By Steve Nichols
Rockwell Collins has received approval for Category III landing and low-visibility take-off operations using its 5600 head-up guidance system (HGS) on the Embraer 190 aircraft.
The Cat III capability has been certified by the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Brazilian National Civil Aviation Agency (ANAC) and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Launch customer JetBlue is already flying with the HGS on its fleet of 26 E190 airplanes. With this certification, JetBlue can now begin its operational approval process and training programs to operate in Cat III conditions – runway visibility down to 600ft and decision height down to 50ft – improving schedule reliability and on-time performance. JetBlue estimates approval for its fleet will take 12-15 months.
E. Mauro Kern, Embraer vice president, says: “The Cat III certification of the E190 with the Rockwell Collins HGS marks a significant milestone in the ongoing development of the E-Jets family. With this new capability, our airline customers will be able to operate more efficiently, reducing delays and diversions and improving their on-time performance.”
The HGS Model 5600 was originally approved for installation on the Embraer 190 in November 2005.
Source: Flight Daily News
