HeliNav-LoadMaster system measures load and location

Commercial operators of helicopters need to know what weight their aircraft carrying and over what distances. There are similar issues in helicopter fire fighting operations: knowing exactly where each load was dropped can be critical to how quickly the fire is brought under control.

There are also safety considerations. The CAA puts the onus on the helicopter operator to ensure safety with slung loads, and the final responsibility for the acceptance of any load for flight rests with the captain of the helicopter concerned. The total mass of any slung load has to be determined accurately. Performing an accurate All Up Mass (AUM) calculation (covering the weight of the load itself plus any slings, nets, strops, swivels and shackles) before the helicopter lifts off is important, but an accurate measure of load once the helicopter is airborne can offer additional assurance.

HeliNav-LoadMaster system

The new HeliNav-LoadMaster system marries GPS (global positioning system) capability with effective load sensing and a host of other intelligent functions to optimise automatically complex operations such as spraying and multiple random load billing.

Designed and manufactured by Sensor Technology, the HeliNav-LoadMaster is an intelligent hook that meets the needs of helicopter operators. Its operation is completely autonomous, using its own on-board sensors, computers and batteries, making it exempt from the need for CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) or other approvals that can be both time-consuming and expensive to obtain. It can also be transferred from one craft to another very easily.

The HeliNav-LoadMaster system is built around an intelligent load sensor, a cockpit display and a ground receiver. The load sensor is based on proven strain gauge technology and can be calibrated as standard in 1.5 ton and 3 ton ranges, with other ranges available by request. A built-in battery powers its embedded computer and a transmitter (operating on an unrestricted 2.4GHz waveband), enabling accurate load data to be sent both to the pilot's cockpit display and to the ground receiver. The cockpit display provides the pilot with a full-colour 5.7inch TFT touchscreen computer running Windows XP embedded and LabVIEW on a 1GHz processor.

A combination of Windows and LabVIEW provides a user-friendly interface with highly intuitive operation. The cockpit display gives the pilot a real-time measure of the load, while the GPS facility relates this data to position and time. The information presented is accurate to the kilogram-metre and the system also logs all of this data for subsequent analysis.

For applications such as crop spraying, the system can also be configured to provide flow indication and/control. Flow indication highlights the flow of product from the hopper in a variety of standard units (kg/s, lb/s, litre/s, litre/m or kg/m) all with GPS position recording. Other sophisticated features provide additional control, monitoring and administrative functions.

Use the form on this page to request a callback or more information about Sensor Technology's HeliNav-LoadMaster system and custom sensors.