Rockwell Collins unveils touch-control flight displays to enable pilot’s eyes focused up and forward

At the 59th Annual Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) AirVenture in Oshkosh, Rockwell Collins unveiled the industry’s first touch-control primary flight display for business jets and turboprop aircraft. It will be available on future applications of the company’s Pro Line Fusion avionics system.

The touch-controlled interface is designed to make the cockpit user-friendly and keep the pilot’s eyes focused up and forward instead of down at the centre console. A tap of the display brings up a context-sensitive menu that lets pilots change things such as the speed, altitude and heading of the aircraft with just a couple of taps. Through the icon-based graphical user interface, the pilot can manage aircraft systems, complete checklists, and review the flight plan on a scrollable map.

Through gesture controls, pilots can also redirect the aircraft to a graphically displayed waypoint or destination with a swipe of a finger instead of entering information on a consolemounted keypad. Other gestures control panning and zoom features, while a physical keyboard is retained for alphanumeric input rather than an onscreen virtual keyboard that was decided would cover up too much important information.

“These displays demonstrate our focus on empowering pilots with natural head-up, eyes-forward interfaces,” says Colin Mahoney, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Rockwell Collins. “Touch-controlled, icon-based controls on the main displays help keep pilots’ attention focused up and forward for safer and more efficient flying.”