Innovative Solutions & Support's Future Generation flat panel display system and integrated autothrottle for the Pilatus PC-12 will be on static display here at NBAA in the company's demonstration aircraft, N271SS. IS&S is close to receiving FAA STC approval for the system. The company had hoped for approval earlier in the year. “As this is the first autothrottle in a turboprop, the certification process has taken longer than expected,” explained IS&S spokesman Jason Zywalewski.
At NBAA 2015, IS&S announced its Future Generation (FG) flight deck, featuring its PT6 autothrottle, for retrofit in the PC-12. The FG flight deck features primary (PFD) and multi-function (MFD) displays, integrated standby unit (ISU), integrated flight management (IFMS) and electronic flight bag (EFB) system. The avionics suite includes dual flight management systems, autothrottles, synthetic vision and enhanced vision. Additional configuration options include an ADAHRS upgrade and a full time oil quantity sensor. The FG enhanced avionics suite is also available for other business aircraft. It integrates PFD and MFD data, including charts; maps; airspace depiction with low and high vector routes; satellite weather; engine instruments; IGuard engine monitoring; electronic checklists; and dual satellite base augmentation system (SBAS) GPS receivers in support of the flight management system, including LPV approach capability. The integrated flight management system features include: Coupled WAAS/LPV approaches; full RNP compliance to DO-236B with 0.3 nm precision; required time of arrival fully coupled flight profile performance based VNAV; autothrottle controls; and dual FMS with synthetic DME capability. The integrated EFB features include airport diagrams and approaches; moving maps with overlay of flight plan; airspace; airways (both high and low); runway depictions; navigation aids and intersections; satellite weather; electronic checklists; and display and control of the enhanced vision system. The IS&S integrated standby unit processes and displays altitude, attitude, airspeed, slip/skid and navigation information in a single instrument display. IS&S president Shahram Askarpour said that the company's FG flight deck in the PC-12 would be “capable of complying with all known upcoming mandates over the next 10 years.”
The IS&S-developed PT6 autothrottle allows a pilot to control the power setting of the aircraft’s engine(s) by setting a desired flight characteristic, rather than manually controlling fuel flow. Autothrottle implementation is compliant with TSO-C198 for Class D equipment. The software certification level for the autothrottle functionality is in accordance with RTCA DO-178B level B. The system provides maximum-continuous-thrust, speed-hold, and speed-protection modes. When engaged by the pilot, the system manipulates the throttle(s) automatically to achieve and hold the manually selected airspeed. It also has torque/temperature and AOA (angle of attack) modes. Protection modes will automatically activate in an attempt to keep airspeed ,torque and temperature from exceeding pre-defined targets, regardless of autopilot engagement state, The autothrottle features a clutchless design and is adaptable to any aircraft that uses the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-series engine, provided it is accompanied by IS&S's integrated standby unit (ISU), which runs the thrust computer software. IS&S said last year that installing the system would be simple, and priced well under $100,000.
Separately, the company said that its work on the Pilatus PC-24 twinjet is progressing, noting that the utilities management system (UMS-100) it has developed for that aircraft has already entered the production phase. Several shipsets have already been delivered for flight test, and there has been positive customer feedback on a system that has been flying for more than a year. The system uses a multi-line Ethernet network to monitor and control PC-24 mechanical and electrical systems and the jet’s avionics. It also functions as the aircraft's central maintenance computer and can transmit fault data in real time.
