Collective Pull Down (CPD) Creates 'Automatic Autorotation'
First year exhibitor HeliTrak has brought a product to AEA that is attracting a lot of attention. The product is designed to save lives in the event of a power failure in a helicopter. It is aptly named “Collective Pull Down” and that is what it does when the power to the rotor fails; it immediately pulls the collective down in half a second, eliminating the pilot’s reaction time. It essentially is an “automatic autorotation”. In high power situations, the pilot can have less than one second to respond and get the collective down. The CPD reacts instantly giving the pilot more time to handle the emergency. It has been designed for the Robinson R22, but applicable to any helicopter.
The reaction to this new product has been extremely positive says Suzanne Steiner VP of Marketing, Sales & Business Operations for this Gig Harbor Washington Company. She says the booth has been packed with non-stop demos provided by Dr. John Mercer, President of HeliTrak Inc. We seem to have timed our introduction well, says Steiner, noting the autorotation seminar held at HAI specifically addressing the Low Rotor RPM accident record and the importance of the pilot’s reaction time to this situation. Dr. Mercer adds “our purpose and hope in designing this system is to save lives."
Many people have remarked on the clever but straightforward design of this system that can be applied to multiple rotorcraft models. It is very light weight (approximately 3 lbs), and installs on an R22 in about three hours. Installation is via an STC. Availability is later this year for the R22.
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