Avionics News February 2014 - 44

ROCKWELL COLLINS HELISURE
Continued from page 43

systems," he said. "With the goal of solving the primary
problem of improved situational awareness, that collective solution is what we now call HeliSure."
HeliSure safety is the sum of its parts
Toy explained that HeliSure is not a single product,
but more of an umbrella name for what is planned to be
a continually evolving array of applications that will be
offered as they become available.
"Our first products for HeliSure are the helicopter synthetic vision (H-SVS) and the helicopter terrain awareness and warning system (H-TAWS) application," Toy
said. "They give pilots intuitive 3-D visualization and
warnings of the terrain and obstacles directly in the aircraft's path. They are software application additions into
our newest cockpit display systems.
"We're actually deriving capabilities from the Pro
Line Fusion flight deck, and we'll initially be fielding
the first HeliSure capabilities with AgustaWestland on
the large area cockpit display system on its new AW169

Intuitive high-resolution H-SVS imagery provides pilots with
awareness of terrain and obstacles along the flight path of the
aircraft. The mountain valley depicted in this image clearly shows
the rising terrain near the aircraft's flight path, as well as the
valley into which the pilot intends to fly. The integrated display of
H-TAWS symbology allows immediate recognition of terrain near
and above the aircraft's flight level.

avionics news

february

2014

and AW189 helicopters. We are, of course, offering
other OEMs our HeliSure capabilities for their newgeneration aircraft that use our avionics."
While Toy explained the H-SVS and H-TAWS functions were the first of the HeliSure capabilities to be
fielded with AgustaWestland, he stressed they are indeed just the beginning of a family of capabilities.
"Our plan is to extend the HeliSure capabilities with
things like real-time sensor data," he said. "Either
bringing information in and overlaying weather information with TCAS (traffic collision avoidance system)
or other capabilities like radar-based obstacle sensing
systems. Everything will work to provide information
to help the pilot. Another real-time sensor we're looking at is a short-range radar-based system that will help
pilots be aware of potential rotor strike hazards."
Toy said Rockwell Collins is taking a very strategic
and systematic approach to the new HeliSure applications it brings to market and in what order. The goal is to
provide safety-enhancing solutions that will provide the
greatest benefits to the operators who need them most.
"Right now we are concentrating on the higher end
of the emergency medical services and offshore oil and
gas operators," he said. "Those are key markets that
really need the help now and are also major users of the
helicopters our systems are operating on. It seems EMS
helicopters typically operate in marginal weather conditions, so they really need technology that will aid the
pilot in situational awareness. They're always operating
in unique environments.
"Taking our technologies to an EMS operator who is always landing on a road or an unimproved area where there
are signs, poles and other obstacles will be a huge benefit.
Just the momentary loss of awareness at a critical point
can be disastrous. It's easy to lose track of where you are
when there's so much going on around you.
"It's similar with the offshore operators. They not
only operate day/night in marginal weather, but they
have the added challenge of landing on small helipads
on oil rigs with gusty conditions. We believe an application like the proximity hazard alert system will provide very high value to them. It will let them know if
they are getting a little bit of drift and getting too close
to obstacles around the pad during a critical phase like
hovering to land."

Avionics News February 2014

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News February 2014