How widely used are avoidance systems on helicopters?
Zuccaro: They’re used a fair amount in congested areas. The systems are starting to be put into the offshore fleet more and more and also in the corporate environment, operating in the Northeast Corridor and overseas. Terrain/altitude alerting devices are pretty much becoming standard on new helicopters. Most of the twin-engine helicopters for the IFR operating environment have that equipment. Avionics: Aircraft tracking is an important capability in the industry, right? Zuccaro: A lot of operators are putting in satellite-based flight following systems. That seems to be more and more common in the larger fleets, to keep track of aircraft, particularly those operating offshore. And you have text messaging, too, between the flight crew and the operator base. Both the operator and client can watch the aircraft activity, for better management and control, and to track the flight times for billing purposes. Avionics: How widespread are electronic flight bags (EFBs) in the industry? Zuccaro
