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Name:
Dave Bjellos
Profession: Aviation Manager
Pilot since: 1978
Aircraft: Gulfstream G4, G5, Bell407
Home base: West Palm Beach, FL (KPBI)
Use: Private, Part 91
Dave Bjellos is the Aviation Manager for a major agricultural and
land development company, which operates one Gulfstream 4SP and
two Bell 407 helicopters. They fly the helicopters throughout
Florida for corporate transportation and field surveys.
“We saw the Chelton EFIS at NBAA in 2004,” said Dave. “We
were looking for avionics for a new helicopter, something
specifically designed to increase situational awareness and to
take advantage of the new technologies available. We purchased a
new 407 with the Chelton EFIS in early 2005. In ordering the
Chelton Synthetic Vision System, we were looking for increased
situational awareness and to improve the technology, which in
helicopters has lagged behind fixed wing aircraft. The higher the
level of awareness, the better the flight environment and the
better the decision-making capability. Flying helicopters, we are
constantly on guard for towers and other man-made objects. The
terrain and obstruction databases, combined with the traffic
interface makes our high traffic, low level environment easier and
safer to fly in.
In thinking about our operations and the way we use the SVS
system, we really are the opposite of fixed wing pilots. We
hopscotch around - it’s really visual flying. We use the PFD for
situational awareness of the terrain, antennas and traffic. We don’t
really use the Highway in the Sky (HITS); we don’t need absolute
course or altitude control that a fixed wing application flying
airways would utilize. We are doing 80-100 knots on field surveys
and don’t have a fast closure rate. We use the MFD more for
orientation to user waypoints and navigation. We often go to
multiple destinations within an hour, and what we really find
useful is to display these multiple user waypoints without
reconfiguring a specific flight plan. We use the primary magenta
course line on the MFD and magenta diamond on the PFD to navigate
toward the waypoint and of course we use the ‘Direct-to’
button all the time. We also like the event button for making an
instant user waypoint. If we land at a new location which we want
to record, we just hit the waypoint button and rename it later.
We find the airspace shown on the MFD very useful, especially
Delta airspace. To me, flying a helicopter, that Delta circle ring
is more important than Charlie or Bravo airspace. We also have MOA’s
and restricted areas that we circumnavigate all around the state
– and Florida has plenty. When we fly to the Bahamas, the ADIZ
(Air Defense Identification Zone) is depicted 12 miles out. The
amount of information you want to display or de-clutter on both
the PFD and MFD is impressive.
In summary, the Chelton Flight System Synthetic Vision EFIS has
enhanced our situational awareness greatly, lowered our overall
costs and reduced our aircraft weight. We have specified Chelton
SVS as standard equipment on all our helicopters for these
reasons.”
Edwards & Associates PO Box 3689
Bristol, TN • 37625 423-538-5111
www.edwards-assoc.com
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Name: Bryan Hecker
Profession: Pilot
Pilot since: Fixed Wing 1996,
Rotorcraft 2004
Aircraft: Citation 10, Bell 407
Home base: Dixon, WY (9U4)
Use: Ranch use, Executive Transport
Bryan Hecker pilots a Bell 407 for ranch operations and
transportation on the Wyoming/Colorado border outside Steamboat
Springs. They work there in Spring, Summer and Fall, spending
winters in Florida. When they ordered the 407, Bryan did research
on the cockpit options: “I saw the EFIS on Chelton Flight
Systems’ website, and then started doing more investigation.
Since we have glass in the Citation, we were looking for something
comparable for the 407. The Chelton system seemed to be the best
avionics we could find. It is certainly not the least expensive,
but the features and capabilities are far better than anything
else out there. The helicopter is not instrument rated, but we are
glad the Chelton EFIS is. It allows us a safety margin should
inadvertent IMC be encountered.”
“The install was completed by Century Helicopters in Ft.
Collins, Colorado. They are in a great location for us, with a lot
of experience with both FLIR and NVG compliance. They have an
excellent avionics team, and have just finished another 407, in
fact. Ours was delivered in August last year, and I flew it down
to Florida a month or so later. We displayed it in the Bell booth
during NBAA in Orlando, and may do it again this year.”
