L-3 SmartDeck - is a fully integrated cockpit system originally developed by
L-3 Avionics Systems.
L-3 Avionics Systems
/ref> and acquired in 2010 by Esterline CMC Electronics through an exclusive licensing agreement.
SmartDeck is one of the many systems available today known as a “glass cockpit
A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features electronic (digital) flight instrument displays, typically large LCD screens, rather than the traditional style of analog dials and gauges. While a traditional cockpit relies on numerous mech ...
.” Popularized by large transport category aircraft in the 1980s, the glass cockpit is a high technology cockpit configuration in which the traditional flight instruments
Flight instruments are the instruments in the cockpit of an aircraft that provide the pilot with data about the flight situation of that aircraft, such as altitude, airspeed, vertical speed, heading and much more other crucial information in f ...
and gauges are replaced by computer screens that combine information into an organized and user friendly format. As computer technology advances, glass cockpit systems are declining in cost and becoming available in smaller general aviation
General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations with the exception of commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services ...
aircraft. These technologies are often able to offer pilots more flight information than would be available in a conventional style cockpit and many feature a high level of automation that can aid the pilot in navigation and system monitoring.
L-3 created SmartDeck as an alternative to other glass cockpit systems currently on the market. The major design objectives of integration and ease of use were achieved by designing the menu structure with a “three-clicks-or-less” philosophy similar to the Apple iPod
The iPod is a discontinued series of portable media players and multi-purpose mobile devices designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The first version was released on October 23, 2001, about months after the Macintosh version of iTunes ...
and by incorporating navigation, weather, traffic and terrain avoidance, communication, flight controls, engine monitoring and enhanced vision into one cockpit system. This is achieved by combining a number of L-3’s situational awareness
Situational awareness or situation awareness (SA) is the perception of environmental elements and events with respect to time or space, the comprehension of their meaning, and the projection of their future status. An alternative definition is tha ...
technologies into the system.
At the National Business Aviation Association
The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) is a non-profit, 501(c)(6) organization based in Washington, DC, United States. NBAA’s mission, according to the non-profit data and transparency organization GuideStar, is: “to foster an en ...
annual convention in October 2010, CMC Electronics
CMC Electronics Inc. (french: CMC Électronique) is a Canadian avionics manufacturer. The company's main manufacturing facility is located in Montreal, Quebec with additional facilities located in Ottawa, Ontario and Sugar Grove, Illinois.
His ...
announced that it had acquired the SmartDeck technology from L-3 and L-3 ceased all development. CMC has continued the development and, as of March 2012, was expecting to announce a launch customer in the near future.
Components and Features*
*As configured for a Cirrus SR22
The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine four- or five-seat composite aircraft built from 2001 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota.
It is a development of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity, and a more powerful, 310-horsepo ...
The user interface for a basic SmartDeck system consists of one primary flight display (PFD), one multi-function display (MFD), one flight display controller (FDC), and a center console unit (CCU) display system. Other components include two air data attitude and heading reference systems (ADAHRS), two data concentrators, two magnetometers
A magnetometer is a device that measures magnetic field or magnetic dipole moment. Different types of magnetometers measure the direction, strength, or relative change of a magnetic field at a particular location. A compass is one such device, ...
, two WAAS
The Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) is an air navigation aid developed by the Federal Aviation Administration to augment the Global Positioning System (GPS), with the goal of improving its accuracy, integrity, and availability. Essentia ...
GPS
The Global Positioning System (GPS), originally Navstar GPS, is a Radionavigation-satellite service, satellite-based radionavigation system owned by the United States government and operated by the United States Space Force. It is one of t ...
receivers, two nav/com radios with a PS Engineering audio panel, a transponder
In telecommunications, a transponder is a device that, upon receiving a signal, emits a different signal in response. The term is a blend word, blend of ''transmitter'' and ''responder''.
In air navigation or radio frequency identification, a T ...
and the S-TEC S-TEC may refer to:
* S-TEC Corporation, a US corporation and manufacturer of flight control systems
* Daewoo S-TEC engine
S-TEC or M-TEC is a low-displacement engine range co-developed by Suzuki and Daewoo Motors for use in micro and subcompact ...
