AFDAU-T1 updated to comply with new event data requirements

Aircraft Maintenance Solutions (AMS) has updated the AFDAU-T1 additional telemetry unit (ATU) for aerial firefighting, developed to integrate with TracPlus Global’s platform, to comply with the US Forest Service’s new requirements for event data.

According to Zane Vohland, Managing Director and Lead Engineer at AMS and the AFDAU-T1’s lead engineer, the new compliance is a ‘huge win’ for operators in the US, as demand for real-time telemetry increases in contracts issued by aerial firefighting agencies.

“It’s clear that ATU requirements are becoming more prevalent in US aerial firefighting contracts,” he said. “As these requirements make their way from VLATs and type 1 helicopters into smaller aircraft, we are seeing orders from operators who are looking for a turnkey solution that enables them to stay compliant.”

AMS says that operators should ensure their equipment provides a ‘full solution’

Zane adds that when investing in ATU equipment, operators can find themselves ‘comparing apples to oranges’ and need to ensure the equipment they are considering provides a full solution.

“Some signs of an incomplete solution include extensive calibration of the ATU device required for volume detection, lack of clear and comprehensive documentation on how to interface with the various sensors required, lack of validated end-to-end data pipeline from hardware to agency portal, and a lack of proven results, including accurate volume reporting, for the applicable airframe and sensor configuration.

In addition to this Zane says that despite years of development, many ATU devices still face the same issues of how a device detects and records particular events: “Due to the dynamic nature of firefighting operations, it’s not unusual to see errors in the types of event data coming off ATUs. These typically occur on take-off and landing events, engine on and off events, and inaccurate recordings for fill, drop, and volume events.

TracPlus said that in addition to the US Forest Service compliance, AMS has also developed a diagnostics tool which allows avionics engineers to identify and rectify wiring and connection issues between the AFDAU and another device at the point of install, saving time on troubleshooting installation issues.