PDS - anyone used it?
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PDS - anyone used it?
Trans Helicopter Service (THS) Paris has recently completed EASA certification on Safe Flight Instrument Corporation’s Powerline Detection System (PDS) for the Eurocopter AS355 series helicopter.
The Powerline Detection System will be marketed and distributed in Europe through Trans Helicopter Services of France. THS is in discussions with two major European insurance companies to obtain discounted aircraft insurance for helicopters with PDS installed.
“Power lines are a formidable hazard no matter where you are in the world” said Gérard David president of the French Helicopter Association. “Safe Flight’s Powerline Detection offers a light weight (less than one pound) and low cost system that is designed to alert the pilot when approaching power lines, giving them increased time to maneuver around this often deadly obstacle”.
Paperwork has been submitted to EASA for a follow-up program that would certify the Powerline Detection System on the Eurocopter AS 350 series which is expected to be completed in the second quarter of this year.
Safe Flight's Powerline Detection System is designed to sense from any direction the electromagnetic field surrounding live power lines. The system warns pilots when their helicopter is in danger by emitting an unmistakable auditory alert.
Pilots can literally “hear” their relationship to a power-line hazard, even when they cannot see it. The audio warning increases in frequency (like a Geiger counter) as the helicopter gets closer to a live power line. A red warning light also illuminates on the cockpit indicator.
The Powerline Detection System may be a significant, and potentially life saving advantage when the pilot has not seen the power line.
While the Powerline Detection System provides a unique warning against this hazard, it does not warn against all power lines and will not alert pilots of some strike hazards that emit electromagnetic fields.
The Powerline Detection System will be marketed and distributed in Europe through Trans Helicopter Services of France. THS is in discussions with two major European insurance companies to obtain discounted aircraft insurance for helicopters with PDS installed.
“Power lines are a formidable hazard no matter where you are in the world” said Gérard David president of the French Helicopter Association. “Safe Flight’s Powerline Detection offers a light weight (less than one pound) and low cost system that is designed to alert the pilot when approaching power lines, giving them increased time to maneuver around this often deadly obstacle”.
Paperwork has been submitted to EASA for a follow-up program that would certify the Powerline Detection System on the Eurocopter AS 350 series which is expected to be completed in the second quarter of this year.
Safe Flight's Powerline Detection System is designed to sense from any direction the electromagnetic field surrounding live power lines. The system warns pilots when their helicopter is in danger by emitting an unmistakable auditory alert.
Pilots can literally “hear” their relationship to a power-line hazard, even when they cannot see it. The audio warning increases in frequency (like a Geiger counter) as the helicopter gets closer to a live power line. A red warning light also illuminates on the cockpit indicator.
The Powerline Detection System may be a significant, and potentially life saving advantage when the pilot has not seen the power line.
While the Powerline Detection System provides a unique warning against this hazard, it does not warn against all power lines and will not alert pilots of some strike hazards that emit electromagnetic fields.