“One of the features we like the most is the 3D terrain shown
on the PFD, since we fly in the mountains all the time. We are
usually above 7800 feet, ranging up to about 8900 feet. We like
the towers, and the obstruction warnings. We have TCAD integrated
that shows the traffic both on the MFD and PFD. The situational
awareness we get from the information on both screens is just
incredible. We know exactly where we are at all times. We also
like the all-inclusive time to destination and fuel range. It is
very accurate. Another one of the reasons we bought the system was
because of the airspace indications on the MFD. It’s not so much
of a problem in the West, but Florida has class D airspace
everywhere. When Chelton added Class D airspace, it solved the
issue for us completely. We have a Garmin 530, but I wish we’d
put in a third Chelton screen. I would like to be able to show
charts eventually.
We have FLIR on the front – and NVG compatibility in the
cockpit. We put them in, in order to be able to contract the 407
to the local police or sheriff’s departments for law enforcement
or air evacuation. They do not have helicopter capability at this
time, and it’s something we planned for. We have night vision
goggles, and the EFIS screens have been fitted with a filter for
NVG compatibility. Century Helicopter contracted with Aviation
Specialties in Boise for the project. We tried the green filter,
but changed to a gray filter applied to the face of the screen for
better daylight viewing. The night vision goggles along with 3D
terrain on the PFD combine to make flying at night safer and
easier.
We use the Highway-In-The-Sky all the time. I am in the process
of putting all the mountain passes in. We fly VFR but sometimes
the visibility can be limited at times. With theflight plans
programmed in, we can still fly safely through the passes. The
HITS approaches work well too, we programmed in our own helipads
and can land exactly where we want.
We placed an early order for a Bell 417, with the new Chelton
EFIS screens. We loved what we saw at HAI, with the integration of
the FLIR on the MFD, and the engine instrumentation on the PFD.
After we get it, we’re going to want to refit the 407 with the
new screens. They should be installing it on everything; they
should be putting it on the 429. Compared to the glass in the
Citation 10 [the Honeywell)] there’s more information on the
Chelton EFIS, I prefer the Chelton features and functions.
If other pilots ask about the system, I tell them it’s
fantastic. For a complex system – with all the capabilities, the
menu system is extremely simple. Even for someone who has never
flown EFIS, they will pick up the features in a day. Most of it,
you can pick up in an hour.”
Call Century Helicopters
for more information:
2001 Airway Ave
Ft Collins, CO 80524
Phone: 970-484-6804
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Name: Jim Fogle
Profession: Pilot, Edwards & Associates
Pilot since: 1988
Aircraft: Bell 407
Home base: Bristol, Tennessee
Use: 200 hours a year, 90% business - visiting four facilities,
10% personal
Jim Fogle is a pilot at Edwards and Associates, Inc. in Bristol,
Tennessee. He is a retired Coast Guard helicopter pilot and has
approximately 4500 hours of flight time, including a large percentage
of night hours and IFR. Just prior to last year’s Heli-Expo,
Edwards began a serious search for a “glass cockpit”
to satisfy customer demands for an updated look and enhanced safety
features for the Model 407. Jim was to head the project and through
many months of research, the Edwards team selected the Chelton
Flight Systems EFIS. Edwards felt the Chelton Synthetic Vision
EFIS was a user friendly system, provided the best value, and
found Chelton Flight Systems very easy to work with as a company.
During a recent interview, Jim stated “what makes this
system stand out from the rest is the amount of information at
your fingertips and how easy the system is to use. It is obviously
designed for and by pilots. Situational awareness is enhanced
in ways that might not be immediately apparent. I equate it to
the days before we had TCAS. We literally didn’t know how
much traffic we were missing; even though, we were being vigilant
about scanning outside the cockpit. Once TCAS was added, we all
realized how many aircraft were out there all along. The Chelton
Flight Systems EFIS does this for terrain and obstacles. For example,
in our local flying area while flying maintenance test flights
for the installation and FAA certification, the system identified
towers I previously didn’t know existed. We were flying
in an area we do not use regularly because the weather was not
great and it was a little better over in that area. The towers
were never a factor, but at a lower altitude and at VFR weather
minimums, they could have been a hazard or at least a surprise.