Intelliflight 1950 Integrated Digital Flight Control System (DFCS). SmartDeck interfaces with the L-3 Avionics SkyWatch collision avoidance system, Landmark terrain awareness warning system (TAWS B), Stormscope lightning detection system and IRIS Infrared Imaging System, among other avionics technologies. The SmartDeck system is customizable for different customers and platforms.
SmartDeck features a high level of redundancy that offers added safety in the event of a system failure. The dual ADAHRS continuously compare flight data and alert the pilot if the difference between the two units exceeds a predefined tolerance; during an ADAHRS miscompare, both flight displays will act as PFDs and the discrepancy will be highlighted. This is known as reversionary mode, a condition in which both screens combine all the standard PFD information with a number of key MFD functions.
Each component in the system is connected via a dual IEEE 1394 interface
IEEE 1394 is an interface standard for a serial bus for high-speed communications and isochronous real-time data transfer. It was developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Apple in cooperation with a number of companies, primarily Sony an ...
, also known as FireWire
IEEE 1394 is an interface standard for a serial bus for high-speed communications and isochronous real-time data transfer. It was developed in the late 1980s and early 1990s by Apple in cooperation with a number of companies, primarily Sony an ...
. This high speed connection interface is common on high-speed computers and is also used on military aircraft
A military aircraft is any fixed-wing or rotary-wing aircraft that is operated by a legal or insurrectionary armed service of any type. Military aircraft can be either combat or non-combat:
* Combat aircraft are designed to destroy enemy equipm ...
such as the F-22 Raptor
The Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor is an American single-seat, twin-engine, all-weather stealth tactical fighter aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF). As the result of the USAF's Advanced Tactical Fighter (ATF) program, th ...
and F-35 Lightning II
The Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II is an American family of single-seat, single-engine, all-weather stealth multirole combat aircraft that is intended to perform both air superiority and strike missions. It is also able to provide elect ...
. Users can monitor the system health on the MFD during flight and will be notified in the event of a failed connection; however, the system will continue to function normally as long as part of the redundant network connections remain linked.
Primary Flight Display (PFD)
The chief purpose of the SmartDeck Primary Flight Display is to provide the attitude
Attitude may refer to:
Philosophy and psychology
* Attitude (psychology), an individual's predisposed state of mind regarding a value
* Metaphysics of presence
* Propositional attitude, a relational mental state connecting a person to a pro ...
, airspeed
In aviation, airspeed is the speed of an aircraft relative to the air. Among the common conventions for qualifying airspeed are:
* Indicated airspeed ("IAS"), what is read on an airspeed gauge connected to a Pitot-static system;
* Calibrated ...
, altitude
Altitude or height (also sometimes known as depth) is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object. The exact definition and reference datum varies according to the context ...
, turn rate, vertical speed and course information available in the standard six pack of a conventional cockpit. In addition, the PFD gives autopilot
An autopilot is a system used to control the path of an aircraft, marine craft or spacecraft without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator' ...
mode information, abbreviated engine parameters, glide slope
Instrument landing system glide path, commonly referred to as a glide path (G/P) or glide slope (G/S), is "a system of vertical guidance embodied in the instrument landing system which indicates the vertical deviation of the aircraft from its o ...
and localizer
An instrument landing system localizer, or simply localizer (LOC), is a system of horizontal guidance in the instrument landing system, which is used to guide aircraft along the axis of the runway.
Principle of operation
In aviation, a localiz ...
information and winds aloft. Quick reference true airspeed
The true airspeed (TAS; also KTAS, for ''knots true airspeed'') of an aircraft is the speed of the aircraft relative to the air mass through which it is flying. The true airspeed is important information for accurate navigation of an aircraft. Tr ...
, ground speed
Ground speed is the horizontal speed of an aircraft relative to the Earth’s surface. It is vital for accurate navigation that the pilot has an estimate of the ground speed that will be achieved during each leg of a flight.
