Less Problems More Solutions

Transcription

1 480B Guardian

2 Less Problems More Solutions You need an effective high endurance aerial search platform. But you also need the ability to do short haul rescue evacuations and rapid EMS transport. And on top of it all, you have a limited budget. In short, you have a problem. Enstrom has a solution. Presenting the incredible 480B Guardian from Enstrom, a helicopter that is rewriting the rules of airborne search and rescue. With the Guardian you can worry more about saving lives, and less about saving budgets. The Guardian is a respectable 20% cheaper to acquire, and a whopping 30% less to operate than its competitors. With only 9 life-limited parts, and Enstrom s rugged, durable design, you ll be racking up flight time, not shop time. Thanks to numbers like these a Guardian can make getting a new search and rescue program off the ground a lot more feasible, and it can breathe some life back into budget crunching existing programs as well. No helicopter is worth a dime if it doesn t perform, and no duty is more demanding than search and rescue. The Guardian is up to the challenge. Its Rolls Royce turbine engine is derated, keeping plenty of power in reserve for hot, high, and heavy operations. It s one of the most stable and easy to fly helicopters ever built, meaning pilots can stay on top of specific targets effortlessly regardless of wind conditions, as well as fly extended missions without getting fatigued. And with over four hours of endurance, you won t have to worry about cutting those missions short to refuel. FLIRs, Nightsun s, PA s the list of life saving tools you can bolt onto an Enstrom is endless, and unlike other helicopters external accessories won t change the flying characteristics of the Guardian. An ultra-flexible cabin design mean that in just minutes the Guardian can be converted to a medi-vac, or high density transport. You can even hook a Bambi Bucket on for fire fighting, giving you the ultimate in multi-role capabilities. And with its high inertia rotor head, energy absorbing landing gear, and protected controls, the Guardian will have your pilots backs, just like they have yours. You have a problem, Enstrom has the solution the 480B Guardian.

3 Short Haul Rescue Evacuation The ability to evacuate personnel and casualties quickly and safely is a prime mission requirement for any search and rescue helicopter. Many helicopters employ a winch, but over time this system has proven to be both problematic and cumbersome. In response, Enstrom recommends that the Guardian be outfitted with a simple short haul style evacuation system. This type of rescue system is in use the world over, and has proven safe, effective, and relatively efficient. In this system, the helicopter lands in a safe area and the crew attaches one 19mm or two 12mm ropes (usually 25 meters long) to the bottom of the helicopter via a belly band and hook. Rescue personnel, equipment, or a weight bag are attached, and the helicopter lifts off, transporting the load to the rescue area. As the helicopter hovers above, stretchers, personnel or casualties can be attached to the line. Next the helicopter lifts them clear of the rescue area and transports them to safe landing zone. After setting them down, the helicopter can return to the rescue area, or land and pick up the personnel for continued transport.

4 EMS Litter Kit The Enstrom 480B Guardian offers a unique solution to the airborne EMS mission. The Guardian incorporates an optional removable litter kit that can safely transport a patient and an attendant inside the aircraft s cockpit. The litter kit installs in under 30 minutes, without the use of tools or heavy lifting. To install, first it is necessary remove the passenger side seat and flight controls, and fold up the passenger side rear seat. Next, clip the seat rail adapter to the existing seat rails. Finally, slide the litter onto the adapter and into the aircraft. The attendant can sit in the existing center seat, and has access to both the head and foot area of the patient. Though not designed as a full air ambulance, the Guardian equipped with a litter kit can quickly and efficiently transport patients to a waiting ambulance or medical facility.

5 Flight Characteristics Rotor Hub/Tail Rotor Authority: The 480B Guardian features a three-bladed, fully articulated main rotor system that has accumulated over 4,000,000 hours (and counting) without experiencing a catastrophic failure. Besides providing excellent response, the Enstrom design eliminates mast bumping, and allows for slope landings of up to 15 deg. This gives search and rescue pilots more options when choosing landing sites, allowing them to get closer to the scene without risking damage to the aircraft. The Guardian s tail rotor is two-bladed, and located on a stinger so that it is completely free and clear of the airframe. This provides excellent tail rotor authority, and eliminates LTE (Loss of Tailrotor Effectiveness) issues common on many other helicopters. In fact, the Guardian is certified under FAR 27 guidelines to flight in 35 knot winds from any direction. This type of performance allows the Guardian to get into the air in conditions that would ground other ships. Once on scene, the Guardian can carry out search patterns or orbits, and maintain aircraft orientation regardless of wind direction. Flying Qualities: The 480B Guardian traces its roots back to the Enstrom TH-28, an advanced turbine trainer designed for the U.S. Army. As such, the Guardian has very benign flight characteristics. It is easy to fly, and very stable. In fact, the TH-28 was so stable that it was the only aircraft the Army considered that could be IFR certified without a stability augmentation system. The Guardian eschews sloppy and complicated hydraulically boosted controls for simple, direct mechanical linkages. This provides crisp, responsive handling and direct feedback to the pilot, which makes flying the Guardian relatively intuitive. All of this adds up to a reduced workload and fatigue for the pilots, and allows the crew to concentrate on the job instead of just flying the aircraft. The Guardian can be fitted with a number of external accessories such as cameras and searchlights, but unlike other helicopters the Guardian s flight characteristics remain the same when those accessories are bolted on or taken off. Additionally, the Guardian can be flown with the doors off without affecting its handling qualities. Endurance: The Guardian carries 90 gallons of fuel, and can stay in the air for up to 4.5 hours. For example, at a survey speed of 56 knots, the Guardian only burns 132lbs/hour, making it a very efficient operator. At a cruise speed of 102 knots, the Guardian can fly up to 370 NM.

