Quebec-based avionics manufacturer Amphitech International last month received limited Canadian STC approval to install its OASys wire- and obstacle-detection radar aboard a Eurocopter AS 350B3 Ecureuil. The helicopter, operated by Heli-Express, was to embark on an eastern U.S. sales tour late last month, traveling through Louisiana, Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., New York and Toronto before returning to its home base in Montreal.
Unlike other power-line-detection systems that use magnetic-field or thermal-sensing techniques, the OASys (obstacle-awareness system) radar can detect and display any radar-reflective obstacle through smoke, fog or precipitation. Radiating at 35 GHz with short pulse width and high pulse repetition rate, OASys has demonstrated the ability to detect wires as small as an inch in diameter a mile ahead. Optimized for short range and high target resolution, the radar detects objects as close as 15 feet and as distant as 5,000 feet.
