The AFDAU-T1, Australia’s standout additional telemetry unit (ATU) for aerial firefighting, has achieved compliance for the new US Forest Service requirements for event data this week. The update enables all Aerial Firefighting Data Acquisition Unit (AFDAU) units already installed in aircraft to meet compliance specifications AFDAU-T1 lead engineer, Zane Vohland, says that with the increase in demand for real-time telemetry in contracts issued by aerial firefighting agencies, the AFDAU-T1’s new compliance is a huge win for operators in the United States. “It’s clear that ATU requirements are becoming more prevalent in US aerial firefighting contracts. As these requirements make their way from VLATs and type 1 helicopters into smaller aircraft, we are seeing orders from operators who are looking for a turnkey solution that enables them to stay compliant.” Zane adds that when investing in ATU equipment, operators can find themselves comparing apples to oranges and need to ensure the equipment they are considering provides a full solution. “Some signs of an incomplete solution include extensive calibration of the ATU device required for volume detection, lack of clear and comprehensive documentation on how to interface with the various sensors required, lack of validated end-to-end data pipeline from hardware to agency
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