SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 2, 2002--Horizon Air announced today that the FAA has certified the "Fog Buster" Head-up Guidance System (HGS) for use on the airline's Bombardier Q400 high-speed turboprop aircraft and CRJ-700 regional jets.

Installation of the precision flight guidance system on all 15 of Horizon's 70-seat Q400s is expected to be completed by early next year, at which time installation on all 16 of the company's 70-seat jets is slated to begin.

Horizon's 37-seat Q200 turboprop aircraft already operate with the HGS.

The HGS system improves safety by minimizing the times the pilot must look down at the cockpit gauges and then re-focus to look out the window. The system includes a see-through visor-like panel -- called a combiner -- that the pilot flips down between himself and the cockpit windscreen. By looking through the panel and out the window, pilots are able to read important navigational information "head up" while at the same time not taking their eyes away from their aircraft's surroundings.

HGS expands the operational capability of the Q400 and allows pilots to make decisions about takeoff and landing in lower visibility weather than would be possible without the system. "With HGS, not only do we get lower takeoff and landing minima allowing us to maintain our schedule reliability, but we also have the important safety benefit of full-time head-up awareness for our aircrews," said Perry Solmonson, Horizon's manager of flight operations technology and air traffic.

The FAA certification program was a cooperative effort led by Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics of Portland, with the support of Horizon Air and Bombardier Aerospace of Canada. Horizon Air played a significant role in the certification of several of Flight Dynamic's Head-up Guidance Systems. The company has provided aircraft and flight crews for five different HGS certification programs.

Rockwell Collins Flight Dynamics of Portland is the industry leader in aircraft Head-up Guidance Systems. The company's patented HGS technology is certified and operating on a variety of business, commercial and military transport aircraft, and has accumulated more than nine million flight hours in revenue service. Additional information is available at http://www.flightdynamics.com.

Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines have long been industry leaders in the use of advanced cockpit technology such as GPS navigation and the Head Up Guidance System. Horizon Air serves 42 cities throughout Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, California, Colorado, Arizona, British Columbia, and Alberta. Horizon Air and Alaska Airlines are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group, Inc. For more news and information, visit Horizon's Newsroom at http://newsroom.horizonair.com.

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