NASA Orders Powerline Detector

Safe Flight’s Powerline Detection System Ordered by NASA for Bell 205

The National Aeronautics and Space Association, NASA, has ordered Safe Flight’s Powerline Detection System (PDS) for their Bell 205 that is used as a “Chase Aircraft” to secure the airspace during Space Shuttle activity. The system will be evaluated with the intent to outfit all four such aircraft with Safe Flight’s PDS.

Wire strikes are one of the greatest hazards to civil and military helicopter operations. Although pilots are taught to be aware of both charted and uncharted wires, strikes continue to occur with distressing regularity.

In the delivery of electricity, powerlines create a radiating electromagnetic field. Safe Flight’s Powerline Detection System is designed to sense this field from any direction and warn pilots once a helicopter is in the vicinity of a live wire. When an electromagnetic field is sensed, the Powerline Detection System emits an unmistakable auditory alert. Pilots literally “hear” their relationship to a powerline hazard, even without seeing 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 powerline.

Safe Flight Instrument Corporation, a leader in aviation safety and flight performance systems, was founded in 1946. Headquartered in White Plains, NY, the company pioneered the development of Stall Warning and Angle of Attack, Automatic Throttle Systems, Wind Shear Warning, and many other innovations in aircraft instrumentation, flight performance, and control systems for fixed-and-rotary-winged aircraft. Safe Flight products are installed on over two-thirds of the world’s aircraft – in the general aviation, commercial, and military sectors.