"Godπs-eye" or "bird's-eye" view cameras are showing up on more and more private jets these days, sitting on the cockpit glareshield, mounted atop the vertical stabilizer and tucked into the aircraft belly, providing video to passengers through the entertainment system. In some cases they are providing information to the pilots as well.
Optics
February 22, 2011 - 12:10pm
A Lakeland, Fla. man faces 20 years in prison after aiming his laser pointer at a Polk County sheriffπs helicopter conducting a search-and-rescue mission. The laser caused the flight crew to become disoriented and abort the mission.
October 19, 2010 - 3:58pm
Lexavia, with a 20-year record of providing customized flight displays for civil and military aircraft, has become the newest player in the infrared enhanced vision system (EVS) marketplace. Examples of the new Lexavia Integrated Systems EVS offerings are being demonstrated at NBAA Booth No. 7922. The Pensacola, Fla.-based company has decided to direct its varied design and manufacturing resources toward a new approach to EVS marketing.
October 13, 2010 - 11:32am
Astronics, a provider of advanced, high-performance lighting and electronics systems for the global aerospace industry, has announced a new line of LED landing and taxi lights that consume much less power than the incandescent lights that they replace.
October 13, 2010 - 7:41am
Aerial View Systems has been in business in Newport Beach, Calif., for 25 years developing increasingly sophisticated external cameras for business jets. The cameras not only provide passengers stunning scenes of the outside world on entertainment system monitors, but also enable pilots to view problems with flaps, landing gear, APUs and so forth, as well as to see taxiing aircraft that might not be viewable from the cockpit.
July 17, 2010 - 4:23am
Since almost one third of helicopter accidents with fatal casualties are caused by impact with obstacles and cables, developing and improving anti-collision systems against low-visibility obstacles is clearly a key objective for avionics specialists. Finmeccanica’s Selex Communications has had success with various military users of its laser obstacle avoidance and monitoring (LOAM) system since introducing it in 2000.
March 31, 2010 - 6:20am
The so-called “smart cabin automated dimming system” (Scads) marks the latest stage in evolution of the electrically dimmable E-Shade smart window from InspecTech of Fort Lauderdale.
January 27, 2010 - 3:57am
A new Article 222 of UK Air Navigation Order 2009 makes it illegal “to shine any light at any aircraft in flight so as to dazzle or distract the pilot of the aircraft.” The country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) hopes the article, coupled with new technology used by police air support units, will increase conviction rates.
June 15, 2009 - 4:32am
Italy’s Elettronica has entered the last phase of development of its directional infrared countermeasures (DIRCM) system for the anti-missile protection market, and is due to complete ground tests and flight trials by the end of 2009. The project was launched in 2007 to create a system that would protect aircraft from infrared-guided (“heat-seeking”) surface-to-air missiles, and in particular, man-portable air defense systems.
February 23, 2009 - 2:15pm
Airborne Law Enforcement Services (ABLE) of Costa Mesa and Newport Beach, Calif., will be the first customer for FLIR Systems’ Ultra 9HD airborne thermal imaging system. An Ultra 9HD mounted on one of ABLE’s EC 120s is on display at FLIR’s Heli-Expo booth (No. 3928).
