The Santa Barbara County Fire Department (SBCFD) has chosen Astronautics Corporation of America's AFI4700 RoadRunner electronic flight instruments (EFI) as cost-effective, easy-to-install replacements on one of its FireHawk helicopters.

The RoadRunner EFIs, two per aircraft, are part of an upgraded avionics package and instrument panel on a UHH-60L Black Hawk helicopter that Arista Aviation is repurposing into the new FireHawk configuration for the SBCFD. The helicopter will serve the fire crews and residents of Santa Barbara County, California.

The RoadRunner EFI interfaces seamlessly with modern digital navigation, enabling the FireHawk to fly firefighting and other missions with enhanced safety and reliability.

“Providing an easy EFI upgrade with enhanced services to Arista for the SBCFD's new FireHawk is our top priority,” says Astronautics vice president of sales and business development Greg Plantz. “We are committed to helping our customers achieve mission success.”

The RoadRunner EFI is a replacement for the existing attitude director and horizontal situation indicator functionality to a modern electronic flight instrument system, enabling enhanced safety features such as localiser performance with vertical guidance (LPV) approaches.

The RoadRunner EFI also provides operators readability in all lighting conditions, familiar and easy-to-use controls, reduced operating and maintenance costs, and minimal downtime for installation. The unit is easily upgradeable with new software functionality tailorable to customer needs and mission requirements.

Astronautics manufactured over 10,000 primary flight instruments for the UH-60 Black Hawk from the mid-1970s through the 1990s, including attitude director, horizontal, vertical situation indicators, and command situation processors.

Astronautics, in partnership with Rotorcraft Services Group, has also completed submission for an FAA STC for its AFI4700 RoadRunner Electronic Flight Instrument (EFI) on Bell 212 and 412 aircraft with certification expected near term.

RSG is an authorised RoadRunner EFI dealer, installer and PMA kit provider for Bell 212/412 retrofits.

“STC approval on these Bell aircraft will give even more helicopter operators access to the cost, ease and safety benefits of Astronautics' RoadRunner when upgrading to modern electronic flight instrument systems on their helicopter fleets,” says Plantz.