Rockwell Collins has received level D approval from the French Civil Aviation Authority for its EP-8000 image generator on an Air France Boeing 777-300 full flight simulator.

Rockwell Collins Simulation & Training Solutions vice-president and general manager Ken Schreder said that the EP-8000 delivers realism in lighting, atmospherics and special effects in the environments it generates for flight training scenarios.

The equipment uses commercial-off-the-shelf field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology and generates unparalleled scene density, environment processing and performance.

The EP-8000 provides an open, scalable approach that allows new features and technology insertions over the life cycle of the training programme.

“The EP-8000 is the first visual system to apply software programmable technology to the entire graphics rendering process, which makes it much more cost-effective because it’s easier and less expensive to maintain,” Schreder said.