Appareo has introduced a 4K ultra-high-definition Airborne Image Recording System (AIRS), model AIRS-400, that is equipped for cellular data offload.
In addition to recording 4K Ultra HD video, AIRS-400 captures pilot intercom system audio, ambient audio, and detailed flight data, according to company officials.
With its internal inertial measurement units, AIRS-400 captures WAAS GPS (altitude, latitude, longitude, ground speed, vertical speed), attitude data (pitch, roll, yaw), rates of rotation, and acceleration data (G forces) in a unit that weighs 11 ounces.
It also comes with options for ARINC 429 input, ED-155 audio output, and RS-422 output.
AIRS-400 is a Class C Airborne Image Recorder, and can be paired with a crash-hardened storage module such as the RDM-500, which is under development, to meet or exceed crash survivability standards of ED-155, company officials added.
With AIRS-400, flight data is recorded to an internal crash-hardened memory as well as a removable SD memory card. The internal memory records two hours of video and audio, more than 200 hours of IMU flight data, and 100 hours of ARINC 429 data. The removable SD card holds 64 hours of video and audio, and more than 200 hours of IMU flight data, or 100 hours of ARINC 429 data.
While many flight data acquisition systems rely on pilots to manually transport an SD card to a workstation, AIRS-400 offers cellular data offload capabilities, according to company officials.
AIRS-400 can be installed in any model of aircraft in one day. Using the onboard inertial and GPS capabilities, AIRS-400 can provide flight data without needing to interface with avionics systems. For aircraft with ARINC 429 available, the AIRS-400 can acquire flight data directly from the aircraft system. This allows the AIRS-400 to be implemented as a single avionics solution for a mixed fleet, company officials noted.
Whether data is offloaded via SD card or cellular transmission, it can then be monitored, analyzed, and played back using Appareo’s suite of software tools. With the web-based software, Appareo EnVision, customers can set up customized event triggers — derived from their standard flight ops — to create a picture of the safety and performance of their crew and aircraft, Apparel officials said.
AIRS-400 is pending FAA certification and expected to be shipping in September. A full STC AML will be available. Contact Appareo for more information about pricing.