Rockwell Collins’ PAVES Passenger Service System (PSS) has just earned its EASA ticket for the Airbus A330, the company revealed at the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg. Collins teamed with Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance to design, install and achieve the supplemental type certificate as part of a cabin upgrade for an A330. The engineering team can now integrate the new PSS on any aircraft type.
The standalone reading light and cabin crew call system can replace discontinued or unsupported older systems, and the airframer says it can bring weight savings in excess of 450kg, depending on the system it replaces. This can save millions of dollars annually in fuel.
The PSS can operate independently, or with a variety of passenger entertainment systems, including wireless, connectivity or overhead IFE such as the firm’s own PAVES Broadcast offering. It also needs less power to operate than legacy systems, and Collins says that it has demonstrated improved reliability, resulting in a noticeable reduction in recurring maintenance costs.
Greg Irmen, the firm’s vice president and general manager, flight controls and information systems says: “Obsolescence of legacy reading light and cabin call systems will soon become a reality that many airlines have to face.”
The PSS is just one part of Rockwell Collins’ PAVES portfolio of IFE and connectivity offerings. The firm has also just announced a new virtual training simulator for the entire suite of products. Critically airlines do not now have to buy extra equipment or schedule time on an aircraft to use it. Airlines that buy PAVES also receive a customised virtual training simulator with the same configuration and branding as their actual onboard systems.
Source: Flight Daily News
