Night vision goggles (NVGs) have revolutionized the helicopter industry–and also presented it with a problem. The reason? Many of the night vision imaging system (NVIS) modifications done by third-party aftermarket shops succeed in modifying instrument and panel lighting so that they do not overload NVGs at night, but they also make many of these instruments hard to read in direct sunlight.
“The problem is that many aftermarket firms are simply installing optical filters over instrument and panel lights to reduce their IR [infrared] output for the benefit of NVIS operations,” said Tonka Hufford, chief operating officer at Aero Dynamix, Inc. (ADI), a producer of aircraft lighting solutions that are viewable in all lighting conditions.
“These other lighting mods work great at night, but make the instruments and panels hard to see during the day, which is a large percentage of the time that aircraft actually operate. At ADI, we do things differently: We try to modify as close to the lighting sources as possible so that we minimize the effect on daylight readability, while maintaining an NVIS compatible IR signature. The subsequent illumination works well with NVGs, but is also readable in direct sunlight.”
Founded in 1994, ADI has grown to become an industry leader and innovator in integrated NVIS lighting solutions for civil and military aircraft. ADI specializes in complete and fully integrated NVIS lighting solutions for aircraft that achieve balanced cockpit lighting and deliver both nighttime and daytime instrument readability.
ADI’s NVIS expertise is validated by the company’s solid portfolio of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approvals for its full vision illumination systems for both rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. In fact, Aero Dynamix now holds over 30 multi-ship NVIS Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) covering over more than 40 different aircraft model types. This is in addition to numerous European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and other foreign STC validations that make ADI a leader in NVIS design, certification, and post-installation services.
Such an array of NVIS products and approvals explains why ADI’s NVIS lighting systems are in widespread use around the globe. Currently, ADI has certified more than 1,200 NVIS cockpits worldwide, all handled through the company’s corporate headquarters and manufacturing facilities located in Euless, Texas. ADI’s staff of approximately 75 employees encompasses the full range of skills needed to supply NVIS lighting kits by working through every aspect of night vision integration for customer aircraft, including: engineering, research and development, manufacturing, quality assurance, and certification.
“ADI started as a top tier NVIS cockpit modification kit supplier that gained recognition with a very wide array of law enforcement and paramilitary operators for our excellent NVIS modifications,” said Hufford. “This then led ADI to performing NVIS modifications directly to avionics made by original equipment manufacturers [OEMs], such as Garmin and Honeywell.”
Today, ADI performs NVIS modifications for numerous avionics manufacturers and is so well-respected by these manufacturers that they continue to support their original warranties on this equipment after ADI has modified them. Take a second and let that sink in: When have you ever heard of an OEM that does not void a warranty on its equipment once it has been opened up and altered by an aftermarket shop? The consistently high quality of ADI’s NVIS lighting modifications makes OEM acceptance possible.
“Because we have developed NVIS solutions that work well in all lighting conditions, we have actually solved important problems for these companies,” said Hufford. “These OEMs needed NVIS solutions for their avionics, but being large global companies, modifying or redesigning existing avionics was not cost-effective for them to do themselves. This is why these companies authorized us to open their new avionics components, perform our modifications, and still maintain the original warranties. As you may imagine, this was a huge accomplishment and a much needed solution!”
Given its success in addressing NVIS illumination needs in both rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, it made sense for ADI to expand its product focus into all forms of illuminated aircraft panels. This includes both edge-lit panels (ELPs) and instrument panel overlays that improve a pilot’s instrument readability in aircraft ranging from small single-engine civilian helicopters to large multi-engine military airplane models.
“ADI has been qualified by the Defense Logistics Agency [DLA] for inclusion of ADI’s NVIS and non-NVIS panels on the military’s qualified products list number QPL-7788,” said Hufford. “Approval by DLA makes ADI an approved supplier of ELPs to the U.S. Department of Defense, and ADI is proud to support the U.S. military in any way that we can.”
Aero Dynamix, Inc. is a proven provider of NVIS and non-NVIS lighting solutions and panels for the civilian and military aircraft industries. The quality of its innovative products and its dedication to reliable customer service, when combined with major OEM warranty support and backed by a growing list of STCs, makes ADI a wise choice to consider when seeking comprehensive, NVIS-compatible lighting for any aircraft platform.
If you would like to see your company featured in Insight, contact Derek Kast at derek@mhmpub.com.
