Garrett Aviation Services (Booth No. 633) is featuring recently completed and in-progress avionics and engine upgrade programs including Collins Pro Line 21 and Honeywell Primus Epic cockpit retrofits, reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSM) equipment and the Williams FJ44-2A re-engining program for the Sierra Eagle II Cessna Citation 501.

The Garrett offerings are part of the joint GE/Garrett NBAA ’02 display in Hall A. Garrett and Sierra Industries, of Uvalde, Texas, have an Eagle II-modified Citation 501 at static display No. 25 on Orlando Executive Airport (ORL). Garrett and Honeywell have a Falcon 50 and Falcon 20 with TFE731 engine retrofits at ORL as well. The Falcon 50, with TFE731-40 turbofans, gains Falcon 50EX performance. The Falcon 20 is modernized with Honeywell’s TFE731-5BR and Collins Pro Line 21 avionics.

A prominent feature of the Garrett display is the Honeywell Primus Epic Control Display System/Retrofit (CDS/R) certified by Garrett on a Gulfstream III last year to replace the original standard Sperry analog instruments and older EFIS. Anderson said this certification, also applicable to the GII, offers three 8- by 10-in. full-color flat-panel displays, ability to interface with the latest equipment upgrades such as traffic alert collision avoidance system (TCAS), flight management system (FMS) and enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) and growth capability for communications, navigation and surveillance/air traffic management (CNS/ATM). The Epic suite hot mockup is fully operational and includes RVSM instrumentation.

Mike Anderson, director of avionics for Tempe, Ariz.-based Garrett Aviation Services, said his company has done and certified “upwards of 60 or 70” EGPWS installations. These have been Honeywell systems until Garrett recently began installing the Universal Avionics terrain awareness  and warning system (TAWS). Anderson said the ground proximity installations “cover the waterfront” to include virtually every corporate jet make and model.

Two other major Garrett retrofit programs for the Falcon 20 and Falcon 50 feature the Collins Pro Line 21 avionics configured for retrofit applications. Both include RVSM options. Garrett is announcing at NBAA ’02 the availability of Pro Line 21 equipment for its Falcon 50 retrofit program for which Pro Line 4 avionics have previously been offered. Anderson said both the Falcon 20 and 50 can now be equipped with complete Pro Line 21 suites including autopilot, electronic displays and nav/comm/ident radios.

Flying high for RVSM

The GE/Garrett booth features RVSM avionics from Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) of Malvern, Pa., including air data display units (ADDUs) and an analog/digital interface unit (AIU)– both specifically designed to retrofit this application. The ADDU is a self-sensing digital air-data computing altimeter with integral altitude alerting. The AIU provides the ADDU’s interface to autopilot, navigation and display systems.

For smaller Falcons, Garrett is also announcing at NBAA two air data solutions: one for AP105-equipped Falcon 10s, and another for newer Falcon 10s and Falcon 100s with Collins’ APS-80 AFCS. An IS&S system features replacement of the AP105 autopilot’s maintenance-prone altitude controller (-590 box) with a new digital air-data sensor. APS-80- equipped Falcons receive the Collins ADC 87A digital air-data computer.

Garrett RVSM installations for the Gulfstream II and IIB use Honeywell’s new AZ-960 digital air-data computer (ADC) with analog IO. Anderson noted that these aircraft “never had the best altitude pre-select function, due to the ADC interface. The new digital technology in the AZ-960 gives the analog SP-50G autopilot better altitude pre-select capture smoothing.” He said the Garrett RVSM compliance solution costs $250,000 for most GII/IIB installations, varying with individual aircraft equipment configurations. Garrett has performed 24 Gulfstream II/IIB RVSM installation/ certifications.

The company is also conducting RVSM compliance programs for the Cessna Citation 500/501, 550/551 and 560 series, using IS&S hardware. In addition, Garrett plans to announce this week a newly certified RVSM retrofit program for IAI Westwinds.

Garrett and Sierra Industries have teamed to modify Citation 500/501SP aircraft with the Eagle wing modification and, for the Eagle II, Williams/Rolls FJ44-2A engines. Keith Phillips, v-p of sales and marketing, said all Garrett service and modification centers will be able to perform both the longer wing mod and engine retrofit under the Sierra STCs, although only the Houston facility is doing so at the moment. He said Garrett will expand the Cessna RVSM program to include Sierra Eagle II-modified aircraft in Citation RVSM group approvals, which will require precision altimetry solutions at the higher Mach numbers and TAS that Eagle II-modified Citations will be capable of.

The offerings of various other GE companies including GE Capital are showcased in the overall display again this year, providing a glimpse at products under the General Electric banner ranging from aircraft maintenance, modification and financing to food preparation appliances.