Synthetic vision landings approved

[pelmet]

EFVS Final Rule Allows ‘No Natural Vision’ Landings.

The FAA issued a final rule today outlining new processes that will allow pilots flying airplanes equipped with enhanced flight vision systems (EFVS) to fly certain IFR approaches all the way to landing “in lieu of natural vision.” Existing rules allow descent to 100 feet on some approaches using a head-up display (HUD) and enhanced vision system (EVS), generally infrared imaging. Under the new rule, which becomes effective March 13, 2018, pilots flying with EFVS will be able to continue those approaches to landing using only the images displayed by the EVS on the HUD.

The new rules are flexible and, in fact, don't specify that a HUD is even required for the pilot flying. This is to pave the way for future technologies such as wearable displays, though the pilot flying must still be able to look forward through the windshield. Any monitoring pilot must also have a display showing EFVS imagery.

Added benefits of the new final rule are that it opens up EFVS approach capabilities at more runways with a larger number of approach types, applies it to Part 91, 91K, 121, 125 and 135 operations and allows commercial operators to dispatch when destination weather is worse than currently allowed. There are training and airworthiness requirements under the new rule, and a letter of authorization is still required for EFVS operations.

[CpnCrunch]

Your title says "synthetic vision", but the text says "enhanced". I'm doubtful whether they'll allow descent to the runway with GPS-derived synthetic vision, although synthetic vision could be very useful in lieu of an RNP approach (or in fact, in lieu of any precision approach). It's also a hell of a lot cheaper and more ubiquitous than enhanced vision.

[pelmet]

I think you might be correct. Now that I think about it, I believe EVS is where they see the lights using some sort of cryogenic system. Back in the days of seeing lots of cargo ramps, I saw Fedex MD-11's the appeared to have this with a little camera kind of addition on the nose.

Maybe the mods can change the title.

[CpnCrunch]

Actually, perhaps not as expensive as I thought:

http://www.flyingmag.com/news/enhanced- ... sna-owners

(although this is just displayed on a G1000, so a HUD version would be more expensive).

Here is what is looks like:

http://cirrusaircraft.com/innovation/en ... on-system/

[pelmet]

Thanks,

Looks like you are more up to date on this than me. I have only flown Avidyne Cirrus's and was not aware of the EVS on the smaller aircraft.

[flyinhigh]

Hey Pelmet,

Do you have a link to the article. I am very intrigued by this.

[ahramin]

It's not synthetic vision, it's enchanced vision. Synthetic vision is computer generated view based on calculated position. If the calculated position is a foot off, then the runway display will be a foot off.

Enhanced vision through infrared or night vision cameras. If the calculated position is off, you'll see it.

[all_ramped_up]

https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2016-1 ... -28714.pdf

Link to the Legalese.

[planett]

Lower landing minima will never be approved for EVS. That's Enhanced Vision System. Lower minima may be approved for EFVS, Enhanced Flight Vision System. The latter will be superimposed on Heads Up Guidance and have cryogenically cooled IR cameras, a much more expensive and complicated approval process.

Speaking from experience, IR cameras that are not cryogenically cooled are useless when any moisture of any kind is present. It all has to do with IR absorption in moisture and the wavelengths that uncooled cameras operate in. Money spent on "awareness tools" in this domain only contributes to the bottom line of the manufacturer. Snake oil is everywhere.

[JohnnyHotRocks]

Hardly snakeoil....
http://www.dassaultfalcon.com/en/MediaC ... pdate.aspx

[ahramin]

So how much lower are the ILS or RNP minimums after paying for this system?

[Vickers vanguard]

Lower landing minima will never be approved for EVS. That's Enhanced Vision System. Lower minima may be approved for EFVS, Enhanced Flight Vision System. The latter will be superimposed on Heads Up Guidance and have cryogenically cooled IR cameras, a much more expensive and complicated approval process.

Speaking from experience, IR cameras that are not cryogenically cooled are useless when any moisture of any kind is present. It all has to do with IR absorption in moisture and the wavelengths that uncooled cameras operate in. Money spent on "awareness tools" in this domain only contributes to the bottom line of the manufacturer. Snake oil is everywhere.

most newer IR sensors on Biz jets ARE NOT cryogenically cooled ( it does not mean, it's the same stuff you find in your GA piston aircrafts). The EFVS on the latest long range biz aircraft is the EVS 3600 from Rockwell collins. Something close to it is already on an Embraer product. Anyway, here's a very brief description of the EVS 3600 :

EVS-3600 EVS Sensor Technical Description:
The EVS-3600 sensor is comprised of the following three detector technologies:
 An uncooled, microbolometer detector sensitive to long wave infrared (8-12 micron)
 An uncooled, InGaAs detector sensitive to short wave infrared (1-2 micron)
 An uncooled, high dynamic range silicon detector sensitive to visible and near IR energy from 0.42 to 1.1 microns
This combination, shown in Figure 1 below, provides the best image of the thermal environment and the best image of LED,
halogen, high efficiency halogen and incandescent lights. An image fusion algorithm combines the three sensor images into a
single output for viewing either on the HUD or on a Head Down display.


Can't really post more, it's from a controlled document.

take care

[Vickers vanguard]

Just before the new rules, approved operators ( and it's a pain to get approval) using of course aircraft with approved EFVS ( which is an IR sensor displayed on a Head-up guidance), can go to 100 ft above field elevation on any approach that has vertical guidance ( ILS, Rnav with LPV or Rnav with Vnav mins) as long as you have the runway environment at mins using the IR sensor image. At 100 ft agl, you have to clear the IR image from the HUD, and have the runway enviro with just normal vision....if not, it's a GA.

[Spokes]

Lower landing minima will never be approved for EVS. That's Enhanced Vision System. Lower minima may be approved for EFVS, Enhanced Flight Vision System. The latter will be superimposed on Heads Up Guidance and have cryogenically cooled IR cameras, a much more expensive and complicated approval process.

Speaking from experience, IR cameras that are not cryogenically cooled are useless when any moisture of any kind is present. It all has to do with IR absorption in moisture and the wavelengths that uncooled cameras operate in. Money spent on "awareness tools" in this domain only contributes to the bottom line of the manufacturer. Snake oil is everywhere.

most newer IR sensors on Biz jets ARE NOT cryogenically cooled ( it does not mean, it's the same stuff you find in your GA piston aircrafts). The EFVS on the latest long range biz aircraft is the EVS 3600 from Rockwell collins. Something close to it is already on an Embraer product. Anyway, here's a very brief description of the EVS 3600 :

EVS-3600 EVS Sensor Technical Description:
The EVS-3600 sensor is comprised of the following three detector technologies:
 An uncooled, microbolometer detector sensitive to long wave infrared (8-12 micron)
 An uncooled, InGaAs detector sensitive to short wave infrared (1-2 micron)
 An uncooled, high dynamic range silicon detector sensitive to visible and near IR energy from 0.42 to 1.1 microns
This combination, shown in Figure 1 below, provides the best image of the thermal environment and the best image of LED,
halogen, high efficiency halogen and incandescent lights. An image fusion algorithm combines the three sensor images into a
single output for viewing either on the HUD or on a Head Down display.


Can't really post more, it's from a controlled document.

take care

How do these systems eliminate IR noise that would be inherent in the sensors at the temperatures that they will operate? 8-12 microns is right around 24c. (10.04 um). In any case, light at this wavelength would only marginally increase visibility in moisture over what the human eye can see.

1-2 um will reduce haze and maybe some smoke, but certainly wouldn't do much to penetrate moisture.