By John McHale

MANCHESTER, England - AD Aerospace’s FlightVu Cockpit Door Monitoring System (CDMS) now has a STC (Supplemental Type Certificate) for retrofit installation on the Boeing MD-80 series and DC-9 aircraft.

The STC covers the LRUs (line replaceable units) from AD Aerospace and the installation kit designed by Aircraft Engineering and Installation Services Inc (AEI), of Orlando, Fla.

The FlightVu CDMS is now certified for installation on B737-200/300/400/500/700/800/900, B757-200/300, B767-200/300/400, MD-80, DC-10, Fokker 70/100, and A330. STCs for B747-300 and 400 will be finalized within the next few weeks.

“Aircraft Video Surveillance Systems are a major element of airliner security both against terrorist threat and air rage,” says Mike Horne, Managing Director, AD Aerospace. “We believe that the presence of CCTV systems makes the flying public feel more secure as passengers numbers return to their former levels.”

The fully DO-160D and DO-178B certified FlightVu system provides cockpit-door video security that allows pilots to directly observe in real time the area outside the flight deck door without leaving their seats.

This meets the ICAO Annex 6 Chapter 13.2.5 recommendations on security of the flight crew compartment and gives compliance with existing legislation. Countries that have introduced legislation include England, Germany, Malaysia, Sweden, and Singapore among others. It is also anticipated that there will shortly be Pan-European and American legislation, AD Aerospace officials say. The system also meets the technical requirements laid out in the recently published EUROCAE ED-123 guidelines.

The FlightVu cockpit-door monitoring system consists of two or three CCTV (closed circuit television) cameras linked to one or two liquid crystal display monitors mounted in the cockpit pedestal. The monitors provide the flight-deck crew with clear, forward viewing, real-time video of the area outside the cockpit door and in surrounding galley areas. The CCTV cameras are flush mounted to the aircraft in low profile, unobtrusive, color coordinated housings. The system also includes Infra Red Illuminators that allow the area to be viewed even with cabin lights extinguished.

AD Aerospace Ltd. designs and manufactures aerospace video-camera equipment, including video security systems. The company is part of the AD Holdings Group, which produces multichannel digital video recorders. AD Aerospace is a CAA/EASA approved designer and manufacturer of video camera systems for commercial aerospace, and an approved supplier to Boeing Co. It has facilities in Manchester, England, Atlanta, USA, and Singapore. For more information visit www.ad-aero.com.

Aircraft Engineering & Installation Services Inc. designs and manufactures Avionics System Integration Solutions for all types of avionics system applications, and serves the air transport, regional airline, and heavy corporate jet markets. For more information, go online at www.aei.aero.