ESSENTIAL EQUIPMENT: COLLISION AVOIDANCE SYSTEMS

摘要

Nothing is more essential to aircraft operations than completing the mission safely. In an airliner's world, air traffic controllers maintain separation of airplanes from each other and from some obstacles. But down in the obstacle-rich environment of the helicopter, where air traffic control assistance is absent more often than present, the rotorcraft pilot needs to "see and avoid" trouble on his own. The human eye is the primary tool used by aviators to avoid colliding with other things, but eyesight has obvious limitation in areas of darkness and reduced visibility. Even sun-soaked terrain can camouflage power lines, towers and other aircraft just long enough to cause a tragedy. Enter the collision avoidance systems (CAS). CAS can befitted to any helicopter on today's market, and come with a variety of features. There are systems that will give a general aural warning if a helicopter comes near power lines, while others will provide the pilot with a digital image of every individual hazard along its route. Other systems are designed to pinpoint an aircraft's position, as well as give real-time information on the identity and location of other aircraft in the vicinity. The following products are examples of some of those essential technologies.