Cobham EFIS gets certification for LPV approach on Cessna business jet, other 'larger-model aircraft'

MINERAL WELLS, Texas, 4 Dec. 2011. The Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) from the Cobham plc Commercial Systems segment in Mineral Wells, Texas, has received supplemental type certificate (STC) amendments for hundreds of aircraft to provide localizer precision with vertical navigation (LPV) approach capability from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in Washington, Cobham officials say.LPV approaches are a part of the FAA's NextGen air traffic management system and provide precision instrument approaches equivalent to instrument landing system (ILS) at thousands of airports without the need for ground infrastructure at each airport, Cobham officials say.Hardware and software necessary for LPV capability on these aircraft include a WAAS Beta III GPS receiver; Cobham version 7.0E operating system software; and Analog Interface Unit-2, if Cobham's EFIS is driving an analog autopilot system.

Localizer precision with vertical navigation is a type of approach based on the Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS), published on RNAV (GPS) approach charts. This procedure takes advantage of the precise vertical and lateral guidance available from WAAS.

The FAA's supplemental type certificate for the Cobham EFIS pertains to larger-model aircraft, as well as the Cessna Citation 501 business jet.

Cobham Commercial Systems provides integrated avionics systems, emergency locator systems, and radar and missile electronics for military and civil aircraft.

For more information contact Cobham Commercial Systems online at www.cobham.com.