U.S. Helicopters has selected the Becker Avionics AMU 6500 Digital intercom system for the avionics upgrade of their AS350 Helicopters. The aircraft are employed in various mission profiles which include Electronic News Gathering (ENG) and VIP configurations. Critically, the intercom requirements for these roles are diverse.
According to Becker the 3-D sound element embedded in their AMU6500 intercom is a key element for US Helicopters pilots routinely operating in the dense traffic environment of the United States northeastern corridor. Key among the systems benefits are the spatial discrimination inherent in 3D audio, allows the pilot to prioritize which radio of the two or more radios he has selected to concentrate on. This spatial discrimination provided by Becker’s 3D also allows the pilot to recognize from which position in the helicopter a crew member is speaking to him or her on intercom. Both capabilities enhance the pilot’s situational awareness seamlessly particularly in the ENG mission where multiple radios and crew personnel are the norm.
Conversely, that internal communications ability is not required for VIP operations. Becker’s Product Support Manager Kenny Oliver explained: “In addition to replacing the OEMs basic intercom system U.S. Helicopter wanted to transition from an ENG platform with a removable ENG workstation to a VIP interior. This involved removing the ENG workstation and its associated intercom station and installing a VIP configuration without an intercom station in minutes. This required a unique software program that can be effortlessly switched from one configuration to the other.”
