AerSale Partnering with Universal Avionics to Develop STC for ClearVision EFVS on Airbus 320 Aircraft

AerSale®, a global supplier of mid-life aircraft, engines, used serviceable material, and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services, announced today it is partnering with Universal Avionics to develop a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the ClearVision Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS) on Airbus 320 aircraft. FAA certification for the retrofit upgrade is expected by the end of the first quarter of 2020, with Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) validation to immediately follow. AerSale will also handle ClearVision installation.

Manufactured by Universal Avionics, the ClearVision EFVS solution includes the SkyLensTM Head-Wearable Display (HWD), a cost-effective and more modern alternative to a traditional fixed Head-Up Display (HUD). The SkyLens high-transparency visor presents high-resolution symbology/imagery, including an Enhanced Vision System (EVS), Synthetic Vision System (SVS), and Combined Vision System (CVS) for superior see-through transmission in all weather conditions, day and night. The state-of-the-art HWD requires significantly less installation effort and can often be installed in a few days, compared to a fixed HUD that requires disassembly of the aircraft cockpit and can take weeks—all while the aircraft is grounded.

“We are proud to work with Universal Avionics to apply our STC-development expertise to the ClearVision EFVS, which will certainly prove to be a game-changer for A320 operators worldwide,” said Iso Nezaj, Chief Technical Officer at AerSale. “Once the STC has been issued by the FAA, we’ll install ClearVision in a fraction of the time required for current systems, maximizing flight time for our customers.”

AerSale has previously developed STCs for its own proprietary products including AerSafeTM, a more economical fuel tank flammability reduction option, and AerTrakTM, a cost-effective ADS-B Out solution, as part of the company’s engineered solutions and parts manufacturing capabilities.

“We are excited to partner with AerSale to offer a high-performance EFVS and wearable HUD solution to the A320 market,” said Dror Yahav, Universal Avionics CEO. “This STC will allow A320 operators to install EFVS breakthrough technology, for the first time, in a commercially affordable way.”

As part of the NextGen roadmap, ClearVision aligns with Federal Aviation Regulation (FAR) 91.176 released by the FAA, enabling operators to perform a full landing procedure with no natural vision, where the reported visibility is as low as 1,000 feet. The ClearVision system offers unmatched capabilities for airline operators, providing dispatch and landing approach priority as well as low visibility landing, regardless of the destination airport’s infrastructure.