The latest versions of Gulfstream Aerospace’s enhanced cockpit technology for the G280 have earned Federal Aviation Administration approval, giving the company’s latest mid-size business jet the ability to land in almost any kind of weather.
Together, the Enhanced Vision System II and the Head Up Display II - integrated into the G280’s already high-tech flight deck - allow pilots to see terrain, runways, taxiways and possible obstructions in low-visibility conditions.
With the FAA certification, G280s equipped with the systems get operational credit to land in weather conditions that would be prohibitive for non-equipped aircraft, Savannah-based Gulfstream said in a recent news release.
“The addition of EVS II/HUD II as an option for the G280 enhances the PlaneView280™ flight deck, already the most advanced in its class,” said Dan Nale, Gulfstream senior vice president for programs, engineering and test.
“The EVS and HUD work together to dramatically increase a pilot’s situational awareness at night and during low-visibility conditions. The end result is improved safety in nearly any weather.”
EVS II captures actual, real-time images of an aircraft’s surroundings using an infrared camera mounted in the nose of the plane. The HUD II uses a liquid crystal display to project images onto a transparent combiner in the pilot’s forward field of view, and integrates the images with flight guidance information.
EVS II/HUD II is available as an option on new G280s and as a retrofit on in-service aircraft. The systems are a standard feature on Gulfstream’s in-production large-cabin aircraft, the G650, G550 and G450 – all built in Savannah. EVS II with a Head-Down Display is available as an option on the in-production, mid-cabin G150.