industry scan the Eclipse twin-engine light jet. The IFMS system was developed for the twinjet by Innovative Solutions Support of Exton, Pa., and is offered by Eclipse Aerospace as part of its package. for Total Eclipse jets complete with the new Avio IFMS are now being taken with delivery time averaging 60 stated Mason Holland, Eclipse Aerospace CEO. The IFMS system incorporates dual WAAS/SBAS Beta-3 GPS receivers, supporting dynamically calculated top of decent guidance and coupled LPV approaches. Flight management data is presented on a 15-inch, high-resolution multifunction display. Data entry is performed through integrated bezel pushbuttons and encoders as well as an externally mounted keyboard, said. Avio IFMS avionics suite is one of the most advanced cockpits available on any said Roman Ptakowski, president. 13 microprocessors in the displays control all major aircraft systems. Improvements to e-Chart, mapping and satellite weather functionality along with FMS precision navigation give the Eclipse Twin-Engine Jet unrivaled Honeywell, Aspen MFD Honeywell and Aspen Avionics, Albuquerque, N.M., said they are collaborating to produce a multifunction touchscreen cockpit display for general aviation. The companies have completed a development agreement to bring Bendix/King KSN 770 multifunction display to the market before the end of 2011. The Bendix/King KSN 770, part of the Apex Edge series, is a 5.7 inch touchscreen display with GPS, communication and navigation capabilities. Based on a scalable system architecture and interfaces to most general aviation aircraft, it will be integrated with Evolution Flight Display system. The KSN 770 will have Localizer Performance with Vertical Guidance (LPV) and Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) capabilities. It also will display weather radar, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS), data link weather, traffic information and charts and maps. and Aspen are delivering a level of technical innovation and 10 Avionics Magazine May 2011 ergonomic functionality previously only available to business jet said John Uczekaj, Aspen Avionics president and CEO. interoperability, expandable architecture and flexible interface offer a clear alternative to existing Goodrich Acquisition Goodrich Corp. has signed an agreement to acquire flight-control actuation supplier Microtecnica S.r.l., based in Turin, Italy, for $462 million. The agreement, expected to close in the second quarter, was concluded with SSCP Aero Holdings S.C.A., a company backed by the European private equity firm Stirling Square Capital Partners. The latter firm acquired Microtecnica from Hamilton Sundstrand via management buyout in 2008. Microtecnica supplies flight control actuation systems and components for helicopters, regional and business aircraft and missiles, as well as aircraft thermal and environmental control systems. The company employs 700 people at facilities in Turin, Luserna San Giovanni and Brugherio, Italy, and Bristol, U.K. Sales this year are expected to be $220 million. Microtecnica will become part of the Goodrich Actuation Systems business. acquisition supports our business model and fits with our strategy by increasing exposure to three growth markets: commercial and military helicopters, commercial regional, business and general aviation aircraft and missile said Marshall Larsen, Goodrich chairman, president and CEO. Commercial Smoke Warning The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) was investigating the cause of an apparent electrical incident April aboard a United Airlines Airbus A320, leading to the emergency evacuation of 109 passengers and crew. United Airlines Flight 497 left Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport around 7:25 a.m. CDT and returned 20 minutes later, to electrical difficulties and smoke in the according to an NTSB advisory issued that day. Upon landing, the crew described a loss of anti-skid braking and nose-wheel steering and exited the run- www.avionicstoday.com way 2,000 feet from the approach threshold, NTSB said. The safety board issued an investigation update April 7. In interviews, crew indicated that, at about 4,000 feet, the electronic centralized aircraft monitoring (ECAM) system provided an autothrottle-related message, then an avionics smoke warning message, accompanied by instructions to land. Despite receiving this message, neither crew member recalled smelling smoke or fumes during the The captain used the electronic checklist for the avionics smoke warning indication, which included shutting down some of the electrical system. The first display screens went blank, the ECAM messages disappeared, the cockpit to cabin intercom stopped functioning and the air-driven emergency generator deployed. The captain was able to use the airspeed, altimeter and attitude indicators on his primary flight display during the return to the airport. After landing, the forward right slide did not properly inflate during the emergency evacuation. Investigators later found the aspirator that inflates the slide partially blocked, NTSB said. The cockpit voice recorder captured about minutes and 30 seconds of the flight, NTSB said. The flight data recorder contained 25 hours of data and captured about 18 minutes of data relevant to the flight. Both the CVR and FDR stopped recording prior to landing. Airbus technical advisors and the French Bureau et were taking part in the investigation with other parties, NTSB said. 747-8 Intercontinental The Boeing 747-8 Intercontinental completed its first flight March 20, departing Paine Field in Everett, Wash., for a four-hour, 25 minutes flight, landing at Boeing Field in Seattle. The first flight of the newest member of the 747 family marked the beginning of a 600-hour flight test program. The aircraft reached a cruising altitude of 19,000 feet and speed of 250 knots. Boeing says the 747-8 Intercontinental will have the lowest seat-mile cost of any large airliner, with 12 percent lower costs than its predecessor, the 747-400. The aircraft provides 16 percent better fuel economy, 16 percent less carbon emis-