6 Cockpit Features Cabin Layout And Visibility: The Guardian has a highly flexible cabin that can be reconfigured quickly for a number of different requirements. In the typical search and rescue role it is setup with three seats: a pilot, copilot, and an optional observer. The Guardian is equipped with dual controls and can be flown from either seat, with both pilots having an unrestricted view of the entire instrument panel. In the Guardian, the PIC typically sits on the left, though the aircraft can be special ordered with the PIC on the right. The large, comfortable cabin offers the entire crew exceptional visibility through the large main cabin, chin, and door windows. The Guardian offers an easily reconfigurable seating arrangement that is unique to the industry. The controls are removable simply by pulling pins, and the seats can either be removed or folded up. The cabin can be configured with seating for up to five people, a medivac stretcher with an attendant, or a flat cargo floor. All this can be accomplished in only minutes, without the use of tools. Both the pilot and co-pilot s seats are fully adjustable, along with adjustable rudder pedals, making the Guardian comfortable for pilots of any stature. This feature, along with a NASA developed seat foam, make the Guardian comfortable to fly for extended missions, and reduce pilot fatigue. Additionally, Enstrom offers 2 and 3 row air conditioners that have proven more than adequate in both desert and tropical environments. An overhead cockpit fan is available, and the Guardian comes standard with vented door windows and adjustable cockpit vents. Avionics: Enstrom offers a wide variety of avionics to accommodate the police mission. Enstrom can customize the Guardian with the most advanced communication and navigation equipment, including the latest Chelton EFIS 6.0b glass cockpit. A wide variety of audio panels are available to enhance crew communications and interface with optional airborne FM radios, such as the Technisonic TDFM With the Guardian, pilots will never have to worry about being out of touch with ATC, dispatch, or units on the ground. Finally, the Guardian s cockpit can be made night vision compatible, for safe and effective night ops. Environmental Controls: The Guardian is available with bleed air a heater/defroster that is very effective, and has proven itself in the harshest winters.

7 The 480B Guardian Airframe Safety: The 480B Guardian traces it s lineage back to the Enstrom TH-28, an advanced training helicopter designed for the U.S. Army. Hence, safety was of utmost importance in the design of the helicopter. The Guardian s airframe is rugged and built to handle repeated abuse. It starts with a heavy duty oleo-strut landing gear that will compress to absorb excessive landing loads. The landing gear also has extra bracing for sideways and run-on landings. The landing gear bolts to a welded chromoly steel pylon that houses the engine, fuel cells, and transmission. A thick firewall separates these components from the composite cockpit. The cockpit floor is made up of a number of crushable keel beams. Along with the seats, these beams are designed to deform in the event of a serious accident, absorbing the load and cushioning the pilots. FAR 27 approved 4-point inertial reel restraints strike the perfect balance between comfort and safety. The Guardian has exceptional autorotational capabilities, with a conservative descent rate of 1400fpm on a standard day. Unlike in many other helicopters, in the event of an engine failure in the Guardian the pilot has ample to time to lower the collective. This is due to the Guardian s high-inertia main rotor system which provides more than sufficient stored energy for safe, uneventful autorotations. The Guardian has one of the lowest accident rates in the world, and as of this date no person has lost their life in a TH- 28/480/480B series aircraft. Noise: The Guardian is noticeably quieter than most other helicopters both inside and out, and was certified to FAR 26 Appendix J noise standards. In fact, at gross weight and 96kts, flyover noise was measured to be less than 85Db. The main and tail rotors are relatively slow turning, which contributes to the Guardian s low noise signature. Maintenance: Because of its roots as an Army trainer, the Guardian was designed with maintenance in mind. There are only 13 life limited parts in the Guardian, and gearbox overhauls are available on an exchange basis for minimal downtime. Five hinged access doors and five removable access panels provide ample accessibility. During last year, Enstrom had a next day delivery rate of 94% for AOG parts and 88% for standard parts. Enstrom has even been known to stop the production line to make a part for an AOG aircraft.