By Ian Graham
Air Force Col. Peter Mapes, along with other pilots at Andrews Air Force Base, have gotten the go-ahead to install and test advanced GPS units, designed originally for airplanes, in some of the 316th Wing 1st Helicopter Squadron’s UH-1N “Huey” helicopters.
“This is game-changing technology, because it directly addresses the leading cause of loss of life in this type of aeronautical vehicle,” Mapes said.
He added, because the vehicles are generally moving at high speed during such collisions, more than 90 percent of passengers and crew exposed to these events are injured or killed.
The new GPS systems, Mapes explained, turn each helicopter into a sort of “mini radar station.” In addition to providing data on obstructions and terrain, it also tracks weather patterns – including lightning strikes, wind flow and rain – and other aircraft in the area.
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