Space Is Tight For Law Enforcement, News Organizations
As more and more law
enforcement agencies and television news gathering organizations
expand the avionics capabilities of their helicopters, the
requirement for additional component mounting space in the cockpit
grows significantly.
"The missions flown by law enforcement agencies have become more
complex with the need to communicate with multiple agencies," Jeff
Shapiro, president of DART Helicopter Services, tells ANN. "These
agencies have a greater variety of electronic tools to assist in
their difficult assignments but there is little room in the
helicopter’s factory installed control panels to mount the
new equipment.
"The question we continually hear is, 'Where are we going to
locate the additional radios and control heads so that they are
accessible to the pilot, copilot and personnel in the rear seat,'"
Shapiro said. "We hear much the same from television news
organizations who more and more are converting the signals from
their helicopters to high definition, which requires better cockpit
organization for the workload.
"All the new advanced equipment creates a demand for more secure
mounting platforms within reach of the crew, as well as a robust
method of powering that equipment," he said.
Geneva Aviation, a DART subsidiary, developed the P132 avionics
console and P123 supplemental avionics console for AS350 series
helicopters to meet the demand for more space.
The Geneva P132 electronics console provides a convenient method
of mounting the additional radios and control heads within easy
reach of the flight crew. The unit allows installation of a 10-inch
stack of radios and other avionics controls typically required for
law and ENG work. The P123 supplemental console also mounts between
the pilot and co-pilot seats.
The P132 avionics console is equipped with reliable Mil-Spec
sealed toggle switches and circuit breakers, which replace the
factory push buttons and fuses, giving the aircraft's electrical
system much greater reliability. The unit holds up to 60
circuit breakers and can be configured for use with night vision
goggles.
Additionally, Geneva is delivering its newly re-configured P122
switch console and P132 avionics consoles for use in
Eurocopter’s newer AS 350 B2 and B3 models that utilize the
Sagem Monitoring System. The P122 switch console comes completely
assembled and ready for installation. It replaces the
factory-supplied unit of the same size but contains the same
switches and circuit breakers as the P132 console. It also is
available as night vision compatible.
Geneva Aviation has provided audio, video and electronic systems
and components for helicopters for more than 20 years. DART
Helicopter Services acquired the company in December 2006.