TUCSON, AZ – Universal Avionics’ long-time customer, Horizon Air, has hit a new milestone; as of Friday, November 30, all 48 of their Bombardier Q400 aircraft were modified with Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) using dual Universal Avionics’ UNS-1Ew Flight Management Systems (FMS).
All aircraft are now WAAS, Required Navigation Performance (RNP) 0.3 Authorization Required (AR) and Cat III (two engine and single engine)-capable. “The completion of the final WAAS upgrade for the Q400 fleet marks an important milestone for our friends at Horizon,” said Scott Campbell, Universal Avionics’ Director of Airline and Military Sales. “We’re extremely proud to be part of this innovative and cutting-edge team,” he added.
“Transitioning from the UNS-1E to the UNS-1Ew FMS has been painless,” said Perry Solmonson, Director of Flight Standards and Training at Horizon Air. “Our flight crews operationally understand the UNS-1E and the UNS-1Ew is a logical transition. The FMS works so well, our operating procedures advise pilots to fly FMS-based approaches, RNP/LPV, at all airports where minimums allow the flight to be completed. It is our goal that Air Traffic Control associates Horizon Air flights with RNP and LPV approaches. We have been flying RNP 0.3 AR approaches for over a year now and to date, our Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) program has recorded no unstable approaches on RNP approach procedures, both in IMC and VMC,” he continued. Perry added that “the capabilities of the UNS-1Ew FMS has proven to be a game-changer.”
Since introducing the first FMS in 1982 to the corporate aircraft market, Universal Avionics has continually enhanced the features and capabilities that the FMS offers. Today’s WAAS/SBAS-FMSs combine the benefits of advanced programming; compact, lightweight packaging; and installation flexibility. The WAAS/SBAS-FMS meets stringent internal monitoring requirements to provide guidance to any of the available Minimum Descent Altitudes (MDA) levels available for RNAV (GPS) approach guidance: Localizer Performance with Vertical (LPV), Lateral Navigation/Vertical Navigation (LNAV/VNAV) and LNAV-only.
Certified on over 50 aircraft types, Universal’s WAAS/SBAS-FMS was the first to be approved for Part 25 aircraft. To date, over 2,500 WAAS/SBAS-FMS units have been installed. To learn more about Universal’s line of WAAS/SBAS-FMSs, visit http://www.uasc.com/products/.
Universal Avionics manufactures and markets an extensive line of advanced avionics equipment. Product lines include the UNS-1 SBAS-enabled (WAAS) Flight Management Systems; the EFI-890R/890H Flat Panel Display; a line of Integrated Cockpit Displays; Vision-1® Synthetic Vision System; Terrain Awareness and Warning System; UniLink® Communications Management Unit; Radio Control Units; Cockpit Voice and Flight Data Recorders; Attitude Heading Reference System (AHRS); and the Application Server Unit which integrates charts, electronic documents and checklists with displays systems. For more information about Universal Avionics, visit www.uasc.com.
