Operators are seeing the benefits of night vision
Growing interest from helicopter operators wanting to use night-vision goggles (NVGs) is spurring demand for better training as well.

Growing interest from helicopter operators wanting to use night-vision goggles (NVGs) is spurring demand for better training as well. Feedback from long-time NVG users demonstrated that they improve safety, but lessons from the field also highlight the need to use the technology with caution.

Aviation Specialties Unlimited (ASU) of Boise, Idaho, was the first company to train civil EMS pilots in the U.S. to use NVGs, training 830 pilots and 2,200 medical crewmembers in the last three years. ASU president Mike Atwood said he expects an increasing number of EMS operators to adopt NVG technology. He also believes that the market is growing at a healthy annual rate of 15 percent per year. “More and more of those operators are going to night-vision goggles,” he said, estimating that operators of 800 EMS helicopters in domestic service could benefit from their use.

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