Marconi Avionics complete cockpit smoke study

June 17th, 1999

Marconi Avionics took the opportunity presented by the assembly of the aerospace community at the Paris Air Show to share the early results of a study they had commissioned into the advantages of Head Up Displays in smoke filled cockpits in a commercial environment.

The company has completed the first phase of a study programme for civil air transport aircraft to investigate operation of a commercial Visual Guidance System (VGS) head up display in a smoke filled cockpit.

The study is part of a series of initiatives designed to investigate new technologies and systems, such as the Marconi VGS, and their impact on safety and operations for commercial air transport operators. Phase 1 of the study provided a conclusive demonstration that new generation HUDs offer a significant improvement in viewing conditions over conventional EFIS displays in a cockpit smoke environment.

The study, conducted by Dr. Jim Blanchard, Professor of Human Factors at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida, was designed to assess the relative viewability and usability of new generation commercial Head-up Displays and conventional head-down Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) displays in a cockpit filling with smoke resulting from an electrical fire or short.

The study looked at the ability of the Marconi VGS to supplement aircrew function during in-flight smoke incidents. The test concluded that the Marconi VGS positively enhances flight critical instrument visibility during dense cockpit smoke conditions.

'In moderate smoke from instrument panel or side console entry with day or night conditions, a VGS/HUD will perform significantly better than the EFIS. The case of the overhead smoke entry is not beneficial to either the VGSIHUD or the EFIS regardless of lighting conditions.' says Dr. Blanchard. In the test, the VGS symbology could be interpreted for more than 11 minutes after the EFIS display was occluded by smoke.

Marconi and ERAU look forward to initiating Phase 2 of the study where a more scientific analysis of the study results will be undertaken. The findings of Phase 2 will be made available following conclusion of the study.

Jonathan Flint, Managing Director Marconi Avionics Systems commented, "The Embry Riddle Study demonstrates the clear advantages to be gained through HUD technologies and the Visual Guidance System (VGS). As a world leader in this technology I fully expect Marconi Avionics to meet the challenging demands of a new and growing market place in the commercial air transport world.'

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