Safety and Technology Trends

Air Safety Week,  March 24, 2008  

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Helicopter Research Flights Underway

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, in conjunction with Tomlinson Aviation of Ormond Beach, FL, and Systems & Electronics of Chicago, has completed the first of a series of FAA-sponsored helicopter research flights demonstrating technology intended to enhance the safety and commercial viability of helicopters in the United States. The project is evaluating Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (HUMS) equipment that uses onboard sensors to monitor flight conditions and the health of helicopter components. The prototype HUMS hardware was developed by Systems & Electronics. The research flights were successfully completed on Feb. 16, 2008, in a Bell 206 Jet Ranger provided by Tomlinson Aviation. The team equipped the jet-powered helicopter with a prototype HUMS for monitoring a suite of sensors collecting aircraft-state data in real-time. Initial data reductions indicate that the tests successfully determined the health of the helicopter's tail rotor in flight. The team now moves on to demonstrate the same technology enhancements in a smaller reciprocating helicopter similar to those used in pilot training. "Thanks to this technology, helicopter components in poor health can be retired early, and healthy components can receive a life-limit extension," said Dr. Pat Anderson, the Embry-Riddle Aerospace Engineering professor who is directing the HUMS project. "Thus, HUMS will help helicopter operators increase safety while at the same time lowering operating expenses."

Frontier Receives Award from FAA for Excellence in Safety and Training

Frontier Airlines' maintenance personnel have been awarded the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Diamond Award for the ninth consecutive year. The Diamond Award is the highest honor given by the FAA and recognizes airlines and other maintenance facilities where at least 25 percent of its aircraft maintenance technicians complete certified training requirements beyond their initial certification. Since 1999, Frontier has far exceeded the FAA's standard with 100 percent participation of its aircraft maintenance technicians, upholding Frontier's status as one of a very small number of air carriers to achieve this distinction. Each of the airline's 415 maintenance and engineering employees, plus an additional 243 maintenance contractors, participated in the program this year. In all, 658 maintenance and engineering professionals will be presented with awards.

Flight Management and AESS Systems for Airbus A350XWB

Honeywell has been selected to provide the Flight Management System (FMS) and the Aircraft Environment Surveillance System (AESS) for Airbus's new long- range, wide-body A350XWB aircraft. Honeywell's AESS, the first and only integrated surveillance system to obtain FAA Technical Standard Order approval, combines the Traffic Alert Collision Avoidance System (TCAS), Mode S transponders, Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) and Advanced 3-D Volumetric Weather Radar (RDR-4000) into a single unit -- offering pilots increased situational awareness to reduce workload and maximize route and fuel efficiency.