Thierry Dubois is a freelance writer specializing in helicopters, business aviation and aerospace technology. He earned a degree in fluid dynamics from an engineering school in Toulouse, France in the mid-1990s. At an unexpected crossroads, he found his first job in journalism. In 1997, he started working for French aerospace weekly Air &amp; Cosmos in Paris. This lasted until 2000, when he moved south to Lyons. He then became a freelancer, working for various aerospace publications and has been part of the AIN team since late 2000. In addition to writing about business aviation, Thierry shares responsibility for the rotorcraft section. He also is a regular on-site writer for AIN’s daily editions at international airshows such as the Paris, Farnborough, Dubai and Singapore shows, as well as at EBACE in Geneva.
In 2007, he won the Honeywell award for “Best systems or technology submission” at the Aerospace journalist of the year awards. In 2013, he won an Aerospace Media Award for the "Best Safety, Training &amp; Simulation Submission."
In other activities, Thierry moderates international conferences on aviation technology topics. Thierry is married and has three children, who seem to begin enjoying the mountains–as their parents do.

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Thierry Dubois

The Eurocopter EC225 medium twin now has a traffic collision avoidance system (Tcas) II integrated into its autopilot, eliminating the need for pilot input in emergency avoidance maneuvers. The first such standard-equipped EC225 was delivered earlier this year. Offshore operator <a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2008-06-09/first-tcas-ii-toting-helo-flying-bristow">Bristow previously STC’d a Tcas II installation on the AS332 Super Puma</a>; Eurocopter claims to go one step further, with more integration.
Rockwell Collins supplied the Tcas II itself and Eurocopter developed the integration in-house. The system was EASA-certified under a special condition, according to Eurocopter test pilot Hervé Jammayrac. “CS-29 rules have nothing about helicopter Tcas II,” he said. 
In case of conflicting trajectories and a traffic alert, the Tcas II may have to issue a resolution advisory (RA). The autopilot will react to an RA immediately, without waiting five seconds for the pilot to take evasive action. The autopilot will command a climb or descent to ensure safe separation from other aircraft, and then return the aircraft to its original attitude, altitude and heading.
The system performs better than a non-automated Tcas II, according to Eurocopter. Because RAs are rare, pilots have limited experience dealing with them, Jammayrac explained, and consequently they sometimes overreact and climb too steeply, triggering a second RA.
The automated system keeps the pilot in the loop. “The crew should not be surprised, thanks to indications on the main displays, including the vertical-speed scale, and the RA comes after an aural traffic alert,” Jammayrac said. Finally, he emphasized that helicopter autopilots are always “transparent,” in that the pilot can overrule the autopilot with normal control inputs. He can also disengage the Tcas mode of the autopilot.
The system will probably not be adapted to lighter aircraft. While it looks useful for scheduled offshore operations, it would be less suited to operations such as EMS or aerial work. “Below 1,000 feet, Tcas II does not provide RAs, only positions and traffic alerts,” Jammayrac pointed out.
According to Jammayrac, the only other aircraft to have Tcas II integrated into the autopilot is the Airbus A380. Next in line at Eurocopter for this automation is the <a href="http://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/aviation-international-news/2012-06-06/eurocopter-ec175-nears-certification">in-development EC175 medium twin</a>.

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