On Display

Open architecture is the foundation of Avidyne's FlightMax

The computer I'm writing this article on is a late-model desktop unit, complete with all the bells and whistles a writer needs (that's not many, really — just a DVD drive for watching aviation movies when writer's block strikes). In less than a year, the same model will probably cost two-thirds of its original purchase price. Why? As technology advances at a blinding pace, demand falls for a less-capable unit. Companies seeking to continue making a profit on older models bank on the fact that a lot of consumers don't need the latest and greatest, and these buyers come to the store only when prices become more attractive. In theory, this evens out demand — profit continues for the company, and consumers get what they want for a lower price.

Avidyne brings this marketing model to aviation with its FlightMax series of multifunction displays. This summer, Avidyne announced price breaks on established models in the series for the second time this year. But more on that later.

More important, Avidyne follows another computer-industry model when it comes to compatibility. A multifunction display (MFD), by definition, takes information from other sources, magnifying and integrating it into one display easily referenced by the pilot. From the outset, Avidyne sought to work with as many existing avionics manufacturers as possible, with special attention paid to the plethora of on-board weather radar units available and already installed. The flexibility has paid off, and the FlightMax boasts the longest radar-unit compatibility list of any MFD on the market.

Filling the niche

From the beginning, the FlightMax was designed with the intent of replacing another box on the instrument panel, and, to give them an aiming point, engineers targeted the hole that might be occupied by an airplane's existing weather radar unit. To this end, the FlightMax has a quarter VGA display — the same type as the Garmin GNS 530 and Bendix/King KMD 850 — and the screen is 5 inches diagonal, with the box measuring 4 inches high by 6.25 inches wide by 12 inches deep. As a result, the pixel density isn't as high (320 by 234 pixels) as that of units using full VGA displays, such as the UPS Aviation Technologies Apollo MX20, but the resolution is still sharp and the display still attractive — and the box takes up quite a bit less room in the panel than the MX20.

The FlightMax series runs from model 450 to 950, with each unit designated according to the radar units with which it is compatible. The FlightMax 450 is a moving map offered for aircraft without on-board radar — and no plans for its installation — while the 650 and 750 are designed primarily for piston twins and turboprops. The 650 works with older, unstabilized analog radar systems such as the Bendix RDR 130, 150, and 160; the FlightMax 750 works with newer stabilized, digital radar systems including the Bendix RDS 81, 82/82VP, and Bendix/King RDR 2000. FlightMax 850 systems are designed for turbine aircraft with high-end analog radars such as the Bendix RDR 1100/1200/1300 and the Collins WXR 250/270/300, or digital radars, including the Bendix RDS 84/86/VP and the Bendix/King RDR 2100. The new FlightMax 950 is designed for non-EFIS turbine aircraft being updated to the latest Collins digital radars, including the WXR 800/850 and the turbulence-detecting TWR-850. (If an EFIS is already installed in the airplane, FlightMax would be appropriate as a copilot display, since both units cover many of the same functions.)

But radar isn't the only sensor to light up the FlightMax: The series also supports inputs from lightning detectors (the Goodrich WX-500), traffic alert systems (including Collins and Honeywell TCAS units, Ryan TCAD, and Goodrich Skywatch), and enhanced ground proximity warning systems (such as the Honeywell EGPWS Mark series). Each of these sources sends information to a dedicated screen on the FlightMax, or the information can be overlaid on the main map screen. The map screen takes information from practically any GPS or loran receiver with an RS-232 or ARINC/GAMA 429 interface. This flexibility means a lot of options for the pilot — not only in which sources to display, but how to display them as well.

Map central

The main screen is the map screen. The challenge with displaying a large amount of information is to do it in a way that doesn't confound the brain. The FlightMax map screen is well laid-out. Data and function blocks around the screen have subtle black backgrounds, so they don't compete with the more critical situational graphics displayed on the map, such as radar returns and airspace.

The map shows the course line, with heading and track bugs located on a compass rose (the compass rose can be turned off if no directional information is desired). A numerical heading is shown at the top of the screen, and a tape depicting the altitude range of the underlying terrain is on the left, derived from the unit's database. User-editable data blocks with waypoint and airspeed information are found on the upper and lower left corners, and a box with active data sensors (radar, traffic, EGPWS, and lightning) is on the lower right.

Menus appear, Windows-style, on the right side of the screen when the menu button is pressed. The pull-down menus stay on the screen while the menus are active so that users always know where they are in the system.

The main map display settings are found in the map menu, allowing the pilot to set preferences such as the type of information contained in data blocks on the screen, filters for determining nearest airport criteria, and navigation data layered on the screen. From the main map menu, the traffic overlay can also be selected, and FlightMax displays the targets at whatever range it receives from the sensor.

Aside from the menu functions, six soft keys allow certain modes to be accessed directly from the map screen. The soft-key icons appear on the screen when one of them is pressed, and they disappear after a user-selectable period of time.

