Max-Viz, the Oregon company whose only product is forward-looking infrared (IR) enhanced-vision systems (EVS), came to NBAA’06 riding a rising tide of interest in EVS.

Max-Viz announced several major installation programs for its EVS-1000, EVS-2000 and EVS-2500 systems, including a program Total Aircraft Services (TAS) is working on an STC for installing Max-Viz EVS aboard Bombardier Challenger 300 and 605 bizjets. TAS, which is based at Van Nuys, Calif. Airport, has previously STC’d retroft kits to place Max-Viz equipment on earlier Challengers from the 600 through the 604. “This new STC will build on the successes of TAS and Max-Viz in the EVS market,” said Naras “Bo” Alksninis, TAS director of marketing.

Max-Viz also announced this week that it is pursuing a Challenger 300 installation STC featuring an EVS-2500  triple sensor configuration, with two IR sensors, each covering a different band of the infrared spectrum, and a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera to pick up LED emissions at the edge of the visible spectrum. Since LEDs emit little or no thermal energy, they are largely invisible to IR sensors.

Meanwhile, Sierra Industries of Uvalde,  Texas, announced a program to certify the Max-Viz EVS-1000 single-sensor system across the Cessna Citation 500 series. The Max-Viz germanium IR sensor at the heart of the STC is uncooled, making it small, light and thus easily mounted at the top of Citation vertical stabilizers. The Sierra installation projects enhanced vision imagery onto a retractable head-down display mounted under the instrument panel glareshield. The display, called “the Flipper,” was developed by Flight Display Systems of Alpharetta, Ga., and stows out of sight when not in use.

The display also can show up to four channels of data, including satellite weather, IFR charts and moving maps. A Sierra Industries Citation II conversion, the Sierra Stallion, is on view in the NBAA 2006 static display area at Orlando Executive Airport with the Max-Viz EVS-1000 system installed.