Rotorcraft
Engine Backup System Could Buy Time for Pilots
Technology would provide emergency power after single-engine failures
Airbus Disruptive Lab
© Airbus

Airbus Helicopters is engaged in an EASA working group on plans to certify the engine backup system (EBS) it plans to offer for single-engine helicopters. At the same time, it is looking to ensure that the technology, which would provide power for a limited time in an engine-out emergency, can be made available to operators at an affordable cost.

According to Tomasz Krysinski, the company’s head of innovation, Airbus has already demonstrated the system with its DisruptiveLab testbed aircraft delivering 250 kilowatts of power for two minutes. The manufacturer has also demonstrated a 100-kilowatt version of the EBS that provides 30 seconds of power to help the pilot maintain a safer rotation rate, albeit insufficient to maintain level flight. “We have had some good results, but we can’t yet give any date for when the system could be available,” he told reporters.