Powerline Detection EASA Certified
Flight Demonstrations Offered at EBACE
White Plains, NY (Immediate) — Trans Helicopter Service (THS) of Paris, France has recently completed EASA-European Aviation Safety Agency certification on Safe Flight Instrument Corporation’s Powerline Detection System (PDS) for the Eurocopter AS 355 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.
THS plans on having the Powerline Detection System installed on the company’s AS 355 which will be available for flight demonstrations at EBACE in Geneva, Switzerland, May 22nd through 24th. To schedule a flight demo, visit Safe Flight at booth #748.
“Powerlines 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 powerlines, 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 powerlines. The system warns pilots when their helicopter is in danger by emitting an unmistakable auditory alert. Pilots can literally “hear” their relationship to a powerline 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 powerline. 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, founded in 1946 and headquartered in White Plains, NY, pioneered the development of stall warning, angle of attack measurement, automatic throttles, and wind shear warning systems for fixed-wing aircraft. In the helicopter market, Safe Flight produces exceedance warning and powerline detection systems. Safe Flight products are installed on over two-thirds of the world’s aircraft in the general aviation, corporate, commercial, and military sectors.
*While the Powerline Detection System provides a unique warning against this hazard, it does not warn against all powerlines and will not alert pilots of some strike hazards that emit electromagnetic fields.