There are a lot of older business jets out there that still stack up fairly well in terms of performance and comfort but their cockpits, especially, are showing their age. Recently, Universal Avionics announced the first installation of a flat-panel display in a Hawker 700A. Mid-Canada Mod Center in Toronto put Universal’s large-format PFD/ND EFI-890R displays in the 30-year-old aircraft, dramatically reducing pilot workload and increasing curb appeal. Universal says it also made the old Hawker safer and easier to maintain.
The screens replace a panel full of electromechanical indicators, consolidate radio controls and make possible the on-screen display of charts, 3-D coupled approaches, and a terrain and awareness system (TAWS). Universal plans to expand the list of Hawker aircraft available for glass displays and, according to company spokesman Dan Reida, is “committed to Hawker operators and keeping this aircraft type viable.”
