Page 82 - World Airnews Magazine December 2019 Edition

NEWS DIGITAL NEWS DIGITAL

AVIONICS TO CHANGE THE WAY
ROLLS-ROYCE TRENT 700 TO POWER

BELUGA XL TRANSPORTER PILOTS MONITOR RADIO

By Dayna Fedy

flight, the patient’s headset can be set to while flying 100 knots,” Oglesbee said.
12 o’clock, allowing the flight nurse sitting The company believes the AMU6500 will
Becker Avionics has brought a new in front of them to listen to them more be most beneficial for operators that need
intercom system to the market that makes attentively. the capabilities of an intercom system,
Then, if hospital calls come through at
it easier for pilots to listen to multiple the same time, those radio frequencies but don’t have the budget for a more
expensive unit. The system will also benefit
radios at once using 3D audio. The system, will sound as though they are coming from law enforcement operators and private
AMU6500, is parallel to the company’s a different direction. The flight nurse can operators of light-to-medium aircraft like
DVCS6100 intercom system with 3D audio then choose which radio they would like to the Bell 505, Oglesbee said.
incorporated. focus on. The AMU6500 has been in development
The AMU6500, which is compatible “I used to be the chief pilot for LA County for roughly six years, and many agencies
on both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, Fire,” said Benson. have now procured or are in the process of
can operate four radios per unit; up to “You’d have two or three radios running procuring the system.
three AMUs can be installed in an aircraft, at the same time, and you’d be turning The system is night vision goggle
allowing for pilots to operate up to 12 volumes up and down and shutting them compatible out of the box, and Bluetooth
transceivers and 12 receivers. off. You’re just constantly working, trying compatible.
When 3D audio is activated on the to keep up with the communications. With “Bluetooth is important because a lot
system, pilots can have multiple radios the AMU, you just leave all the volumes of agencies are now carrying Bluetooth-
on, yet still be able to focus on one radio where they’re at.” enabled headsets,” said Benson. “So, if a
frequency at a time. David Oglesbee of Becker said the 3D police officer has his own special frequency,
“The advantage of 3D audio is you can audio system takes about 30 minutes to he can tie into the [AMU] system.”
have multiple radios running and your brain get used to, “and you have it 100 percent Oglesbee said the AMU6500 is priced for
will split them,” said Lee Benson, senior figured out.” the market; the company wanted to keep
consultant for Becker Avionics. “If you want The box will have the future capability the price of the system competitive while
to listen to the left radio, you listen to the to split between the pilot and co-pilot, still offering the capabilities that operators
left radio and the right radio goes away, allowing each one to listen to their own need.
and vice versa.” radio frequencies from one unit. Becker Avionics had the AMU6500, as
what will be a deeply-loved aircraft, supporting the delivery of The 3D audio feature relies mainly on the The box was also designed to be tactile well as its DVCS6100 system, on display
parts to Airbus’ assembly lines across Europe.” human brain’s ability listen to a particular for pilots when in use, so they can feel the at this year’s Air Medical Transport
The Rolls-Royce Trent 700 engine has received certification to The Trent 700, which first entered service in 1995, has now conversation in one direction, and tune clicks of the knobs as they turn them, or Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, allowing
power the Airbus BelugaXL air transporter. clocked up more than 50 million engine flying hours - the equiva- out all other sounds coming from other the buttons as they push them. This is to show goers to experience the 3D audio
directions. For example, on an air medical
The certificate, awarded by the European Aviation Safety Agency lent of flying around the world more than 1,000 times. ensure pilots “don’t accidentally hit buttons capability. Q
(EASA), marks another milestone for an engine that has been a More than 2,000 Trent 700s have been delivered, making it
leading member of the Trent family for almost 25 years. Rolls-Royce’s best-selling engine, and helping the company to
The Trent 700 has established itself as the clear engine of choice increase its widebody market share from 13 per cent in 1995 to AIRPORT
for the Airbus A330, the basis of the BelugaXL design, which has nearly 50 per cent today. ROLLING DOWN A WET RUNWAY
enjoyed a 90 per cent market share over the last four years. Rolls-Royce has drawn on its Trent 700 experiences to help
Adair Swan, Rolls-Royce, Trent 700 programme director and create the Trent 7000 engine which powers the Airbus A330neo
civil aerospace said, “Certification marks another milestone in an aircraft. The Trent 7000, the seventh member of the Trent family,
incredible Trent 700 journey that is an integral part of the Trent incorporates the latest technology from the Trent XWB, the world’s
success story. We are very proud that the Trent 700 will power most efficient large civil engine. Q

NEWS
LOW-COST, LOCAL AIRLINES LEAD

leads the SA-csi ranking, with 78 points out especially in South Africa where customers
of 100, followed by British Airways (Comair) have been let down due to airline closures
The 2018 South African Customer which scored 75.7 and Kulula Airlines such as Velvet Sky and 1time.
Satisfaction Index (SA-csi) for Airlines reached 74.4 - all in leader positions. This is a major risk, as airline profitability At present Magma Aviation manages four
Boeing 747-400 in its portfolio. Pictured
conducted by Consulta shows that Mango scored on par with the industry in the Africa region is low - according to here is TF-AMI on lease from Air Atlanta
low-cost, domestic airlines are still leading average with 74 points. South African IATA, African airlines reported a (US) $400 Icelandic as it rolls down a wet runway 13
when it comes to meeting the needs of Airways (SAA) lagged behind with 68.8 and million net loss in 2018 and are expected at LMML. Magma was founded way back
South African consumers. well below the industry par of 72.4. to report losses of (US) $300million in in 2009 and has seen some tremendous
The latest Customer Satisfaction Index Air transport is a key driver for the South 2019. One of the key challenges is that growth, especially since a new management
for airlines polled customers of British African economy. However, customer few airlines in the region are able to structure was implemented over two
Airways (Comair), FlySafair, Kulula, Mango experience when dealing with airlines is achieve adequate load factors to generate years ago. Photo by Rowen Aquilina
and South African Airways (SAA). FlySafair particularly vulnerable to dissatisfaction, sustainable profits. Q

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