United Electronic Industries (UEI) is pleased to announce that FlightSafety International has received Federal Aviation Authority (FAA), Level D Qualification on its first SimI/O equipped simulator. The Hawker 900XP simulator’s I/O system is based on UEI���s RACKtangle I/O chassis. The UEI RACKtangle provides the interface between the controlling computers and the simulator’s various systems including Avionics Interface Computer (AIC), Control Loading and Motion (CLM) and Flight Deck I/O (FDK). The RACKtangle technology will also provide the I/O technology for all of FlightSafety’s future simulators.
UEI’s RACKtangle is used for a variety of reasons. Chief among these are:
a) The high channel density of the UEI system allows the I/O to be installed directly on the simulator, eliminating the need to run literally thousands of wires from the simulator to externally mounted I/O racks.
b) The high speed of the I/O combined with the Gigabit Ethernet interface real-time operating system support allows FlightSafety to operate their new SimI/O at 2000 Hz, providing ultra smooth and realistic flight characteristics,
c) FlightSafety expects an increase in simulator reliability and system throughput. It also benefits from a reduction in equipment and floor space required compared to previous installations due to the elimination of equipments racks and remote VME racks.
d) The built-in diagnostics of the UEI products, combined with the extensive diagnostic and self-test capabilities implemented by FlightSafety reduced installation time, increases MTBF which will increase “in-system availability”.
“We are very excited that FlightSafety’s SimI/O equipped flight simulators feature UEI’s RACKtangle I/O series,” said Shaun Miller, President, UEI. “Our team worked very hard to create the necessary elements to control all aspects of a simulator including analog and digital I/O, avionics and communications interface busses as well as a real-time Ethernet based software interface. We are delighted to see the system actually deployed in a fully certified Level D simulator.”
“The UEI system is a key component in our SimI/O equipped simulators,” said Ron Jantzen, Director of Engineering, FlightSafety International. “The capabilities and benefits provided by the RACKtangle I/O series system come as a result of the close working relationship and contributions of the engineering teams from both UEI and FlightSafety. This system enhances the performance of our simulators, provides simpler and quicker maintenance, increases system availability, and helped us achieve our ultimate goal of creating a superior simulator.”
About the “RACKtangle I/O series”
UEI’s powerful “RACKtangle” architecture is a compact and rugged Gigabit Ethernet based I/O platform. Each chassis consists of a core module (with processor and network interface), a power supply module and twelve I/O slots. Users then match the RACKtangle I/O configuration to their application by selecting the appropriate I/O modules. With over 30 I/O modules available, there will be a configuration ideally suited for almost any application requirement. The RACKtangle’s 12 I/O slots provide up to: 300 analog inputs, 384 analog outputs, 576 digital I/O, 96 counter or quadrature channels, 144 ARINC-429 channels and/or 48 Serial or CAN-bus ports. A full description of the RACKtangle product line is available at http://www.ueidaq.com/RACKtangle.
About UEI
Founded in 1990, UEI is a leader in the PC/Ethernet data acquisition and control, Data Logger/Recorder and Programmable Automation Controller (PAC) markets. UEI’s I/O “Cube” and “RACKtangle” are compact, rugged platforms, ideal for DAQ, Logging and control applications in the a wide assortment of applications and industries including automotive, aerospace/aviation, unmanned vehicles, appliance test, simulator control, in-vehicle test, wind and solar power system control, semiconductor manufacturing, medical equipment and more. UEI offers both COTS and customer products to OEMs, end-users and systems integrators worldwide. With analog, digital, counter, CAN-bus, Serial, ARINC-429, MIL-1553 I/O and more, UEI offers the world’s largest selection of Ethernet based I/O modules. UEI supports all popular Windows, Vista, Linux and Real-time operating systems, programming languages and applications packages including LabVIEW, MATLAB, SIMULINK and DASYLab.
About FlightSafety International Simulation
FlightSafety’s Simulation Systems designs and manufactures advanced full flight simulators, training devices and visual systems that can replicate the operating characteristics of virtually any aircraft or ship. The company has produced over 700 visual systems and more than 400 simulators in the past two decades, including simulators for over 50 aircraft types in the past five years alone. The simulators are part of an integrated training system, used throughout the company’s network of Learning Centers and by many other leading commercial, government and military organizations worldwide.
FlightSafety International is the world’s premier aviation training organization. Over 75,000 pilots, technicians and other aviation professionals train at FlightSafety facilities each year. The company designs and manufactures full flight simulators for civil and military aircraft programs and operates the world’s largest fleet of advanced full flight simulators at 40 training locations.
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