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Technology update
MX20 display FAA certified
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UPS Aviation Technologies' MX20 cockpit display incorporates terrain awareness features.
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UPS Aviation Technologies' MX20 multi-function display, a cockpit instrument that not only provides a clear picture of the aircraft's route of flight in relation to the ground, weather, and other traffic, but notifies pilots when their aircraft strays too close to terrain, has received FAA certification. The MX20's unique terrain-mapping feature provides a visual overview of the relationship between the aircraft's route of flight and surrounding terrain. The unit automatically issues a pilot advisory if the aircraft comes within two minutes of a close encounter with terrain. The system continuously monitors the aircraft's altitude, current position, ground speed,
and route of flight and
compares this data to a built-in database of terrain elevation.
The MX20 "paints" surrounding terrain on the display: red for terrain at or above the aircraft's current altitude, yellow for terrain within 500 ft of the aircraft, and green for terrain between 500 and 2000 ft below. Terrain more than 2000 ft below is not painted.
At the heart of the system is a 65,000-color, flat-panel display, which, according to the company, features four times the visual resolution of any display in its class. The display is driven by an open-architecture hardware/software design that is capable of accepting a wide variety of inputs such as Stormscope data, uplinked weather, traffic information, and flight
information services. The
MX20 is also capable
of showing automatic dependent surveillance broadcast (ADS-B) traffic reports.
The MX20 displays standard navigation symbols for VORs, NDBs, intersections, and special-use airspace and airports as well as the low- and high-altitude airways. Pilots can select any or all of these features on a detailed VFR-type map that shows lakes, streams, rivers, highways, and terrain elevation features. If pilots choose, navigation data can be
displayed without geographical features in an IFR chart mode. All navigation and terrain data is easily updated from the front panel using a small plug-in data card.
The MX20 can be mated with UPS Aviation Technologies GX-series GPS Navigation receivers to display both the aircraft's current position and its planned route of flight. Because of the system's open architecture, it can also be used with other non-UPS Aviation Technologies equipment. The MX20 can accept position inputs from most standard GPS receivers and flight-plan data from most navigation units, with a standard moving map output.
The flexibility of the MX20 operating system makes it possible to add functionality and upgrades if they are desired. Digital and analog weather radar interfaces are currently being developed. UPS Aviation Technologies is examining the possibility of providing customized mapping functions and the ability to display an NTSC standard video input.
Aerospace Engineering May 2000
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