Testing transformations: Digital tools and flight instruments

Mario Avila is a helicopter Pilot working in Colombia for the United Nations. He knows of significant issues with climate-related MFD and avionic failures. “Most of our helicopters with digital cockpits have developed problems after being left outside in hot environments or in the rain. Problems can range from momentary sensor problems to chip detector activations in flight.”

If a certain system fails, it can cause a cascade effect to where a bigger system, like a whole screen, or even the whole aircraft is unusable for flight

If one sensor fails, that might be a situation that can be worked around but Avila has seen far worse. “If a certain system fails, it can cause a cascade effect to where a bigger system, like a whole screen, or even the whole aircraft is unusable for flight,” he said. He added that this is not limited to aircraft with digital systems, but in such aircraft, “the list of critical systems can be different or require different troubleshooting processes”. So, in addition to the greater cost of the glass cockpit there are also recurring costs related to their maintenance. “An MFD takes a lot more training on the mechanic side. [The maintenance] takes a lot, the aircraft’s offline a lot longer while they rectify it,” Sharpe explained.

In Avila’s experience, the planned maintenance level required is a drawback with glass cockpits. “Aircraft maintenance, and especially avionics maintenance, can require a higher level of equipment or training to troubleshoot,” he said. Necessary maintenance can have to be delayed when SAR operations are taking place far from any area where avionics maintenance of this type is available.

In tropical zones, the immense heat from the sun combined with the cold at night means that avionics can really struggle.

For better or worse

In the worst case, the MFD has to be removed. “You can take a gauge out of another aircraft – like a traditional altimeter – and just replace that one,” Sharpe commented. “Whereas an MFD; there’s a lot more involved in obviously replacing that.” In some environments, less is also more for Sharpe and his fellow pilots. “A lot of the time, the civilian [service] is single pilot because it’s a Long Ranger. Very rarely do we fly two pilots. Normally we’ll have an observer just to watch for cables and big birds. They’re all ‘old-school’ cockpits.”

Earlier in his career, Sharpe flew the Royal Navy Merlin, a helicopter with a substantial glass cockpit. “So, whereas I agree it displays information better, we’ve had issues of the pilots having to look into the cockpit rather than look out to select which mode and which button and all that kind of thing,” he said, questioning the usefulness of so much functionality. SAR pilots, and crew, need to be looking out, not in. Taking off also takes a lot longer because of all that preparation and that would not be welcome in an emergency SAR situation.

MFDs provide traffic and terrain awareness far better than the old system

Andrew Bradley, Rotary Pilot and Director of Business Development for Western Canada helicopter company Blackcomb, takes a different view. He finds that MFDs provide traffic and terrain awareness “far better than the old system”, as they allow a pilot to “keep their eyes outside more”, and the touch screens are quicker to manipulate. Bradley also felt the MFDs also “put the info in one place and are easier to view than analog gauges”. Another key advantage with MFD that Avila identifies is night vision goggles (NVG) configuration. “Digital system integration can make NVG configuration easier, which can provide the rescuer access to a critical portion of the day and permit nighttime operations,” he said.

The problems that have been identified with glass instruments are not an inherent problem with the tools per se, rather a challenge to be overcome in this generation of technology. The development and growth of digital technology is not a binary evolution where a new design is entirely perfect all the time in all situations, but a progression of improvements building on the previous versions, reducing their shortcomings piecemeal. Original equipment manufacturers already build in redundancy in the instance of a failure; it won’t be long before greater resistance to moisture will be the standard, and this issue will be a problem of the past.

Another pair of eyes

Digital system integration can make situational awareness rise significantly, so crew can be safer in a SAR environment

The piece of equipment that is proving powerful is the digital cameras onboard; Sharpe and his fellow pilots fly in more challenging terrain than, for example, an air ambulance might in the USA. “If we fly in some of the AS350s, they’ve got the tail boom camera, which really helps a lot for the pilot. Although there’re people in the back looking at the tail anyway, it’s another set of eyes.”

Avila agrees that one simple piece of equipment that is especially helpful in jungle environments is the tail camera. “[Tail cameras are] making SAR operations more effective and even confined landings safer.” He cited the Bell 407GX as a helicopter with tail camera. Being able to see trees, wires, any other potential hazards behind the cockpit will ensure a safer ingress and egress. “Digital system integration can make situational awareness rise significantly, so crew can be safer in a SAR environment, especially in busy airspace or in complicated terrain and degraded weather conditions,” he added.

