There are myths and commentary that pilots don’t want cockpit video recorders because it feels intrusive and that ‘big brother is watching.’ However, the benefits of cockpit recording devices for pilots and operators need to be highlighted to justify these devices’ presence when installed in the cockpit, including:

Meet compliance regulations

Many government and regulatory agencies are making it mandatory to have cockpit recording devices fitted. For example, in New Zealand, Fire and Emergency (FENZ) and the Department of Conservation do not award contracts if there is no cockpit camera fitted. New Zealand CAA see cockpit video recorders as ‘worth their weight in gold’ and the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are calling for cockpit video recorders to be installed into aircraft and are strongly lobbying regulators to make them mandatory.

Flight analysis for operators, EMS & flight schools

Those operations with multiple crew members such as EMS operators can use the video and audio to review live operations in particular winch operations for training and improvement. Being able to review video allows for identification of items that are often not seen during the actual mission and can be overlooked. Flight schools have rich data available to them to aid and enhance pilot training and performance.

Enhance flight safety

Utilize flight data to reduce risk, identify flight anomalies and aid in incident investigations, all with the objective of improving flight safety for both crew and passengers.

A new cost-effective solution

Avoid large and expensive flight data and voice recorders that require major system integrations. In the past, the cost and complexity of installing recorders in light aircraft and helicopters were prohibitive. The Flightcell SmartHUB changes that completely. Installation of the compact unit is simple and cost effective – it can be installed under a local modification (minor change) and can be mounted in various positions in the smallest machines to provide virtually a “plug and play” recording capability.

The Flightcell SmartHUB can be installed in the cockpit or remotely for example in the avionics bay. A small USB camera is installed in the cockpit. The SmartHUB records several types of flight data, including, ambient audio, ICS audio, cockpit video of the instrument panel and pilot control inputs, GPS position, altitude and speed data, barometric altitude, vertical rate (GPS and pressure), turn rate, pitch, roll and yaw. The recording of this comprehensive data is achieved by using the Flightcell SmartHUB’s independent internal GPS, multi-axes inertial unit, video camera with ambient microphone and a connection to the aircraft audio panel. The Flightcell SmartHUB meets recommendations of several global industry bodies, such as the International Association of Oil and Gas Producers (IOGP) where it meets recommendations set out in section 9 (Helicopter Flight Data Monitoring) and section 16 (Cockpit Camera).

There are several cockpit video recorders available in the marketplace, and the Flightcell SmartHUB has been designed with major points of difference when comparing it to competing recording devices.

No internal battery

Flightcell SmartHUB does not have or need an internal battery. Unlike other data recorders, data is recorded directly to independent files, so there is no need for a “Keep Alive” circuit to complete writing data to file at time of power down. Data is recorded in six individual files on the hardened internal 256GB micro-SD card. No internal battery or charging circuitry also simplifies installation, as it only requires a minor modification certification, not an STC.

No subscriptions

There are no costs or subscriptions required to access your data. Raw data can be viewed directly from the unit, or the flight data can be viewed using our web based Flightcell SmartHUB Viewer. You can even set your own flight exceedance parameters using the SmartHUB Connect tool over Wi-Fi (if installed) or over an ethernet connection directly from your laptop, all of which can be viewed during post flight analysis.

Easy data download

You don’t need to remove the data card from the Flightcell SmartHUB unit to download data files. This can be done by simply installing a USB stick into the USB ports on the front panel of the unit, over Wi-Fi (if this option is included) or over the trusty ethernet connection to your laptop. The latter ethernet option is the fastest method to retrieve data and is recommended.

You own the data

All data is immediately available and is retained and owned by you as the operator. Data is not required to be sent elsewhere for decoding, unpacking or analysis.

One or two cameras

Not one but two USB cameras can be installed if required. One for the cockpit and the other for the cabin or both in the cockpit. Many air ambulance operators are using the configuration of one in the cockpit and the other in the cabin.