As pilots, we don’t like surprises. The EFIS system even
enhances other systems like TCAS due to the 3-D display. The simulated
‘out of the windscreen’ view provides a great reference
for where to find reported traffic. The MFD provides a traditional
‘top down’ view, but it is also enhanced because that
view is relative to terrain and obstructions on the ground. All
of these things add up to greater situational awareness and hence
safer flight.”
“It is mountainous in Northeast Tennessee so the TAWS is
obviously useful to us, particularly in poor weather, but we have
also found the system enlightening over flat terrain. Another
pilot and I were flying across Oklahoma at 2,000 feet in beautiful
VFR weather. The terrain was flat with nothing out there but fields.
Then, in the middle of nowhere, we noticed a tower on the PFD.
Sure enough, there was a 1791 foot tower in our flight path. The
tower was unlit and could easily have been missed without the
EFIS at 1000 feet and three miles visibility in the dark.”
“The system has too many features to list, but one of the
best is the Highway-In-The-Sky (HITS). It makes navigation a cinch
and enhances safety in minimum weather conditions. An example
would be VFR pilots are not supposed to end up in IMC conditions,
but it happens. The HITS function could be a lifesaver for a low
time pilot that stumbled into inadvertent IMC. The pilot would
then only have to push a few buttons (Nearest, Airport, Select)
and then maintain aircraft control well enough to fly through
the ‘boxes’ to safety. The system even provides terrain
information so the pilot would know the safest direction to turn.
It is truly the way of the future.”
For more information on
Edwards and Associates sales and support:
www.edwards-assoc.com
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Name: Steve Vollum
Profession: Pilot
Pilot since: 1979
Aircraft: Eurocopter AS 355, Falcon 50
Home base: Hillsboro, OR (HIO)
Aircraft use: Charter, Private Transportation
Steve Vollum flies an AS 355 Twinstar about 200 hours a year for
his charter company, Aerovertigo, based in Hillsboro, OR. He has
followed the development of the Chelton EFIS since the late 1990’s.
“I’ve been watching it evolve from the experimental
days,” he said. “We’d owned the Twinstar for years
and decided to upgrade avionics when we had it down for the 12 year
overhaul. We went out for bids, and Hillsboro Aviation came back
with really competitive numbers using the Chelton EFIS. It was comparable
with the other bids for upgrades that did not offer a fully-integrated
EFIS. After I went for a flight in Hillsboro Aviation’s
JetRanger,
I realized that it really is a complete system. There are nice instrument
displays, the screens are very legible and it has absolutely the
right features for helicopters.
The install was completed just in time for us to display at the
HAI Heli-Expo February 2005. Hillsboro Aviation is local, and
has done work for us in the past. We trusted their experience
to do the job right, and we’re pleased with the results.
They also interfaced the Chelton EFIS with our Sagem autopilot.
This is ideal for cross county flights. If you are hand flying,
you can’t take the time to push many buttons, and you can’t
make use of many of Chelton’s features.”
“As I fly the system, I am seeing more detail. It has taken
about 10 hours to sort out the information. There’s a lot
on the display, and you have to concentrate on the basics first.
Then as you get used to it, you appreciate more detail. I also
fly the Falcon 50, and get used to having the air data. The full
feature EFIS gives us everything we’re used to seeing. The
Highway-In-The-Sky takes some getting used to. The sensitivity
is surprising, it’s very precise. The more I use the Highway,
the easier it is.”
“The three biggest hazards to helicopters are terrain, obstructions
and traffic: Chelton Flight Systems addresses them all. For example,
the nature of our missions is to fly low. We’re close to
the ground and the towers. We basically need a balance between
real terrain warnings and nuisance warnings, which Chelton has
figured out how to do. One of the best features in my opinion,
is the presentation of terrain and manmade obstacles on the PFD.