Electronic flight bags

Where pilots also see great utility in equipment is in the popularity of electronic flight bags (EFBs). “A lot’s been done with just EFBs, like an iPad. To be honest, it’s been used more for after the search to look at navigation tracks of where we went … and then to narrow down search patterns,” Sharpe explained. “We don’t actually use it … during the search because everybody’s looking out the window [but] it is invaluable for the post-flight analysis.”

Bluetooth equipped systems that can transfer information to and from a tablet can make mission planning – including search pattern and possible survivor locations input – far easier

The EFB is used for some mission planning with the help of Google Maps. Sharpe gave an example of its use: “We [identify] the place on Google Maps – we’re going to do a navigation track here.” A navigation track denotes the latitude and longitude of waypoints and the software comes up with flight information for the pilot. “So, they fly to that point and then they fly a controlled pattern,” Sharpe said, emphasizing the accuracy the electronic navigation tracks can help with. For Avila, Bluetooth equipped systems that can transfer information to and from a tablet can make mission planning – including search pattern and possible survivor locations input – far easier. They also help with mission debriefs. 

Certain terrain types can make navigation particularly challenging, Sharpe explained: “With searches over the jungle, it all looks the same and it’s very easy to get lost.” Another problem he cites is where inexperienced pilots fly at the wrong altitude. This makes the ability to select navigation tracks more important. “It gives them a navigation track so that they fly to the position and then they follow what their EFB tells them,” said Sharpe.

Bradley agreed with the benefit of EFBs: “Flights can be planned ahead of time then streamed to the display via FlightStream for a seamless transition.” Bradley further feels that the checklists and emergency procedures that can be stored on tablets and MFDs as beneficial due to the “easy access” of these tools. 

Another good use for EFBs is when the pilot can mark a location of interest on the digital map. “If [the pilots] see an object, they can tap it and it marks a position. And then, when we’re finished, we’ve got an accurate position because we are flying three helicopters at one time,” Sharpe explained. Once the pilots come back, all that data is downloaded and that post-mission analysis benefits from the extra information the pilot can easily add while flying the helicopter and looking out of the window.

Sharpe recalled carrying out SAR searches “with the likes of the older GPS” devices that provided limited information, comparing it with the modern EFBs that give pilots an easy and clear visible reference of their location. Another benefit of the EFB is its own multi-functional capabilities. “We can split the screens. So, we’ve got the flight data on the right, and we also have the terrain avoidance on the left.” A simple color code of green, yellow and red for terrain obstacles helps the EFB give the pilot visual cues. “That’s really been helpful and we’re trying to integrate it more,” said Sharpe.

Some tablets are also sold with cellular connectivity, acting as a – somewhat larger – smartphone, useful for the operator working in an area within mobile phone network coverage. The benefit of this technology that covers much of the populated land mass can be realized from live weather updates, real-time mapping information and tracking, all of which can improve SAR services.

The low Earth orbit mega-constellations of broadband internet satellites do and will further provide undreamed of connectivity in the remotest of places or during disasters where the communications infrastructure has been damaged

Other advanced avionics

For more sophisticated systems, the transfer of large amounts of data can enable video surveillance transmissions and drone control. Satellite data is another element of the connected society that can improve SAR services. Already, vast swathes of the planet can use broadband satellite internet service. The low Earth orbit mega-constellations of broadband internet satellites – such as Iridium Certus, SpaceX’s Starlink, and Amazon’s forthcoming Project Kuiper – do and will further provide undreamed of connectivity in the remotest of places or during disasters where the communications infrastructure has been damaged.

For the wide range of civilian and government SAR services and their diverse fleets of helicopters, new and old, consumer electronics are playing a role as important as the expensive MFD glass cockpits. The digital transformation has been as much about innovation by pilots, engineers and app developers, for the likes of the iPad, as it has been about advanced avionics produced by the world’s largest aviation original equipment manufacturers. Using glass avionics, whether it is integrated GPS instruments or cellular tablets, operators can achieve improved accuracy and more efficient search patterns at their own budget. However pilots find their quarry, whether it is with NVG or with a smart device, the execution of a rescue can be successful.