Rockwell Collins gets upgrade certified

With more than 1,600 Boeing 757 and 767 airplanes in operation throughout the world, Rockwell Collins has a cockpit upgrade designed to keep them in service for years to come.

The Cedar Rapids avionics and communications provider has received an initial Federal Aviation Administration supplemental type certificate for its large-format display flight deck retrofit.

The upgrade, inspired by Rockwell Collins' advanced flight deck technology on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, features three large-format liquid crystal diode (LCD) displays that replace six cathode ray tube (CRT) displays and numerous analog instruments. Benefits will include improved fuel efficiency because of a 150-pound flight deck weight reduction.

'There are hundreds of Boeing 757s and 767s flying today that have a lot of life left in the airframe,” said Steve Timm, vice president and general manager, Air Transport Systems for Rockwell Collins. 'New airspace mandates are driving changes in the flight deck that demand displays with greater viewing area, along with additional throughput and memory.

'The flight deck transformation we're providing with Boeing modernizes these flight decks, taking the aircraft into the next decade and beyond.”

The flight deck upgrade was developed through a collaboration of Boeing and Rockwell Collins.

Rockwell Collins' Head-up Guidance System also is available for the Boeing 757/767 aftermarket. The company said the system further enhances situational awareness and provides more efficient operations through all phases of flight, including departures and approaches in low-visibility conditions, thunderstorm diversion, and quick, at-a-glance flight path monitoring.