76 Iids
Kind of off subject but here but to expand on Trapezoid's remark on IIDS .
Sikorsky made an attempt to modernize and standardize cockpits in the early 90s with the Rogerson and Kratos IIDS. This system proved to have very poor reliability with a very low mean time between removal rates. Remember this is the early 90s and computers were very old by today’s standard and liquid crystal displays were in infants. The major issue with the IIDS was heat and components that could not stand up to the processes, as the processing of the data were performed in each display. Today central data processing takes place and the displays are simply computer screens more or less.
So after spending a lot of money to fix the problems that technology at the time could not fix the early IIDS were abandon and a new solution sought out. Both C’s and B’s were built with IIDS. I think about 20-25 helicopters, most ended up in AsiaPac. Sikorsky switched back to round dials for a period whilst looking for a new supplier of glass.
Fwd 1996-97 Sikorsky built the first Parker Gull IIDS in a B model I can’t remember the serial number but somewhere around 460 something went to a VIP operator in Northeast US. The first C+ went to a New York VIP operator it is was serial number 473 I believe. From then on less one C+ for Exxon in GOM all had IIDS.
guilliBell:
Amen on the standard cockpit, but much of the differences in the aircraft are a function of the market demands. So around 2000 Sikorsky went to a standard and all machines are built to the same baseline, which by the way is a full IFR certified cockpit. Of course the baseline changes over the years as new devices come out and technology surpasses what we once thought was really cool.
So if you fly a new C+ or ++ you’ll have the luxury of a factory identical aircraft unless it was modified elsewhere.
Last edited by David Stepanek; 19th Oct 2007 at 15:12.