Breeze Eastern Corporation (AMEX: BZC), the aerospace industry’s only dedicated hoist and winch specialist, is unveiling a series of rescue hoist product enhancements and sensor integration concepts designed to improve situational awareness for rescue mission crews.

The product enhancements, which are designed to improve safety and reduce the time required to complete a rescue mission, include the company’s proprietary MissionView™ (patent pending) Situational Awareness System and state-of-the-art, DC-powered rescue hoist.

Video of the MissionView system operating in flight both day and night, and working demonstrations of the new hoist enhancements, will be featured July 14-18 in the Breeze-Eastern exhibit (3/B23c in the U.S. Pavilion, Hall 3) at the Farnborough International Airshow.

“Breeze-Eastern is expanding the capabilities of rescue hoists by integrating sensors and technology to create a mission system that will allow flight crews to perform search and rescue missions more quickly and safely,” said Brad Pedersen, president and chief executive officer of Breeze-Eastern. “Rescue hoist systems are critical components, but they have changed very little since helicopters first started performing search and rescue missions.  We are looking at the rescue hoist as an integrated system that can provide data and information to the flight crew for improved safety.”

The company hosted private demonstrations in early 2014 for OEMs, military and government operators, airborne law enforcement crews and emergency medical providers. “Their input helped us determine next steps and shaped the systems on display this week,” Pedersen said.

The MissionView Situational Awareness System concept represents a leap-ahead advancement. Aerospace grade sensors gather and record essential mission information and efficiently display key parameters on a tablet computer such as an iPad.  Cable load, hook height above the ground, aircraft AGL altitude and other information is overlaid on a day/night video image. This will not only improve mission effectiveness, but also may be saved and used as a valuable training tool. An interactive flight crew checklist is also being evaluated.

In addition to transmitting information to the sensors, the enhanced hook will be equipped with powerful LED lights for improved visibility during hoist operations.

Next steps in the development process will be determined based on customer input at Farnborough and a subsequent demonstration tour, Pedersen said. “Our priority is to better meet the needs of the operating community, and their feedback is crucial. The customer’s best interest is the driving force for all decision making.” Breeze-Eastern Corporation is the world’s leading designer and manufacturer of high-performance lifting and pulling devices for helicopters, military cargo aircraft, and other aerospace/defense platforms, including rescue hoists, winches and cargo hooks, and weapons-lifting systems.