Avionics News August 2015 - 59

SEEING CLEARLY

Continued from page 47

Collins P ro Line 21 video-capable multifunction displays.
The system is available for Garmin G1 000-eq uipped
Bonanz a and Baron models; similar systems have been
installed on Skyhawks and Skylanes, both model Cirrus singles, and a host of other models.
The dominant source of the imaging sensors in light general
aviation aircraft is Astronics, with its M ax -V iz line of sensors.
The company' s sensors are available on aircraft ranging from
Augusta W estland and Airbus H elicopters to Bell, the aforementioned Cessna and Beechcraft models, Falcon, Global
Ex press, Gulfstream, P ilatus, R obinson, Sikorsky and several
other aircraft - among them the Boeing 737 and 76 7, and
Bombardier' s CL-21 5 and CL-41 4 firefighting water bombers.
Elbit Systems, Esterline CM C Electronics, Lex avia
Systems and others offer their own variations on EV S
sensors; Lex avia is available on the Eclipse 5 5 0, while
Bombardier, Cessna, Embraer, Falcon, Gulfstream, P ilatus
and TBM employ flight-deck avionics capable of using EV S
- and some offer it as standard on some models.
So what' s right for each airplane?
W e come back to the standard answer to many q uestions
in general aviation: It depends.
P erhaps the broadest set of options comes from Astronics
and its M ax -V iz line of EV S sensors. The company currently
offers four models designed to fulfill the need for a variety of
aircraft.
The M ax -V iz 6 00 is a popular choice among operators of
piston- and some turboprop aircraft thanks to its relatively
low costs and dual-sensor technology. The company' s patented image fusion software blends the image from a visiblelight sensor with the image from a thermal-sensor image
before displaying the combined image as a single 40-degree
wide view on the selected screen.
The M ax -V iz 1 5 00 offers the same dual-sensor system
with the added feature of a dual-view, or " z oom" lens system. One setting provides a wide field of view, the other a
more-telephoto view.
Both provide broad functionality in daylight and dark. The
company also offers the M ax -V iz 1 200X and the M ax -V iz
1 5 00, a system with weight and power req uirements making
it more suitable for turboprops and business j ets.
Esterline offers its SureSight I Series of EV S sensors,
which offer the highest level of performance and the ability
to display on both H U D and H D D systems.
Lex avia Systems offers three levels of sensors, including versions with selectable resolution and optical z oom
capabilities.
Sensors Inc., a division of U TC Aerospace Systems, is a

pioneer in short-wave infrared sensor technology founded
in 1 991 to create lattice-matched Indium Gallium Arsenide,
or InGaAs, structures. Sensing in the shortwave infrared
range ( wavelengths from 0.9 to 1 .7 microns) only became
practical with the development of those InGaAs sensors.
W hile SW IR light is not visible to the human eye, it
interacts with obj ects in a similar manner as visible wavelengths - in other words, SW IR light is reflective light that
bounces off obj ects much like visible light.
The result of this reflective nature makes shadows and contrast more pronounced in its imagery, and the company claims
that images from its InGaAs sensors appear comparable to
visible images in resolution and detail. W hile still monochromatic, SW IR makes obj ects more-easily recogniz able.
SYSTEM AND INSTALLATION CONSIDERATIONS
Selecting and installing EV S sensors comes down to a
combination of factors: compatibility with ex isting cockpit
avionics; the ability of the aircraft to accept the sensor; and
what the operator needs out of the system.
Function compatibility ex ists with virtually all modern
electronic flight instrument systems; some through the
M FD or the P FD ; some through an independent, dedicated
display.
And the need may come down to little more than matching what' s approved for your aircraft to the list of available
sensors. For many operators, this will dictate the options
available for consideration.
From there, the sensor needs a suitable mounting location; ideally, that spot is clear of heat sources ( such as
ex haust stacks) and propeller blades - though they aren' t
always a source of interference.
The location may be dictated by the supplemental type
certificate or airframe-specific issues, of course. And routing the cable between the mounted sensor and the input for
the display is as much of a concern as ever.
Avionics shops polled for this story said that unless the
aircraft wiring already supports a feed between an EV S
sensor and the display, mounting the sensor and then wiring for the connection are the maj or labor components of
the installation.
For simpler aircraft - such as the many piston-single
models approved for these systems - the installation is as
comparatively simple; mounting and wiring remain the
maj or labor points of the j ob.
For some avionics packages, though, ex isting inputs
help simplify the work. Given the hundreds of airframes
approved for various systems, no single ex ample ex ists to
serve as a typical installation. Conversely, a system ex ists
to meet the needs of almost any operator who wants the
benefits of EV S. q
AVIONICS NEWS

AUGUST

2015

5 9

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News August 2015