Sandel Avionics Inc. has announced that its President and CEO, Gerry Block, has been awarded the Helicopter Association International (HAI) Salute to Excellence AgustaWestland Safety Award, honoring his work in advancing the state of terrain avoidance and warning systems (TAWS) and, in particular, developing the Sandel ST3400H HeliTAWS^™ wire and terrain avoidance system. In announcing the award, HAI noted that TAWS and helicopter TAWS have “saved untold numbers of lives by helping pilots avoid controlled flight into terrain.”

A technology development company supplying the air transport, business aviation and military markets, Sandel has focused recently on enhancing the safety of helicopter operations, providing rotorcraft operating at low altitudes with nuisance-free protection from terrain, obstacles and known wires. The result is Sandel HeliTAWS, available as a hardware or software solution, which has already been licensed by Rockwell Collins for use in its integrated rotorcraft avionics systems.

“The Salute to Excellence awards couldn’t be better named,” said HAI President Matt Zuccaro. “In an industry for which safety is so important, everyone strives to do their very best – and these awards pay tribute to those who rise above the rest.”

The AgustaWestland Safety Award will be presented at the Salute to Excellence Dinner on Monday, February 13, 2012, during Heli-Expo 2012, HAI’s annual convention and trade show.

Sandel ST3400H HeliTAWS^™the industry’s first multihazard avoidance system for helicopters, protects against terrain, wires and obstacles, and is the only terrain avoidance system certified for operation below en route altitudes. Incorporating Sandel’s proprietary TruAlert^™ technology, Sandel HeliTAWS enables pilots to safely take off, cruise, hover and land at off-airport locations without triggering nuisance alerts, while still receiving the established benefits of Class-A terrain and obstacle warnings during the entire flight. The HTAWS-compliant Sandel HeliTAWS system, which was designed for such demanding missions as HEMS, oil rig operations, tactical military support, airborne law enforcement, firefighting and search & rescue, is completely automatic and does not require pilot management of the phase of flight.

Sandel Avionics Inc., located in Vista, California, is a privately held company that provides embedded software for OEM applications, and compact integrated display systems for fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft in the commercial and military aftermarkets. Its products include 3-ATI and 4-ATI retrofit primary displays, Class-A fixed-wing TAWS and HeliTAWS, the helicopter industry’s first complete, all-altitude wire and terrain safety solution. Learn more at www.sandel.com or call 877.726.3357.