Heli-Expo Show Day: Chelton Brings New Certifications to Show

CHELTON FLIGHT SYSTEMS COMES to Heli-Expo with new certification for its popular glass cockpit configuration and updates on its effort to field a new stability augmentation system.

Boise, Idaho-based Chelton (Booth 2819) late last year gained technical standard order (TSO) approval for the latest software upgrade for its electronic flight instrumentation system (EFIS). The company said the 6.0B features a DO-178B Level-A certification and offers customers more than 40 "significant benefits."

Those benefits include supporting WSI Weather products such as NexRad weather radar, graphical and textual METARs, textual TAFs, SIGMETs, AIRMETs, and temporary flight restrictions.

It also offers an expanded hover vector for helicopters, which the company said is displayed with large radar altitude scale on the glass cockpit’s multi-function display, and shaded relief terrain depiction resembling a satellite image.

"The release of 6.0B builds upon our commitment to make the EFIS as technologically advanced and user-friendly as possible," said Chelton General Manager Jim Shirey.

The new software is available as a new installation or an upgrade to existing EFIS displays under supplemental type certificates (STCs).

Chelton also reports itis getting close to STC approval of the HeliSAS Stability Augmentation System. That system is designed to improve safety and reduce pilot workload reduction through enhanced stability for lighter helicopters. The company said it makes hands-free operations, autopilot procedures, and automatic attitude recovery possible.

HeliSAS is designed to be engaged at all times. Its "force feel" (force trim) feature is designed to enhance handling characteristics and mitigate inadvertent cyclic control inputs that could result in dangerous attitudes. A pilot may override it at any time with manual cyclic inputs.