An aircraft diving ve ...
, density altitude
The density altitude is the altitude relative to standard atmospheric conditions at which the air density would be equal to the indicated air density at the place of observation. In other words, the density altitude is the air density given as a ...
, outside air temperature, bearing, ground track
A ground track or ground trace is the path on the surface of a planet directly below an aircraft's or satellite's trajectory. In the case of satellites, it is also known as a suborbital track, and is the vertical projection of the satellite's or ...
, DME data, and time en route data are also displayed on the PFD. Dedicated buttons along the bottom of the PFD are used to change the reference bugs for indicated airspeed
Indicated airspeed (IAS) is the airspeed of an aircraft as measured by its pitot-static system and displayed by the airspeed indicator (ASI). This is the pilots' primary airspeed reference.
This value is not corrected for installation error, i ...
, course, heading, altitude and vertical speed as well as the barometer
A barometer is a scientific instrument that is used to measure air pressure in a certain environment. Pressure tendency can forecast short term changes in the weather. Many measurements of air pressure are used within surface weather analysis ...
setting and source for navigation information. The reference bug settings also control the autopilot and flight director
Flight controllers are personnel who aid space flight by working in such Mission Control Centers as NASA's Mission Control Center or ESA's European Space Operations Centre. Flight controllers work at computer consoles and use telemetry to mon ...
.
SmartDeck's PFD is also equipped with synthetic vision, a 3D rendering of obstacles, terrain and airports that allows the pilot to see "through" weather and darkness. The image moves in real time with the aircraft and presents a clear view of the outside environment.
Multi Function Display (MFD)
SmartDeck’s MFD contains a host of flight information available on a number of “pages” dedicated to different functions. Each page features its own menu and submenus that are used to control the display options. The amount of information available on each screen is customizable and much of the information can be combined onto one page to decrease the need for frequently changing screens.
Map Page
The map page is displayed for the majority of a routine flight on the MFD to aid the pilot in navigation and to assist with situational awareness. A moving map can be displayed in a VFR or IFR
In aviation, instrument flight rules (IFR) is one of two sets of regulations governing all aspects of civil aviation aircraft operations; the other is visual flight rules (VFR).
The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) ''Instrument Fly ...
format on the MFD with an aircraft icon that represents the aircraft’s present position. A number of selectable options allow the pilot to easily customize the detail level of the moving map. Selectable map overlays include:
* Airport identifiers
* Airspace boundaries
* VORs and VOR compass roses
* NDBs
* Localizers
* Jet and Victor airways
* Intersections
* Holds
* Obstacles
* Geopolitical boundaries
* Highways and roads
Additionally, pilot selectable traffic, weather and terrain information is available on dedicated thumbnails or overlaid on the map. A thumbnail overlay for an enhanced vision display is also available.
During instrument approach
In aviation, an instrument approach or instrument approach procedure (IAP) is a series of predetermined maneuvers for the orderly transfer of an aircraft operating under instrument flight rules from the beginning of the initial approach to a landi ...
es or while performing SIDs and STARs, a chart overlay option is available on the map page. Chart overlay gives aircraft position on the designated Jeppessen chart in lieu of the map. This function allows the pilot to maintain additional situational awareness throughout the approach and departure phases of the flight.
Auxiliary Page
The auxiliary page combines a large amount of aircraft system data into one easy to navigate page. The various submenus of the auxiliary page display aircraft systems, such as engine parameters and electrical; system health, which displays connections of different components; and subsystems, like GPS or transponder functionality. Also available on the Aux page are normal, abnormal and emergency checklists, aircraft performance charts and a setup page for customization of the PFD and MFD screens. Checklist progress is maintained when switching to other pages giving the pilot quick access to procedures without hindering safe navigation.
Center Console Unit (CCU)
The SmartDeck CCU is a smaller display screen used for entering flight plan data, obtaining airport information, and entering nav/com frequencies or transponder codes. SmartDeck is the only glass cockpit system in the light aircraft market that includes a display dedicated to such functions. Because radio frequencies, flight plan data and airport info can also be manipulated on the MFD, SmartDeck provides a “feature in use” annunciation if the user is accessing or modifying information in two places at once.
