Thales has a new long-term partnership agreement to certify and distribute its new business jet wearable head up display through StandardAero. Photo: Thales
StandardAero and Thales have signed an agreement to work toward certification and distribution of the Thales TopMax Head-Up Display for business aviation aircraft, the companies said on Sept. 26.
Kyle Hultquist, a spokesman for StandardAero, said on Sept. 26 that it expects the first agency certification for TopMax by December next year.
The companies said that TopMax represents “an industry first, resulting from Thales’ decades-long experience in military Helmet Mounted Display Systems (HMDS)” and civilian HUD and “is the only wearable HUD system whose ergonomics and functionalities are specifically adapted to the needs of civil pilots, whose missions are longer and therefore need a light weight wearable HUD.”
At a glance, pilots with TopMax have instant and intuitive access to critical flight information for navigation and safety. TopMax is unique in the industry as its synthetic vision system (SVS) provides a full color 360-degree field-of-vision for pilots. The SVS system also allows for off-axis symbology including cross wind, synthetic runway, extended navigational centerline and 3D traffic display for advanced situational awareness and safety.
Thales new wearable HUD has a synthetic vision system with off-axis symbology that includes flight environment information and imagery such as cross winds, a synthetic runway and three-dimensional traffic. Photo: Thales
StandardAero said that it anticipates the approval of several Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) for TopMax in business aviation aircraft. Once TopMax is certified, the companies said that they will collaborate to ensure quick turnaround times on installations.
Marc Drobny, president of StandardAero Business Aviation, said that the companies’ partnership means that “business jet operators now have access to a worldwide network and a one-stop shop to have Thales TopMax installed on their aircraft.
Michel Grenier, Thales’ head of avionics in North America, said that TopMax will “revolutionize how pilots fly business aircraft.”
“The system will offer identical operational benefits for both take-off and landing as current head-up displays, along with numerous other operational capabilities,” he said.
The companies said that TopMax provides pilots a number of benefits to include the following:
- Manual eyes-out CAT II landing
- ILS Special Authorization CAT I (SA CAT I) / Lower than standard CAT I (LTS CAT I)
- Low Visibility for Take-Off (LVTO)
- Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS)