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Safety
HTAWS
Due to recent recommendations by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will likely mandate the installation of Helicopter Terrain Awareness and Warning Systems (HTAWS) on all EMS helicopters in the near future.
In an effort to again set the bar high and to remain at the forefront of the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) industry, STAR Flight recently installed new HTAWS systems in both of our aircraft.
HTAWS provides early, audible warning signals when the helicopter nears or approaches a terrain feature such as radio towers, buildings, or the ground (sometimes referred to as the "edges of the sky". When approaching terrain or an obstacle, HTAWS will verbalize "Caution! Terrain" through the pilot and aircrew's helmets, alerting them to the presence of the obstacle. If the helicopter continues to approach the hazard, the system will state, "Warning! Terrain!".
In nighttime or low-light flight profiles, or during times of low visibility, technology such as HTAWS can serve to greatly enhance a crew's situational awareness and potentially avoid such catastophies as Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT), a major factor in numerous HEMS crashes in recent years.
Click on the link below for a recent KVUE TV report when reporter Shelton Green rode along with STAR Flight for a demonstration of this new technology.
http://www.kvue.com/news/green/stories/052009kvuetaws-bkm.2255a9c2.html