We fly down the Columbia River Gorge at low levels to get to the
Oregon coast all the time. There are lots of bridges and towers.
We have to fly under the weather in that region and Chelton does
a great job of depicting the towers. In fact, when the terrain
data and obstacles are so good, you have to be careful not to
trust too much. The databases are a few months behind the real
world.”
Steve recently had a close brush with traffic: “I have
to credit the Chelton system with a save. We were flying and heard
a traffic callout, but nothing was visible out front, or on the
PFD. We looked up and immediately lowered and moved to the right
out of the path of a plane descending on top of us. It was the
typical high wing helicopter, low wing twin situation, and without
that traffic warning, it would have run right into us. They never
knew we were there. Whenever the system is calling traffic, it’s
incumbent on you to look for the traffic. It may not be in front
of you and sometime it’s difficult to spot. There’s
a few things you can do to really improve safety. You have to
make the investment and we’re glad we did.”
When other pilots see the system Steve gets positive responses:
“They can identify most symbols on the displays. The whole
concept of the waypoint, civilian folks are not used to this.
It takes a little discussion, but is pretty intuitive. Same with
HUD symbology, sometimes this is the first time they’ve
seen anything like it.”
One of the other things Steve likes about Chelton Flight Systems
in general is the culture of change, especially to add more helicopter-specific
features. “For example, the hover vector is a good feature,
and we recommend that it be made larger. When you are hovering,
that is the only piece of information you need. If it was bigger,
there would be more precision. It’s not wrong, it would
just be more useful. Also the radar altitude is in the middle
of the flight display. It disappears above 2,000 feet –
but we’re never above 2,000 feet, so it doesn’t make
much sense for us. We are pleased that the system is changing
and evolving. All the other manufacturers’ seem frozen in
time where they were certified. We are happy to see changes, even
if it takes awhile, Chelton Flight Systems is willing to do it.
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Name: Mark Graveline
Profession: Helicopter Pilot
Pilot since: 1982
Aircraft: Bell 412, Bell 206 L3,
Bell 206 B3
Home base: San Antonio, TX KSAT
Use: Helicopter EMS, Corporate
Travel
Mark Graveline has flown for Air Methods,
an EMS transport company for the last 15
years, with almost 3500 medical missions.
Mark has been studying the changes in the
industry, and has been tasked with
researching and specifying equipment
upgrades for Air Methods. "We have been
actively looking at different systems out
there, all the magazines, on line research,
you name it." Mark also flies for a
local cabinet manufacturer, beginning when
they expanded their flight department from a
Beech Jet and added a Bell 206 B3. They
bought a helicopter to save time and fuel on
auto transport from airstrips to the plants
they visit all over south Texas. Hillsboro
Aviation, in Hillsboro Oregon brokered the
206, and recommended a retrofit with the
Chelton EFIS. Being very safety conscious,
they were sold on the combined features of
the TAWS, Highway in the sky with terrain,
traffic and moving map.
"When the aircraft was delivered, we
flew it back from Hillsboro to San Antonio.
We were planning to fly the west coast
through the San Joachim valley and take the
southern route across the Sierra Nevadas,
over Arizona, New Mexico and on into Texas.
But, it was October, and the beginning of
the bad weather so we had to re-route
through Klamath Falls, Reno, Tahoe and
Vegas. That route looked much better, with
no winds. The Chinook winds at the higher
altitudes can lead to a really dangerous
situation in a B3. That's my first
experience with the Chelton, just reading
the pilot's guide and hunting and pecking.
The first thing I appreciated was the
moving map. Before, you had a sectional, and
decided where you were and picked the best
route through the mountains by guesswork.
With the Chelton map, we could see the best
way, miles in front of us and could decide
which way to go around each mountain, armed
with the information. The EFIS let us look
that much ahead, and plan the way to go,
under the clouds and above the highest
terrain. We did land overnight for weather,
but the amount of information we were armed
with was incredible. We knew exactly where
we were, where the nearest airport was, how
much fuel we had, and how much fuel it would
take to get there. The factors that would
have made the trip more difficult and the
decisions more difficult were eliminated.
It's one thing to know where your airport
is, but you also need to know all the other
factors.
In looking at the map, the graphics are
incredible. The screens are bright, and big
enough to see the symbology. It seems like
all the EFIS are going to bigger and bigger
screens. It's great for older pilots to be
able to see, but panel real estate is at a
premium too - so we need a balance. We have
the Ryan Stormscope, to watch for lightning.
The B3 also has the Skywatch TCAS and I am
completely impressed with the traffic
interface. We have a digital autopilot,
which decreases the flying workload. Add in
the capabilities of the WAAS GPS, the HITS
and flight planning and the system is
perfect for helicopters - even more for
helicopters than fixed wing. When you
consider you all the features this system
offers, you eliminate all major factors that
are contributing to accidents.
It will be even better when we get the
weather interface, we have XM weather. We
will be able to dial up and scroll over to
see the same weather the service stations
are seeing up in the air, on the screen.
More WAAS approaches should be coming on
line as well.
When I started looking at this system
from an emergency transport point of view, I
find it is perfect for the EMS market. We
have come under intense scrutiny in the past
year or two, and it's only going to help the
industry as a whole. Per flight hours, there
hasn't been a major increase in accidents,
it's just that there's so many more
helicopters in service and that the public
is much more aware of us. The accidents are
also more publicized compared to oil rig,
border patrol, transport, fire and other
helicopter operations. Another unfortunate
factor is because there's more EMS crews
needed, the experience level of the pilots
and the quality of the equipment flying is
not where it should be. It's more and more
difficult to find qualified pilots with
night, weather and single pilot experience.
For example, military pilots have experience
in night and weather, but not in civilian
territory and not as a single pilot. Most
helicopter pilots in the corporate sectors
fly daylight, VFR, limited ranges and not
for emergency situations.
Now the FAA and the NTSB is looking
closer at the industry and trying to find
ways to reduce accidents. We have all been
looking as well. One of the issues has been
that some operators fly Part 91 with more
lax requirements when they don't have a
patient on board. With a patient, they move
to part-135 regs with higher minimums. That
mix is confusing, and lower minimums put
crew at risk. Recently the NTSB has
recommended that all ops fly Part-135 all
the time, to reduce risks. They have also
recommended that operations incorporate
night vision goggle and TAWS technology to
reduce Controlled Flight into Terrain.
Chelton Flight Systems will be a major
player in this industry. The EFIS has a
moving map and puts the terrain on the
primary flight display. This shows you day
or night what's ahead of you. This can
eliminate CFIT on a crystal clear night.
That is one of the most positive things
about the system. The flight planning
concept is also incredible. MedEvac pilots
are flying around in the mountains in pitch
black at night. The CFS system would allow
you to plan your flight in advance, and to
know it's safe. Then, call up that plan and
just stay in the boxes. Coupled with a good
digital autopilot, your predesignated
landing areas can be programmed in, with an
approach. You keep it in the database and
just bring it up in the flight plan and land
at a highway intersection. It won't end
accidents, but it will seriously reduce
them. It
will contribute to safety all over the
country.
Future features we're looking forward to
will be weather on the screens, GPS WAAS
approaches and IFR certification. When you
add weather, a guy can fly EMS Point A to
Point B, no cell phone, no Computer, XM will
bring in the latest ATIS at airport C. You
can plan
well in advance, avoid fuel problems, and can think ahead. It is a tremendous advantage of
what's currently available. When we can do
GPS WAAS approaches to hospital helipads,
that will be incredible. When it becomes IFR
certified - it will be a system to combat
the weather factor as well.
Air Methods is in the process of
upgrading our fleet, and looking at Bell
430s. The 430 has the load and power we
need, but is an IFR helicopter. If Chelton
can get the required certification, that is
our first choice. We have looked into
putting a system together piece meal to
match what Chelton has already done. When
you factor in cost, weight reduction, panel
space with all the features and
functionality there is just no comparison.
Chelton meets or exceeds all the
requirements and addressed all the problem
areas.
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