Smart systems to improve flight safety
The cockpit of the CR929, the first long-haul jet developed jointly by China and Russia. It features cutting-edge design and advanced avionics integration.
More intelligent avionics systems will be applied to future civil aircraft to ensure safety while improving efficiency, a senior researcher told a forum in Shanghai on Tuesday.
Though the intelligent system of Boeing 737 Max has been widely questioned after two fatal air crashes, intelligence can still bring benefits and safety, said Deng Pingyu, chief engineer and deputy director of the China Aeronautical Radio Electronics Research Institute.
The transport volume of China's civil aviation has been increasing by 10 percent a year and domestic airports handled a total of 600 million passengers in 2018.
However, carriers are required to improve punctuality, reduce carbon consumption and operational costs amid increasingly limited airspace and busier flight routes, Deng told the 8th Civil Avionics International Forum 2019.
He said intelligent avionics systems, such as digital communication, satellite navigation and automated aircraft monitoring, offer a solution.
"The future cockpit, for instance, will be able to monitor both the physical and mental condition of the pilots, and offer timely warnings automatically," Deng said.
Some cutting-edge systems have been incorporated in China's domestically manufactured regional jet.
MA700, a new model of high-speed turboprop regional aircraft, is expected to conduct its maiden flight by the end of the year, Yan Yapeng, a senior engineer with AVIC XAC Commercial Aircraft Co, told the forum.
The updated version of the Modern Ark (MA) regional jet family will be equipped with more comprehensive and intelligent avionics systems. The pilot panel, for instance, has four large screens to offer more convenient operations for the pilots, Yan said. To date, the MA700 has received 185 intended orders from 11 customers at home and abroad.
More than 500 representatives of aircraft manufacturers, airlines and avionic system suppliers are taking part in the annual forum this year to discuss avionics trends, airworthiness certification and flight reliability.
A model of the Modern Ark 700 turboprop jet on display in Shanghai. It will conduct its maiden flight by the end of the year.
