Head room: advanced optics technology yields better head-up aircraft displays.

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Improvements in image generation technology by BAE Systems of Orlando, Fla., have made possible smaller, more proficient and less expensive head-up displays for commercial aircraft. The Q-HUD is about half the size of existing systems and provides more space for pilots who fly regional and business jets.

Based on proprietary waveguide technology, the Q-HUD projects imagery on a display glass in the aircraft windshield, an enhancement that "eliminates the need for complex projection lens configuration common to traditional HUDs," mentions a spokesman.

He says that besides providing more head room for pilots in confined cockpits, Q-HUD is able to display sharper synthetic vision imagery including infrared and terrain data that in combination improves situational awareness.