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Contact:
David Eastman |
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Contact:
David Eastman |
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
97-127
LONG BEACH, Calif., June 4, 1997 -- An advanced Cockpit Weather Information System (CWIN) will be flight-tested during a six-month in-service evaluation to determine the cost savings from use of the system, designed to give airline pilots real-time graphical information on weather conditions anywhere in the country, and potentially anywhere in the world.
The evaluation is being done on a United Airlines DC-10 under a contract with NASA-Langley Research Center. The system was developed by a consortium led by McDonnell Douglas (NYSE: MD) Advanced Transport Aircraft Systems group here.
The CWIN system, which blends data from communications, weather and Global Positioning System satellites, ground weather radar images and lightning strike data, and airport observations and forecasts, is designed to provide pilots with a comprehensive view of weather information to enhance situational awareness, optimize flight planning and avoid adverse weather.
"Basically, our system allows the pilot to 'see' global weather conditions, rather than just the 100 miles or so that is available with current airborne weather radar systems," said Jeffrey Tu, program manager for CWIN at McDonnell Douglas.
The system was initially tested last year on the same United DC-10 to evaluate the technical characteristics and reliability of the system. The only modification made to the system after that evaluation was a change in the location of the CWIN display in the cockpit.
The graphical information is displayed on a 10.4 inch-diagonal color liquid crystal flat panel and updates information every 15 minutes by satellite. The CWIN provides a user-friendly touch-screen menu, allowing the pilot to touch the area of the screen listing the type of information he/she wishes to access.
United, during the evaluation, will use its extensive database of flight information to compare time and economic savings, such as how the system can be used to avoid delays, reduce route distance and reduce fuel costs. The length of the evaluation period will allow evaluation of a broad range of weather, terrain and air traffic conditions.
The essential elements of the CWIN include a weather data computer, a ground earth station, a satellite communications system, the Global Positioning System and graphical weather flight deck avionics. Data collected from the various sources is transmitted from the ground stations and processed by the onboard CWIN computers for presentation on the display.
Other members of the CWIN consortium are Computing Devices International, Inmarsat, COMSAT Aeronautical Services, Astronautics Corp. of America, Pulse Embedded Computer Systems Inc., Sextant Avionique, Trimble Navigation, Honeywell Inc., Canadian Marconi Corp. and WSI Corp.