The Emerging Need for Rotorcraft Cockpit Video, Audio & Flight Data Recorders

There are myths and commentary that pilots don’t want cockpit video recorders because it feels intrusive and that ‘big brother is watching.’ However, the benefits of cockpit recording devices for pilots and operators need to be highlighted to justify these devices’ presence when installed in the cockpit, including:

• Meet compliance regulations - many government and regulatory agencies are making it mandatory to have cockpit recording devices fitted. For example, in New Zealand, Fire and Emergency (FENZ) and the Department of Conservation do not award contracts if there is no cockpit camera fitted. New Zealand CAA see cockpit video recorders as ‘worth their weight in gold’ and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are calling for cockpit video recorders to be installed into aircraft and are strongly lobbying regulators to make them mandatory.

• Flight analysis for operators, EMS & flight schools – particularly those operations with multiple crew members such as EMS operators can use the video and audio to review live operations in particular winch operations for training and improvement. Being able to review video allows for identification of items that are often not seen during the actual mission and can be overlooked, flight schools have rich data available to them to aid and enhance pilot training and performance. Having the option of watching your student pilot in real time on your cellular device during that all important first solo flight is a win/win for both student pilot and school.

• Enhance flight safety – utilize flight data to reduce risk, identify flight anomalies and aid in incident investigations, all with the objective of improving flight safety for both crew and passengers.

• A new cost-effective solution – avoid large and expensive flight data and voice recorders that require major system integrations. In the past, the cost and complexity of installing recorders in light aircraft and helicopters were prohibitive. The Flightcell SmartHUB changes that completely. Installation of the compact unit is simple and cost effective – it can be installed under a local modification (minor change) and can be mounted in various positions in the smallest machines to provide virtually a “plug and play” recording capability.

The Flightcell SmartHUB can be installed in the cockpit or remotely for example in the avionics bay. A small USB camera is installed in the cockpit. The SmartHUB records several types of flight data, including, ambient audio, ICS audio, cockpit video of the instrument panel and pilot control inputs, GPS position, altitude and speed data, barometric altitude, vertical rate (GPS and pressure), turn rate, pitch, roll and yaw. The recording of this comprehensive data is achieved by using the Flightcell SmartHUB’s independent internal GPS, multi-axes inertial unit, video camera with ambient microphone and a connection to the aircraft audio panel. The Flightcell SmartHUB meets recommendations of several global industry bodies, such as the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) where it meets recommendations set out in sections 9 (Helicopter Flight Data Monitoring) and section 16 (Cockpit Camera).

There are several cockpit video recorders available in the marketplace, and the Flightcell SmartHUB has been designed with major points of difference when comparing it to competing recording devices.

• No internal battery - The Flightcell SmartHUB does not have or need an internal battery. Unlike other data recorders, data is recorded directly to independent files, so there is no need for a “Keep Alive” circuit to complete writing data to file at time of power down. Data is recorded in six individual files on the hardened internal 256GB micro-SD card. No internal battery or charging circuitry also simplifies installation as it only requires a minor modification certification not an STC.

• No subscriptions - there are no costs or subscriptions required to access your data. Raw data can be viewed directly from the unit, or the flight data can be viewed using our web based Flightcell SmartHUB Viewer. You can even set your own flight exceedance parameters using the SmartHUB Connect tool over Wi-Fi (if installed) or over an ethernet connection directly from your laptop, all of which can be viewed during post flight analysis.

• Easy data download - you don’t need to remove the data card from the Flightcell SmartHUB unit to download data files. This can be done by simply installing a USB stick into the USB ports on the front panel of the unit, over Wi-Fi (if this option is included) or over the trusty ethernet connection to your laptop. The latter ethernet option is the fastest method to retrieve data and is recommended.

• You own the data – all data is immediately available and is retained and owned by you as the operator. Data is not required to be sent elsewhere for decoding, unpacking or analysis.

• One or two cameras - not one but two USB cameras can be installed if required. One for the cockpit and the other for the cabin or both in the cockpit. Many air ambulance operators are using the configuration of one in the cockpit and the other in the cabin.

• Preview camera on install - preview the cameras during installation or post aircraft maintenance with no need to remove the camera or data card, using the same ethernet connection from the hub front panel to a laptop in the cockpit, saving you time.

• Charging capabilities - the SmartHUB provides USB ports can be used to fast charge devices at 1.5A. This feature can also be switched off during configuration (access to the configuration pages of the Flightcell SmartHUB is password protected).

Flightcell are always looking at ways to improve our products to keep up with ever-changing technology. We have listened to customer feedback and are currently looking at new enhancements that often only require a firmware upgrade to implement. Some new features being considered are adding the option for operators to plug in their own IP camera, allowing for cameras to be mounted in various external and internal locations outside the cockpit. On top of this initiative, Flightcell have just completed the initial development of an IP camera that when using a third-party video compressing software inside the Flightcell SmartHUB, video can be streamed over a cellular IP connection or satellite IP connection to a cell phone or PED for live viewing. This removes the requirement to use a costly ruggedized computer for running the software to compress the video. This is all processed inside the Flightcell SmartHUB. Please note that this configuration will require the use of additional equipment namely the Flightcell DZMx with a cellular connection. A Certus terminal is required to send the data over the Iridium Certus network when the aircraft is out of cellular range.

Learn more about the Flightcell SmartHUB

https://www.flightcell.com/products/flightcell-smarthub