ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTATION IN MODERN AIRCRAFT

INTRODUCTION
GENESIS

COMPOSITION
TYPES OF DISPLAYS IN USE DESCRIPTION OF VARIOUS DISPLAY ADVANTAGES QUESTIONS

INTRODUCTION
IN EARLY 1980s THE AVIATION INDUSTRY SAW MAJOR DEVELOPMENT IN COCKPIT DESIGN. BY LATE 1980s CONCEPT OF ELECTRONIC DISPLAYS OVER ELCTROMECHANICAL DISPLAYS WAS ADOPTED BY MAJOR AIRLINE MANUFACTURERS. WITH BOEING PIONEERING THE USAGE , AIRBUS AND OTHER MAJOR COMPANYS ALSO JOINED THE LEAGUE. BY 1990s MANY BUSINESS AND MILITARY AIRCRATFS WERE EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRONIC DISPLAYS IN COCKPIT.

GENESIS
DEMANDING AVIATION ENVIRONMENT VARIETY OF OPERATIONS BY MIL & TPT AC E.g. PARADROPS,LLN, AIR TO AIR REFUELLING ETC. REDUCTION IN CREW MEMBERS INCREASE IN WORKLOAD IN COCKPIT LEADING TO CHANGE IN COCKPIT DESIGN

COMPOSITION
ELECTRONIC FORM OF INSTRUMENTATION COMBINES FEATURES OF CONVENTIONAL INSTRUMENTS. DISPLAYS ESSENTIAL INFO AS PER REQMT. DEPENDING UPON THE PHASE OF THE FILGHT E.g. APP PHASE THREE MAIN COMPONENTS - DISPLAY UNITS - CONTROL PANELS - DATA PROCESSORS AND MONITORING UNITS.

TYPES OF DISPLAYS IN USE

MAINLY TWO TYPES 1. ELECTRONIC FLIGHT INSTRUMENT SYSTEM (EFIS) 2. ENGINE INDICATING AND CREW ALERT SYSTEM (EICAS) AMERICAN VER. OF ENGINE CENTRALISED AIRCRAFT MONITORING (ECAM)

COLOUR CODE (JAR 25) FOR INSTRUMENTATION

WARNING / FLIGHT ENVELOPES & SYS LIMITS

RED

PRECIPITATIO N

ENGAGED MODES

GREEN

0 TO 1/ 1 TO 4/
4 TO 12 /

BLACK GREEN YELLOW

CAUTIONS

YELLOW/ AMBER

ILS DEVIATION INDICATOR

MAGENTA

12 TO 50 / ABOVE 50

RED MAGENTA

EARTH /

SKY

TAN/BROWN CYAN/BLUE

FLIGHT DIRECTOR BAR

MAGENTA GREEN

TURBULENCE

WHITE/ MAGENTA

DESCRIPTION OF DISPLAYS
ELECTRONIC FLIGHT INSTRUMENT SYSTEM (EFIS)

EFIS
DUPLICATED FOR CAPT AND COPILOT TWO TYPES OF DISPLAYS - EADI - EHSI WORKING : A SYMBOL GENERATOR (SYM GENE) IS INTERFACE B/W NAVIGATIONAL INPUT AND DISPLAY SYM GENE CONTROLS AND MONITORS THE FUNCTION OF EFIS. DIAGRAM OF EFIS AND CONTROL PANEL

EADI
DISPLAYS AC ATTITUDE IN CONVENTIONAL FORMAT . INPUT FROM AC IRS DISPLAY SHOWS: - FLIGHT DIRECTOR COMMAND BARS - ILS G/S & LOC INDN - DEVIATION INDN FROM SEL AIRSPEED - RAD ALT /DH - OPERATING MODES OF AUTOTHROTTLE SYSTEM.

EADI
RAD ALT 1000-2500 DIGITAL BELOW 1000AGL ANALOGUE CIRCULAR DISPLAY. AT 50 TO DH AURAL CHIME AT DH MAGENTA MARKER ON DISPLAY COLOUR CHANGES TO YELLOW AND FLASHES . CAN BE CANCELLED BY PUSH BUTTON ON EFIS PANEL.