The nearest airport soft key shows all airports within a 60-nm radius of the aircraft's present position, depending on how the airport filter (runway length, surface, and other requirements) is set. The map declutter soft key allows the user to cycle between four preselected levels of map detail. The weather soft key cycles between displaying available weather sources, such as radar and lightning detection. (Avidyne is working to add compatibility with datalinked weather sources as well.) The base map key switches the background map from a full-color terrain and water depiction, to water only, to a plain black background. A view soft key allows the pilot to choose between a 360-degree north-up or heading-up presentation, and a heading-up, 120-degree horizontal situation indicator display overlaying the map.

Other functions accessible on the map screen are radar tilt and bearing line depiction (both enabled by using the sixth soft key), and the flight plan information page. The active flight plan from the GPS or flight management system (FMS) is copied onto this information page so that the GPS/FMS screen can be used for other displays.

FlightMax uses its own nav data for navaid, airspace, and terrain depiction; the only information input from the GPS/FMS is flight plan and current aircraft position. Nav data is update-able via a CD-ROM data loader sold separately, and a Jeppesen subscription is available.

Choices, choices

If the traffic mode is turned on, an alert flashes if conflicting traffic is detected outside of the current range set on the moving-map screen. Pressing the enter key at this point takes the user to the dedicated traffic screen. A similar alert occurs when terrain above the aircraft's altitude lies beyond the screen's range, and hitting enter takes the pilot to the ground proximity screen as well. An alert message also occurs when lightning or strong radar echoes are sensed out of range, but since those graphics overlay well on the map screen, there's no need to go to the dedicated display.

The only source that cannot be overlaid on the map screen is enhanced ground proximity warning system information. The pilot must go to the dedicated screen, because the EGPWS contouring matches too closely the base map terrain coloration and the two cannot be displayed on the same screen.

A better radar

Avidyne sought to improve upon the radar displays that FlightMax physically replaces, and it wins on two counts. First, for pilots with older, monochromatic radar displays, FlightMax has an algorithm that translates the monochrome returns to color. Simple? Yes. More attractive? Absolutely.

The second upgrade includes three additional functions that an existing radar may or may not have. AutoTilt, typically only available on high-end radars, automatically adjusts the antenna's tilt angle to compensate for changes in altitude and selected range. BeamView shows the actual scattering of the beam at longer ranges, so that the pilot can more easily interpret distortion. And Avidyne's exclusive TiltView computes the relative altitude of the center of the beam and displays this alongside the range in thousands of feet. For example, if the tilt is set at half a degree positive, at 60 nm the center of the beam is at 3,000 feet above the aircraft's altitude. This feature appears handy for determining cell tops and the aircraft's agl altitude.

Enhanced lightning depiction

Avidyne has also built a better way to show lightning strikes. On traditional lightning detection displays, crosses mark where lightning has struck. The pilot watches as the crosses build, and with a rapidly maturing cell, the crosses soon blur into confusion. Pressing the Clear button is the only way to see where lightning is currently active with standard displays.

While the FlightMax has the option of displaying lightning strikes in this manner, the pilot can also select Contour mode. A strike appears as a lightning bolt on the screen for the first five seconds of its lifetime. After this, the bolt changes to a yellow circle. As circles build upon each other, their colors shift to red and magenta, highlighting where strikes have accumulated.

The lightning display also has history and loop modes that allow the pilot to review the past 30 minutes on the screen. The view can be cycled between a 360-degree view and a forward view covering 120 degrees.

Does it make sense?

An MFD's true test comes in how comfortable the pilot feels using it in high-workload phases of flight. While some units make intuitive sense, others might as well have been programmed in Greek for as well as I understand them without pulling out the manual. After spending a couple of hours using the FlightMax simulation software on the ground, and another hour with the 750 in flight, I feel like I understand where 90 percent of the features I would want to access on a given flight are found — all are within two keystrokes. Some of my experiences with other MFDs have not resulted in quite so fluid a transition. Aside from adding to overall pilot confidence, this feel for the logic of a device is critical when using the MFD in instrument conditions or high-density traffic areas.

About that price

The company Web site has a tool for selecting the appropriate FlightMax to work with any existing avionics. The top-of-the-line 950 retails for $24,950, and the 850 for $17,995. After that, units down the line have had their prices cut significantly over the past few months. The 750 went from $14,995 to $10,995, and the 650 from $13,995 to $10,995. The nonradar-compatible 450 goes for $9,995.

Interfaces to radar, and certain traffic and lightning detection sensors, are included in the base price (the sensors themselves are extra). Optional interfaces include those to Honeywell EGPWS units and higher-end TCAS. Installation adds to the cost, of course, as does the addition of a CD-ROM data loader to lower-end models. FlightMax weighs just under seven pounds, not including the data loader, which adds another pound and a half.

E-mail the author at [email protected].