Gulfstream GIV-SP aircraft with planedeck receive FAA approval for synthetic vision installation

Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. announced it has received approval from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to offer a synthetic vision upgrade to GIV-SP aircraft equipped with PlaneDeck.

The avionics enhancement increases crew situational awareness through the integration of synthetic vision with charts and maps, video capability and XM ground-based weather on flight displays.

"Synthetic vision is one of the best safety features a business jet can have," said Derek Zimmerman, president, Gulfstream Product Support. "By providing a 3-D color image of runways, terrain and obstacles, pilots get a clear view of the virtual flight path. The increased level of situational awareness, which is particularly useful in unfamiliar locations, bad weather and at night, reduces errors as well as a pilot’s workload.

"This upgrade will ensure the nearly 325 GIV-SPs in service worldwide remain a valuable asset for years to come. We are committed to providing the best aviation experience for all of our operators."

Synthetic vision is standard on G650/G650ER aircraft and an option on the G550, G450 and G280. More than 60 percent of Gulfstream’s fleet of nearly 1,100 large-cabin aircraft have the vision-enhancing technology.

In February 2008, Gulfstream became the first business jet manufacturer to get FAA certification for synthetic vision, which was developed in cooperation with Honeywell Aerospace.

Introduced in 2012, PlaneDeck converts the primary flight displays on GIV and GV aircraft from cathode ray tube to liquid crystal. Along with the improved clarity of the six 9.5-inch/24.13 centimeter displays, the PlaneDeck upgrade offers operators enhanced flight-control monitoring that provides more data to pilots, including electronic charts and approach plates, moving maps, video and XM ground-based weather, improving their situational awareness and increasing passenger safety. PlaneDeck features are accessed using side-mounted Cursor Control Devices.

The PlaneDeck synthetic vision installation requires a software upgrade as well as new wiring from the symbol generators, traffic collision avoidance processor and GPS receivers in the radio racks for the display units. A synthetic vision system on/off annunciator is also installed.

Operators who plan to take advantage of this upgrade must have an aircraft equipped with Flight Management System 6.1, which provides several enhanced capabilities. These include required navigation performance functionality, Future Air Navigation Systems 1/A+ provisions, and satellite-based augmentation system GPS/localizer performance with vertical guidance approach.

The synthetic vision installation can be completed at any of Gulfstream’s U.S. service centers – Savannah and Brunswick, Georgia; West Palm Beach, Florida; Westfield, Massachusetts; Appleton, Wisconsin; Dallas; Las Vegas; and Long Beach, California.

Gulfstream is pursuing a similar supplemental type certificate from the FAA for the GV and GIV.