To beat its competitors to the market, Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation is planning to complete flight testing of an Enhanced Vision System (EVS) before year-end. EVS uses infrared-imaging technology to enhance pilot's visibility of terrain in low-visibility conditions. The company plans for FAA Certification of EVS on its Gulfstream aircraft by the first quarter of 2000.
EVS incorporates a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera, manufactured by Koll, which allows the pilot to look through fog and darkness by projecting an infrared real-world image on the Honeywell head-up display. A cryogenically cooled sensor used by the EVS is particularly sensitive to infrared radiation from standard runway lighting.
Initial flight tests of the EVS were flown aboard a Cessna 401 aircraft earlier this year. Five FAA pilots flew approximately 45 approaches, of which 30 were in inclement weather conditions. These tests have now moved to the Gulfstream V test-bed aircraft.
Gulfstream is developing EVS for the Gulfstream V in cooperation with Maryland Advanced Developmental Laboratories (MADL) based in Baltimore, MD. EVS will become available on the Gulfstream V by the third quarter of 2000, with its availability on the Gulfstream IV-SP following six months later.
Frank Bokulich
