The Standard

The ARINC 661 standard for commercial aircraft cockpit displays normalizes the definition of a Cockpit Display System (CDS) as well as the communication between the CDS and User Applications (UA).  The ARINC 661 working group was formed by the Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC) in response to increasing costs resulting from the increasing complexity of Cockpit Display Systems.

The objective of the standard is to minimize both direct and indirect costs to the airlines by

• minimizing the cost of acquiring new avionic systems by controlling the cost of CDS development,
• minimizing the cost of adding new display functions to the cockpit during the life of an aircraft,
• minimizing the cost of managing hardware obsolescence in an area of rapidly evolving technology,
• introducing interactivity into the cockpit, thus providing a basis for airframe manufacturers to standardize the HMI in the cockpit.

Recent major commercial programs have adopted the standard, including Airbus on the A380 and A400M and Boeing on the 787.

Presagis ARINC 661 Support 

VAPS XT is the ideal solution for projects involving ARINC 661 compliance, and Presagis is committed to providing software that allows embedded avionics display designers and developers to easily and cost-effectively meet this emerging avionics standard.