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               Advanced Technology Is Changing Aircraft Cockpits

   by George Putic

   Thanks to the seemingly unstoppable advance of electronic and
   mechanical devices, aircraft manufacturers are constantly upgrading the
   cockpit environment and the passenger cabin, making flying the plane
   and traveling in it easier, and more pleasurable. Some of these
   innovations were on display at the recent International Air Show in
   Paris.

   Aircraft cockpits have changed considerably over the past half century.
   The yoke-shaped control columns were replaced with joysticks, first
   developed for computer games.

   Analog clock-like instruments have given way to electronic displays
   with touch-sensitive screens.

   Honeywell Aerospace Vice President Ken Snodgrass said his company is
   testing its advanced cockpit in a small passenger jet.

   "It has four very large screens, and you'll see things are set up to be
   very, very graphical. So, not like the older cockpits where you had a
   lot of button pushes. There's a lot more now like you use on your
   mobile phone and also for your tablets," said Snodgrass.

   Visually simplified information, displayed on small screens in front of
   a pilot's eye, will enable pilots to quickly grasp a situation and make
   the best possible decisions, said Thales Avionics Marketing Director
   Richard Perrot.

   "This system is based on our [more than] 20 years of experience within
   the military field on helmet-mounted display systems, and for the first
   time we will introduce it on commercial aircraft," said Perrot.

   Thales' senior development engineer Sylvain Moos said similar changes
   are coming to air traffic control centers.

   "We have no keyboard, no mouse. The controller is interacting with the
   system through the gaze information [eye tracking technology] and the
   touchscreen," said Moos.

   Manufacturers are not forgetting the passengers. Video displays in the
   back of passenger seats will offer real-time connectivity and much more
   entertainment than today.

   Senior manager for Panasonic Avionics, Matthias Walther, said the goal
   is to make the passenger feel almost at home.

   "What we're close to really delivering is the seamless travel process
   for the passenger. So there's no difference between the experience that
   you have on the ground and the experience you have on the aircraft," he
   said.

   Exhibitors at the Paris Air Show say that by 2020, cockpits in most
   passenger aircraft will have advanced touch-sensitive screens, while
   pilots will wear head-mounted displays.





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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/advanced-technology-is-changing-aircraft-cockpits/2832850.html