Safe Flight's device warns of 'hot' power lines

After three years of development and testing, Safe Flight Instrument’s “Powerline Detector” system for helicopters received FAA supplemental type certifica

By AIN Staff • AIN Staff

May 27, 2008

After three years of development and testing, Safe Flight Instrument’s “Powerline Detector” system for helicopters received FAA supplemental type certificate approval last month. The approval applies to the White Plains, N.Y.-based company’s own Aerospatiale Gazelle, and STCs for other helicopters will be sought as customer needs dictate. The first customer for the power-line detection system may be the Swedish air force, which is considering the device for its fleet of 12 Eurocopter Pumas. Schweizer Aircraft is considering the system as an option for its helicopter models and the U.S. Army evaluated the system for its Bell TH-206 training helicopters.

Using an extra-low-frequency receiver, the Safe Flight system detects power lines by measuring the electrical energy they radiate. Consequently, only active “hot” power lines are detectable, leading a company spokesman to characterize the device as a “live-wire detection system.” When the intensity of the field exceeds a preset value, the system illuminates a warning annunciator and sends a Geiger counter-like pulsed signal to the pilot’s headset and illuminates a warning light on the system’s control panel. If the aircraft flies closer to the power lines, the signal increases in frequency.

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