EHSI
DISPLAYS FLIGHT NAVIGATIONAL INFO MODES OF OPN I. MAP : ENRTE NAV INFO USED IN CRUISE FLIGHT II. CTR MAP : AC CURRENT POSN III. PLAN : PLAANED RTE DETAILS WITH WPTS IV. FULL VOR/ ILS : IND IN CONVENTIONAL FORMAT V. EXP VOR/ILS : A COMPASS ARC AND TRACKS ARE SHOWN AS SOLID LINES FROM AC SYMBOL TO COMPASS ARC VI. EXP NAV/FULL NAV : INFO AS PER CONVENTIONAL HSI

NOTE: WEATHER RADAR PIC CAN BE SUPERIMPOSED ALL MODES EXCEPT IN EXP NAV /FULL NAV MODE & PLAN MODE

EHSI (MAP MODE)

HDG INFO INPUT AC IRS DRIFT CORRECTION BY ALIGNING HDG & TRACK PTRS. WIND SPEED & DIRN INSTANTANEOUS TRK & SEL RANGE RADIO BEACONS & AIRPORTS

EHSI (PLAN MODE)

DISPLAY ORIENTED AS PER TRUE NORTH ENRTE AIRPORTS AND RADIO AIDS INFO RANGE & TIME TO NXT WAYPOINT WX RDR , WIND DIRN & SPEED IS NOT DISPLAYED.

EHSI (ILS MODE)

INDICATES AC RELATIVE POSN WRT ILS BOTH VERTICAL & HORIZONTAL. VERTICAL GUIDANCE IS CONVENTIONAL ILS FREQ IN LOWER RT CORNER . EXP MODE AC TRK IS ALSO DISPLAYED . WX RDR DISPLAY MAY BE SEL

EICAS
ALL ENGINE & SYSTEM OPERATING DATA

POSITION CENTRAL CONSOLE

INPUT FROM ONBOARD COMPTRS (02) MAIN & S/BY TWO CRT SCR ONE ABOVE THE OTHER PRIMARY (UPPER): CRITICAL PARAMETERS SECONDARY (LOWER) : ABNORMALITIES IN MSG FORM DIAGRAM

EICAS

EICAS
MODES : 1. MAINTENANCE :- FOR TECHNICIANS - TO KEEP RECORDS OF OPERATING CONDITIONS - USED ON GRD 2. STATUS :- FOR PREPARATION OF AC - STATE OF SRVICEABILITY OF AC SYSTEMS 3. 3. OPERATIONAL :- ALL PHASES OF FLIGHT - PRIMARY ENGINE INFO - SECONDARY BLANK TILL NORMAL CONDITIONS

EICAS

EICAS
FUNCTIONS IN CONTROL PANEL 1. DISPLAY: STATUS ON SEC DISPLAY 2. EVENT RECORD : FAULT ANALYSIS 3. ROTARY SWITCH FOR CMPTR SEL 4. BRIGHTNESS : INTENSITY CONTROL 5. THRUST REF SETTING : TO SEL ENGINE INDIVIDUALLY 6. MAX INDICATOR RESET : TO SET A PRESET LIMIT FOR CRIT PARAMETERS

EICAS
SYSTEM FAILURES AND INDICATIONS: 1. COMPTR FAIL : AUTO CHANGEOVER 2. LOWER DISPLAY: COMPACT VIEW 3. BOTH DISPLAY : S/BY ENGINE INDICATION 4. SELECT PANEL : INFO ON UPPER DISPLAY

EICAS

ECAM
USED IN AIRBUS DISPLAY ARE PLACED ADJACENT TO EACH OTHER LEFT & RIGHT SIMILAR TO EICAS LEFT SHOWS CHECKLIST FORM RIGHT SHOWS PICTORIAL DISPLAY

ECAM
MODES : 1. NORMAL:- FLIGHT MODE PRESTART TO POST START CHKS 2. ADVISORY :- STATUS OF SYS AS MSG 3. MANUAL :- IF NO WX MSG FLASHES THEN NO DAIGRAM 4. FAILURE :- PRIORITY

ADVANTAGES
REDUCTION IN CREW WORKLOAD CONTINUOUS MONITORING NOT REQD CLUTTER OF INFO IS AVOIDED REDUNDANCY IS MAINTAINED ADEQUATE VISUAL & AURAL WARNINGS AVBL IMPROVES AC HANDLING & SA