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Controlled Flight Into Terrain.
Inadvertent IFR. Aircraft missing, position unknown.
Each of these phrases describes the tragedy of an
aircraft loss. Accidents almost always result from
an accumulation of factors. Avionics can be a factor.
Our goal is to produce avionics systems that make
a difference.
Knowing where the ground is.
Radar
altimeters have been around for a long time, but
the majority of General Aviation aircraft do not carry
one. A radar altimeter tells you how far above the
ground you are. No other instrument does that. It
does not care what the baro setting is; it is unaffected
by low visibility. A clear display and an audible
tone will tell you if you are getting close to the
ground. Sadly, in many accidents, this would have
made a difference.
FreeFlight Systems offers a range
of radar altimeters
starting with the simple to install, low cost TRA-3000
and ending with the TSO-C87, ARINC 429 RA-4500.
There is simply no reason to fly without this inexpensive,
but invaluable, device.
Knowing where the ground is
and knowing where you are.
Fixed wing operators have had
the Terrain Awareness Warning System or TAWS available
to them for several years. Much more sophisticated
than a simple radar altimeter, this device predicts
proximity to the ground based on terrain data and
aircraft position and velocity. Rotorcraft operators
now have access to the same capability with the introduction
of Helicopter TAWS or HTAWS.
FreeFlight Systems' radar altimeters
and Space Based Augmentation System (SBAS) GPS sensors
integrate
smoothly with the majority of TAWS and HTAWS systems
currently offered or in development. Compatible systems
include:
- Sandel HTAWS 3400H
- Chelton Flight Logic
- Sagem ICDS
- Garmin G1000 / G600 / G500
Knowing What Happened.
Fortunately, the majority of aircraft
incidents do not result in accidents. For those that
do, recovery of data is a critical element in understanding
what happened and preventing recurrence. The FreeFlight
Systems family of Crash
Survivable Memory Modules is designed to protect
data during accidents. But what about those incidents
that do not result in accidents - how can we learn
from them?
One solution is to incorporate
into the aircraft a simple recording system, comprising
a Cockpit Video Recorder that can see outside and
see the instrument panel, a microphone to capture
alerts/alarms, and a geo-reference sensor that synchronizes
the data to the real world. On an aircraft equipped
with ADS-B, the “in and out” data can
also be recorded to complete the picture. After each
flight, the data can be reviewed and discussed. Factual,
accurate, unemotional.
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