Gulfstream is hoping to become the first aircraft manufacturer to provide the Enhanced Vision System (EVS) when flight testing is completed by the end of 1999. The manufacturer is putting its design philosophy of providing "technology that works" into practice with the EVS which uses infrared imaging technology that is said to enhance the safety of Gulfstream aircraft during landing and avoiding CFIT in low-visibility conditions.\rThe manufacturer is hoping that the completion of company flight testing will pave the way for the FAA certification test programme, leading to final certification of the EVS on Gulfstream aircraft in the first quarter of 2000. Senior experimental test pilot and EVS programme pilot for Gulfstream, Gary Freeman, says: "The GV test flights are proving that EVS will greatly enhance aviation safety in real-life conditions, including night situational awareness, terrain avoidance and approaches into unfamiliar airports." \rFollowing FAA testing aboard the proof-of-concept Cessna 402 earlier this year, flight tests have now moved to the Gulfstream V aircraft. Gulfstream says that on several approaches, the right-seated pilot's vision was completely obscured and 'blind' landings were successfully made using only the EVS system for reference. EVS, for use exclusively on Gulfstream aircraft, incorporates a Forward Looking Infrared (FLIR) camera, manufactured by Kollsman, which allows the pilot to look through fog and darkness by projecting an infrared real-world image on the Honeywell Head-Up Display (HUD). \rThe HUD image enables the pilot to see through fog, avoid terrain, and safely land the aircraft at airports with very low visibility conditions. The cryogenically cooled sensor used on the EVS is particularly sensitive to the infrared radiation content of standard runway lighting. \rFreeman added: "Of the over 2,600 Instrument Landing System (ILS) approaches worldwide, only 337 offer Category II and III landing capability. EVS will bring Category II and III approach minimums to all ILS airfields. EVS effectively creates 2,300 new Category II and III approaches that will not be available to other business aircraft." \rGulfstream is developing EVS for the Gulfstream V in co-operation with Maryland Advanced Developmental Laboratories (MADL). EVS will be available on the Gulfstream V in the third quarter of next year and the Gulfstream IV-SP will receive EVS six months later. \rAccording to senior vp of programmes, Pres Henne, EVS is the flagship product of Gulfstream's aim to provide the customer with 'technology that works': "We use technology that translates into real customer benefits. This design approach has paid off with the exceptional reliability of the Gulfstream IV-SP and Gulfstream V." \rHenne cited others examples as the Gulfstream V wing, the provision of 100 per cent fresh cabin air, bigger windows for passengers and a lower cabin altitude: "The GV, one of the fastest, most efficient and simplest wing designs ever. The wing extends the operating envelope of the Gulfstream V to allow the aircraft greater access to hot and high airports or short airfields. The wing achieves high altitude manoeuvrability and substantial buffet margins. The result is a generous performance envelope that routinely allows 45-degree bank turns at 51,000 feet." \rBoth the Gulfstream IV-SP and Gulfstream V have 100 per cent fresh air in the cabin at all times which is said to reduce travel-related fatigue for the passengers, while windows offer panoramic views and ample natural light which helps to avoid jet-lag on long-range flights. \rGV passengers enjoy a cabin altitude that never exceeds 6,000 feet, even when the aircraft is cruising at its maximum altitude of 51,000 feet, according to Henne. The cabin pressure also adjusts automatically to every phase of flight so that upon landing it is compatible with the destination airport.