Rockwell Collins is launching at Paris a new enhanced vision system for helicopters to enable safe operations on demanding missions such as emergency medical services (EMS), even in marginal weather conditions.
Known as HeliSure, the helicopter synthetic vision system (H-SVS) derives sensor data from multiple sources including its helicopter terrain awareness and warning system (H-TAWS), and provides a real-time three-dimensional visualisation of the outside environment on the primary flight display, so the pilot has all the flight, navigation and terrain information in one place. HeliSure is effectively an integration of H-SVS and H-TAWS, and Rockwell Collins describes it generically as a "flight situations awareness solution".
The US Federal Aviation Administration is considering mandating H-TAWS for EMS missions, and Rockwell Collins says its equipment is designed to meet that requirement.
Dan Toy, principal marketing manager for rotary wing at Rockwell Collins, says the system can be adapted to all helicopter sizes, or for retrofit, explaining: "Thanks to the low weight and flexible design of our HeliSure, flight situational awareness solutions are suitable for a wide range of helicopters, such as the Eurocopter EC-135/145, EC-155, EC-225, the AgustaWestland AW169 and AW189, and the Sikorsky S-92."
Phil Jasper, executive vice-president and chief operating officer of Rockwell Collins Government Systems, claims: "With the introduction of HeliSure, Rockwell Collins is the only company offering a completely unique portfolio of products combining visualisation, displays, sensors and databases that together increase situational awareness."
HeliSure's H-SVS pictures the outside world faithfully, says the company, improving pilot situational awareness, particularly in degraded visual environments "where an accurate understanding of the surrounding terrain becomes critical".
The company explains: "Rockwell Collins' H-SVS solution is a fully integrated software application that can be ported to most current-generation large-format displays. Another advantage of the H-SVS solution is its high-resolution terrain and known obstacle database - with industry-leading 3-arc/sec resolution through all phases of flight that delivers the most detailed synthetic vision display available today."
Rockwell claims that high-risk operations such as EMS, law enforcement, search and rescue, or offshore oil support can be made possible in marginal weather conditions without compromising safety, because the pilots are provided with advanced warning about dangers along their flightpath through the graphic depiction of surrounding terrain and known obstacles.
The company says the HeliSure H-TAWS product is designed to address the proposed US Federal Aviation Administration mandate for the use of an H-TAWS system by helicopter EMS operators.
Source: Flight Daily News
