Universal Avionics is seeing increased interest in its InSight integrated flight deck solution among business jet operators. In 2021, the system was certified or set on a path to certification on five different aircraft platforms for a total of nine different STC solutions to date.

Building on Universal Avionics' (UA) Citation VII STC, an F900B STC was awarded and included UA's SBAS FMS and UniLink data communication system. Other aircraft platforms include the Falcon 900B with factory FMS, Falcon 50, Falcon 20, Hawker 800A/XP and Gulfstream G-III.

“Universal Avionics' InSight flight deck upgrade provides a state of the art solution to a variety of business jets. The InSight display system, along with Universal's FMS LPV, data communication and ClearVision enhanced flight vision system, is a full solution to bring any business jet into the front line of technology,” says Dror Yahav, Universal Avionics CEO.

The InSight Display System is UA's flight deck solution, a fully integrated display system with a rich feature set for enhanced situational awareness and improved safety. It features an embedded second next generation 3D synthetic vision system, interactive digital map, embedded charting, map support and advanced radio control with embedded radio tuning. InSight is complemented with a human machine interface design including touch control interactions with the flight plan.

UA says the InSight avionics modernisation package leads to fuel savings and decreased flight times. It is a key to preparing operators for the FAA's NextGen and the European Union's SESAR, particularly when including UA's SBAS-FMS with LPV for more direct routings. Operators could save 15 minutes or more on typical flights when using CPDLC for controller communications instead of verbal exchanges by using UA's data communications system, UniLink CMU and Kapture cockpit voice recorder. The system enables FANS 1/A+, data comm, CPDLC / CPDLC DCL, en-route clearances, ATN B1 and other communications such as OOOI reporting, automatic position reporting, flight planning route uplinks and future big data connectivity.

Replacing instruments from analogue or cathode ray tubes to a fully digital technology to display flight and aircraft information increases aircraft payload by more than 200 lbs. while reducing maintenance costs and improving equipment reliability. InSight is supported by a web based maintenance and diagnostic tool. Flight deck maintenance teams or UA's field service engineers if needed, can diagnose in situ or even remotely. Remote connection is an unprecedented use of technology allowing UA to instantly sync, troubleshoot, diagnose and configure systems while they are installed in an aircraft. By utilising remote access tools, the flight department can increase aircraft readiness and reduce aircraft downtime.