Rockwell is close to completing certification of a new cockpit for the veteran 757 and 767, to fulfill a special order from UPS. If all goes well, the airworthiness certification should be issued by the end of May.
This avionics retrofit will be for three UPS pieces of equipment, all freighters. The Boeing 757 and 767 are on the list, as well as the Airbus A300F.
In the case of the 757 and 767, the layout of the cockpit controls will be similar, as it is with the avionics that have equipped this type of aircraft since the 80s. The new cockpit comprises three large TFT LCD screens, in addition to a new FMC system, similar to the old one but with updates.
For these planes, there is no change in piloting style, that is, Rockwell did not incorporate the fly-by-wire system, but updated the jet with the most updated Autopilot for these models.
The old cockpit combined analogue systems with CRT monitors, so old that they stopped being used at the beginning of the century. This new Rockwell system replaces virtually all analog gauges, and gives it that more Glass Cockpit look.
The new UPS system clearly includes inertial navigation, via gyroscope, and guidance with the help of geolocation systems, including GPS, GLONASS and Galileo.
Rockwell expects to receive type certification for these models by May 5, after which the company will quickly outfit UPS's 75 757-200PF and 59 767-300ERF airplanes. Rockwell is already equipping some UPS 767Fs with the new cockpit, to start operations in June of this year.
Most of the updates will be carried out in 2019, as UPS needs its aircraft fleet for the period of high demand, caused by the holidays in the last quarter, later this year. By 2020, the avionics modification should reach all the planes mentioned above.
Rockwell will make this update available for other companies to perform the retrofit, so far only UPS has been interested
Airbus A300F
For the A300F UPS will upgrade the system based on Honeywell's PRIMUS EPIC, consisting of two LCD screens for each pilot, in place of the classic CRT monitors. Also some analogue instruments are gone, and are now embedded in the screen.
A new FMC is displayed next to each pilot, with updates. In addition, the central avionics computer will be updated.
This upgrade of the A300 will be even more radical, because it changes the way the plane behaves in modern air traffic, composed of more direct routes and message communication with air traffic control.
In this case, certification will be carried out by Airbus, UPS will make eight aircraft available for testing in 2019. In total, around 52 A300F aircraft will receive this avionics change by 2022, to operate them by 2035.
Via - Flightglobal
