Cutting-edge air data sensor technology in icing conditions is helping aircraft original equipment manufacturing customers like Textron Aviation Inc., a Textron Inc. company, choose UTC Aerospace Systems for their critical sensing needs.

Widely recognized within the industry for its leading air data sensors, UTC Aerospace Systems, a unit of United Technologies Corp., announced today at the National Business Aviation Association's annual exhibition that it has been selected by Textron Aviation to provide air data Pitot probes and support services for the new super-midsize Cessna Citation Longitude program. The company also provides angle of attack sensors, ice detectors and total air temperature sensors for the Longitude.

Recent updates to FAA 14 CFR Part 25, 14 CFR Part 33 and EASA CS-25 requirements call for air data sensors to meet more stringent performance requirements in icing conditions with a particular focus on ice crystal conditions (Appendix D/P). UTC Aerospace Systems' Pitot probes for the Longitude incorporate new patented technology to meet these requirements while maintaining their reputation for accuracy and reliability.

UTC Aerospace Systems is actively involved in multiple industry-wide committees to develop these new icing standards, while making significant investments in icing analytics and product development at the same time. To help develop air data products that meet the new icing standards, the company developed one of the most capable advanced icing wind tunnel facilities in the world in terms of the unique combination of conditions it can replicate. The tunnel offers a unique combination of airspeed, altitude and temperature testing capabilities, and can produce both solid ice particles and supercooled liquid water droplets in high concentrations. Extensive wind tunnel testing enables rapid optimization of sensor design for performance throughout the flight envelope and environmental conditions experienced inflight.

"UTC Aerospace Systems has been a leader in air data instrumentation going back to the founding of its legacy Rosemount Aerospace business in 1956," said Mark Skarohlid, vice president of business development for the company's Sensors & Integrated Systems division. "That tradition lives on today as we continue to innovate and invest in new icing technology, ensuring our customers have the best available instrumentation for new aircraft."