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Universal Develops New Flight Deck for MD Explorer

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The upgrade, with innovative man-machine interface, will be available for new helicopters and as a retrofit.
December 6, 2014, 1:15 AM

Universal Avionics is progressing with the development of the “next-generation flight deck” for the MD Explorer light twin, notably with an innovative cyclic stick-mounted cursor control device. The upgraded helicopter is slated to fly in February.

On a touchscreen display, dirt from fingers can be so visible that it becomes irritating, which is bad in terms of human factors,” Christian Zumkeller, Universal Avionics’ regional sales manager for southern Europe, the Middle East and Africa, told AIN. To address the issue, Universal designed a “cursor slew switch” and installed it on the cyclic stick. The device has point-and-click capability, allowing pilots to remain hands on, head up, Zumkeller said. The cursor can be dragged into every display, he explained. It can be used to select a navigation source, swap views, open a system description, create a waypoint and so on.

The new flight deck also features large-format, high-resolution LCD displays with LED backlighting. Universal exhibited a functional demonstrator at Helitech 2014.

Universal Avionics is currently working on finalizing specifications for the engine indication and crew alerting system development, as well as design and construction on the systems integration test rig,” said Grady Dees, Universal Avionics director of technical sales. Final vendor selection for all peripheral avionics systems has been completed. System requirement reviews continue. At MD Helicopters’ headquarters in Mesa, Ariz., the engineering prototype helicopter that will be the conforming article for FAA testing is undergoing a major overhaul.

The upgrade will be offered both on new-production aircraft and as a retrofit.


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