As business aircraft operators continue the trend toward fully paperless cockpits, the PilotView electronic flight bag (EFB) portable computer from Canadian avionics manufacturer CMC Electronics is emerging as a favorite choice among buyers.

Dassault has selected the PilotView device as a standard option in the Falcon 2000DX, 2000EX, 900DX and 900EX. Designed to supplement the airplane’s EASy integrated avionics system, the PilotView tablet computer can be used to view checklists, electronic approach charts, moving maps and graphical weather. Aircraft deliveries with the installed EFB started in March, according to Dassault.

At a press conference here yesterday CMC Electronics president and CEO Jean-Pierre Mortreux said the PilotView EFB has attracted business aircraft makers seeking a handheld tablet computer that is more than just a commercial off-the-shelf device that could be picked up in the average electronics shop. Designed to the strictest DO-160D standards, the PilotView EFB features FMS-style line select keys, a high-resolution 8.4-inch display and a rugged housing.

Gulfstream was the first to add the CMC devices to its options list, and since then a number of other manufacturers have followed suit. Most recently Pilatus announced that it will offer the PilotView EFB in the hot-selling PC-12 single-engine turboprop. The installation will mate the computer to CMC’s SureSight M-Series enhanced-vision system (EVS), allowing pilots to view infrared images of the world ahead of the airplane on the PilotView screen.

The EVS camera mounts to the underside of the nose and points straight ahead through the spinning propeller. Pilots can use the enhanced-vision view on the EFB as an aid to situational awareness in low visibility or at night. The M-Series camera weighs 2.2 pounds and measures 2.4 inches wide, 2.5 inches tall and 6.0 inches long.  

To help get the word out about the PilotView product, CMC has expanded its European dealer network. The list of modification centers that can perform the installations now includes Avionicare in the UK, DFS and EISA in France, Jet Aviation and Sun Aircraft Services in Switzerland, Lufthansa Technik and Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services in Germany, and Menekse Aviation in Turkey.

ABC Completions in Montreal recently installed a pair of PilotView EFBs in a Bombardier Global Express operated by a Western U.S.-based company, a setup that permitted the aircraft to achieve the coveted paperless status. ABC Completions custom-designed a telescoping mount for the installation, which puts the EFB in the optimum position in the Global Express cockpit, according to the company.

The PilotView tablet computer features a built-in retractable keyboard and is stored on the yoke or in a side-mounted position in the cockpit. It can interface with various communications channels including Arinc 741, RS232 or a wireless connection.