crew Alerting System on the MFD. Pro Line Fusion: Coming soon to a King Air cockpit near you So what does all this mean for an avionics shop owner? Well, that's up to them. But with all the thousands of King Airs in service today, you figure there's a great opportunity to bring some significant business into the shop. As to when and who will be able to offer the Fusion integrated avionics upgrade to their King Air customers, Bernstein said the STC for the Pro Line 2 to Fusion upgrade is close to being approved. "Once we have it done, we will make the STC available to all Rockwell Collins dealers," he said. "As for the STC for the Pro Line 21 to Fusion upgrade, that one is currently only available through Textron Aviation facilities. "We feel the typical upgrade installation can be completed in about six weeks or less. We've been extremely encouraged by the levels of interest we've received in the Fusion upgrade for King Airs. I think pilots are going to enjoy flying with it." For more information, visit www.rockwellcollins.com/prolinefusion-kingair. q FlightSafety will equip its new King Air 350 with Rockwell Collins Fusion touchscreen avionics FlightSafety International recently announced it is building a new FS1000 full-motion flight simulator for the King Air 350, and it will be equipped with Rockwell Collins' Pro Line Fusion touchscreen integrated avionics system. "FlightSafety is pleased to increase the support we provide owners and operators of King Air aircraft," said Steve Gross, vice president of sales. "Building a King Air 350 simulator equipped with the Pro Line Fusion avionics system demonstrates FlightSafety's commitment to respond to the changing needs of our customers." The new FS1000 King Air 350 simulator will feature tightly integrated computer hardware and software across subsystems, which will allow for more accurate and higherfidelity simulation. The simulator also will be equipped with FlightSafety's VITAL 1100 visual system and electric motion control and cueing. According to the company, the new Level D simulator is expected to enter service early next year at FSI's Learning Center in Atlanta. Along with the state-ofthe-art simulator, King Air 350 owner/operators also will benefit from FlightSafety's new Operational DayFlow training methodology. This innovative, highly customized training system transforms ground school by presenting critical procedures and tasks according to the particular phase of flight. q AVIONICS NEWS * NOVEMBER 2015 21