The fleet of A300-600 aircraft owned by freighter company UPS is benefitting from a major upgrade of integrated cockpit technology. This brings the A300-600 close to the current generation of aircraft, realising its full potential and making it a competitive asset for the company now and into the future.
What new technology is on board?
Flight Management System
The FMS is a fundamental component of modern avionics. The suite includes a modern FMS which provides sophisticated automation of in-flight tasks, primarily flight plan management and navigation, but also integration of all components of the auto-flight system. The new database has ample capacity to carry all worldwide data required without being full and is loadable in about ten minutes. In addition, there is space for the 7% growth observed every year, therefore covering the remaining life of the UPS fleet.
This is a key enhancement as the original database in the A300-600 was from the 1980s and was then adequate to contain all options and routes within its 1GB of Random Access Memory (RAM). Compare this to the RAM of a modern smartphone, which typically has 4GB of RAM! But database growth over the years means that even North America airspace information alone vastly exceeds this memory size. UPS therefore carves it up onto separate regional databases with every database change taking about 40 to 50 minutes per computer. This is not compatible with the UPS business need for efficiency and compromises competitive advantage. This problem is now fully resolved with the database embedded
in the new FMS.
There is also a new colour Multifunction Control and Display Unit (MCDU). The MCDU is a combination of a keyboard and a high-performance Liquid-Crystal Display (LCD) that allows pilots to input and modify flight plans.
New cockpit displays
There are four new LCD displays at 6 x 8 inches each (as compared to the previous 5 x 5 inch screens). These organise information in the primary field of view. Terrain can be displayed, and a vertical display can be added in the increased screen size. The new primary flight display (PFD) also shows a horizontal situation indicator (HSI) which can provide navigational information. All of these features further enhance safety and are efficient tools to assist the flight crews in their operations.
LPV (Localiser Performance with Vertical Guidance)
The LPV is a Global Positioning System (GPS)-based instrument approach procedure. It is an Instrument Landing System (ILS) look-alike, using GPS positioning corrected by a Satellite-Based Augmentation System (SBAS).
The modern LPV capability creates a more versatile A300-600, from which the customer can expect a higher rate of mission completion because the upgraded aircraft can fly to non-ILS equipped outposts and make double-hop routes.
As a reminder, Instrument Landing System (ILS) is the instrumentation on the runway that defines the path that the aircraft can follow. Beacons send a signal which aircraft receive and decode. The LPV provides the same feature, but with satellite information. Airport ILS systems are being decommissioned more and more in the US, and some smaller airports simply do not have them. Having an LPV function avoids reliance on an ILS. LPV avoids reliance on ILS, making the destination airport less dependent on the weather as aircraft can land in poorer conditions. The minimum altitude at which the pilot can make a decision about landing is reduced. This ability to make landing decisions at relatively low altitude avoids some diversions or go-arounds. This is conducive to UPS’s speed mission.
FANS A & B (Future Air Navigation System)
In recent years, a need has arisen to exchange routine information in flight in a flexible, reliable and secure manner, and in all operational contexts. The ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organisation) recommended the selection of FANS (Future Air Navigation System) to address these needs. FANS is a set of applications for Air Traffic Control based on modern technologies such as datalink communication and satellite navigation. The main FANS application is the CPDLC (Controller-Pilot Data-Link Communication) that allows the pilots to communicate directly with controllers on ground, using datalink with a set of predefined text messages. The UPS A300-600s’ new avionics suite includes FANS A and FANS B.
FANS A & B cover different geographical territories. FANS A was designed to cover oceanic and remote areas where no radar coverage exists. Since then it has been deployed in other areas, including domestic North American airspaces. It is mandatory for airlines flying North Atlantic routes. FANS B was designed for domestic flights within Europe where radar coverage was already present. It is mandatory for airlines operating in this area. Even where these systems are not mandatory, they are valuable. UPS have localised fleets so it is practical for them to have either the A or B systems installed on their aircraft.
Recent figures show that air traffic management related delays are growing as the global fleet increases, so anything that can ease that situation will be of benefit to airlines. This is especially the case for those relying on fast, on-time turnarounds as part of their operating strategy. With enhanced flight departure clearances, automation tools and improved ATC communication, FANS technology gives the UPS A300-600 fleet a business advantage. Most crucially for UPS, FANS- equipped aircraft get priority from air traffic control.
New Weather Radar
The current weather radar has been replaced by state-of-the-art Primus EPIC®-integrated IntuVue™ Weather Radar RDR-4000 from Honeywell*. This system automatically scans the sky at 17 tilt angles, the most in the industry, and continuously delivers a 3D view of the weather through an intuitive vertical navigation display.
The new radar offers many functions which combine to further enhance safety and more effectively avoid weather hazards. These include predictive wind shear, and predictive hail and lightning.
The intuitive system also makes training pilots quicker and easier, resulting in lower costs. Better avoiding weather hazards should bring a reduction in lightning strikes and the costly inspections they require. Pilot fatigue is reduced because the radar gives great visibility, giving pilots more information and confidence.
Additional Features
There are many more features included in the new cockpit, including RNP-AR (Required Navigation Performance - authorisation required) with RF (radius-to-fix) legs, which enables fuel savings and noise-reducing approaches on selected airports; TAWS (Terrain Awareness and Warning System); and RTA (Required Time of Arrival) which is an aid to ATM (Air Traffic Management).
On the maintenance side, it is of note that the new cockpit’s centralised maintenance function provides diagnostics capability and easier dataloading. This will help customer maintenance and configuration checks and ensure the aircraft is ready for future growth in maintenance analytics.
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