Pilot's right hand in the keyboard and trackpad region. However, Roy points out that the Touch function on three screens prevents the pilot from moving the cursor between them at all times.Īllowing the two pilots to interact with the navigation maps reduces the workload, he adds, simplifies cockpit management during demanding stages of the flight, including calculating takeoff performance, accessing the previously established route and in the preparation periods for approaching the destination airport. The nice part about having the navigation chart on the center screen is that all pilots in the cockpit can interact with the route planner, it's a very useful feature on the ground.Īs an alternative to the touchscreen display, pilots can enter information using a trackball (cursor) and a conventional keyboard, just like on the A380. On the central screen, the pilot can move the map with his fingers, facilitating the demonstration work and visualization of the route. Since the route map is, on this occasion, on the central screen of the cockpit, with the touchscreen function. This includes the two outermost screens, which normally show electronic flight map (EFB) information, and the bottom of the two central screens, which normally contain a panel for entering performance, performance and route information.Īirbus test pilot Jean-Michel Roy said the EFB's screens can be switched, at the touch of a button, to the multi-function screen. Three of the six 15,4-inch screens in the A350 cockpit can be retrofitted to include touchscreens. Side screen in the EBF function, showing a STAR chart, of arrival/approach to the aerodrome. About 20 airlines have already chosen that their planes will be delivered with touchscreens. The technology is being introduced as an option by the company Thales. Since last year, Airbus has been carrying out tests with touchscreens on an A350-1000, and certification by the European Union Air Safety Agency took place in November of this year. The touchscreens are helpful for pilots during high-workload phases of flight because they eliminate many of the cursor inputs that were necessary and also by allowing pilots to work collaboratively using EFB applications on the lower center display while not having to switch between different displays.īoeing is also going the touchscreen route and plans to begin delivering the 777X with five Collins Aerospace touchscreen displays in early 2021. Boeing announced the contract with Collins in 2016.China Eastern Airlines has taken delivery of the first Airbus A350XWB equipped with a touchscreen option for the aircraft's large cockpit displays. Some of the EFB apps available to pilots include computing takeoff performance, accessing navigation information and charts during cruise, and displaying terminal charts in preparation for setting up the approach in the FMS. Pilots can use familiar touchscreen gestures to operate the new displays, including pinch-zoom and panning. The touchscreen interface adds another way to control the EFBs, which previously could only be managed with a physical keyboard that is mounted in the pilots' retractable tables and the KCCUs. The new displays are designed to give pilots quick access to electronic flight bag (EFB) functions. The touchscreens on the A350 consist of one each on the outboard side of the flight deck, for each pilot, and another display mounted on the tilt panel above the two flight management system (FMS) keyboard-cursor control units (KCCUs). The A350 flight deck has six large displays, and airlines can opt for three of those to be the Thales touchscreens, although the two primary flight displays and center multifunction display are not available for the touchscreen interface. Some 20 airlines have selected the option for their new A350s. The touchscreens received EASA certification in November. On December 18 China Eastern Airlines took delivery of the first A350 equipped with the new devices, designed to aid crew interaction, cockpit symmetry, and information management. Airbus has started deliveries to airlines of the first A350s equipped with Thales touchscreen flight deck displays.
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