When airway
The respiratory tract is the subdivision of the respiratory system involved with the process of respiration in mammals. The respiratory tract is lined with respiratory epithelium as respiratory mucosa.
Air is breathed in through the nose to th ...
s or instrument approaches are loaded into a flight plan, the CCU will automatically change to the appropriate navigation frequencies as the flight progresses. The system displays the location identifier
A location identifier is a symbolic representation for the name and the location of an airport, navigation aid, or weather station, and is used for staffed air traffic control facilities in air traffic control, telecommunications, computer programm ...
next to communication frequencies when selected from the database and identifies the Morse code
Morse code is a method used in telecommunication to encode text characters as standardized sequences of two different signal durations, called ''dots'' and ''dashes'', or ''dits'' and ''dahs''. Morse code is named after Samuel Morse, one of ...
ID for navigation frequencies. A save feature allows up to 30 flight plans with as many as 100 waypoints to be saved on the unit.
Autopilot
The S-TEC Intelliflight 1950 DFCS is the integrated autopilot used with SmartDeck. It is a two-axis attitude-based digital autopilot with a flight director. Autopilot controls are located on the CCU and include heading, nav, approach, indicated airspeed hold, vertical speed hold, and altitude hold buttons. With the autopilot engaged, the system can fly full instrument approaches and holds automatically as well as pilot created holds using the “place hold” function. After the desired mode is activated, autopilot parameters such as vertical speed and heading are selected using dedicated buttons along the bottom of the PFD and changed with a concentric control knob on the Flight Data Controller. The various autopilot modes include:
::Lateral Guidance Modes
** Roll mode
** VOR en route nav mode
** Localizer en route nav mode
** GPS lateral nav mode
** VOR approach nav mode
** Localizer approach nav mode
** GPS approach nav mode
** Back course approach nav mode
** HDG mode
::Vertical Guidance Modes
** Vertical speed mode
** Indicated airspeed hold mode
** Altitude capture
** Altitude hold
** Go-around
** Glide Slope mode
** Altitude capture glide slope mode
Certification
SmartDeck has received Technical Standard Order (TSO) Authorization and Supplemental Type Certification (STC) from the FAA
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is the largest transportation agency of the U.S. government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country as well as over surrounding international waters. Its powers include air traffic m ...
. The system was certified in a Cirrus SR22
The Cirrus SR22 is a single-engine four- or five-seat composite aircraft built from 2001 by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota.
It is a development of the Cirrus SR20, with a larger wing, higher fuel capacity, and a more powerful, 310-horsepo ...
. A limited STC is available through aftermarket dealers for installation on the Cirrus SR22 G2 model aircraft. L-3 was also awarded the development phase for Cirrus’ new “Cirrus Vision SF50
The Cirrus Vision SF50, also known as the Vision Jet, is a single-engine very light jet designed and produced by Cirrus Aircraft of Duluth, Minnesota, United States.
After receiving deposits starting in 2006, Cirrus unveiled an aircraft mock ...
”. Later in the program, Cirrus decided to switch to a similar system by Garmin, prompting L-3 to sue them for $18M.
Competitors
Following FAA certification, SmartDeck will compete directly with the Garmin G1000
The Garmin G1000 is an electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) typically composed of two display units, one serving as a primary flight display, and one as a multi-function display. Manufactured by Garmin Aviation, it serves as a replaceme ...
, Avidyne Entegra
Avidyne Entegra is an integrated aircraft instrumentation system ("glass cockpit"), produced by Avidyne Corporation, consisting of a primary flight display (PFD), and multi-function display (MFD). Cirrus became the first customer of the Entegra ...
, Chelton FlightLogic and the Collins Pro Line series.
References
External links
AOPA Pilot article
Flying Magazine article
Aviation International News article
SmartDeck electronic brochure
recent press release
L-3 Avionics Systems site
{{DEFAULTSORT:L-3 Smartdeck
Aircraft instruments
Avionics
Glass cockpit