Story ID: 
Flying Firefighters Upgrading to Universal Avionics
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: The upgrade adds Universal's modern InSight avionics
Word Count: 223
De Havilland Canada is developing upgrades and forward-fit installations of a Universal Avionics integrated flight deck for its CL-215T, CL-415, and DHC-515 firefighting twin turboprops. The company made the decision to pick Universal as lead supplier after consulting with operators of these aircraft.
The avionics suite includes Universal’s InSight flight display system with five displays plus an engine indication system and alert messages, dual touchscreen controllers, dual flight management systems, Kapture voice and flight data recorders, and data communications capabilities. Universal’s equipment allows the crew to interact with the avionics wirelessly. It also enables maintenance tracking via Universal’s cloud-enabled data services and third-party providers, according to the avionics manufacturer.
“Our success in retrofit and forward-fit solutions with de Havilland Canada demonstrates the versatility of Universal’s solution and its role as a leading avionics provider in the Aerial Firefighting market,” said Dror Yahav, CEO of Universal Avionics. “Mission-driven solutions for these popular firefighting aircraft help make aerial firefighting operations safer and more efficient.”
“[Universal’s] long tradition of innovation, and the versatility of the systems they provide, are going to be key enablers to sustain our aircraft in customer operations for years to come,” said Jean-Philippe Côté, de Havilland Canada v-p of programs and business improvement.