The U.S. Army has expanded the ICARUS Devices Airworthiness Release fleetwide to include every UH-60L and UH/HH-60M Blackhawk Helicopter, the company said.
The ICARUS Device is a smart, view-limiting device made of a PDLC film that the pilot wears in front of their eyes, either clamped onto a headset or clipped into a flight helmet. [Courtesy: ICARUS]
Key Takeaways:
The ICARUS Device is an innovative pilot training tool designed to simulate realistic and dynamic instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) by gradually degrading visual cues.
Unlike traditional hoods, ICARUS uses smart polymer-dispersed liquid crystal film controlled by an instructor's app, enabling realistic scenarios like sudden cloud entry or breaking out at minimums.
Its primary purpose is to counter the dangerous "startle effect" and spatial disorientation, which are major causes of aviation accidents when pilots unexpectedly encounter IMC.
The U.S. Army has expanded its fleetwide Airworthiness Release for ICARUS Devices, deploying them in Blackhawk helicopters to enhance pilot proficiency and reduce IIMC-related fatalities.
With this phrase, my instrument instructor took me into the clouds for the first time. We were on an IFR flight plan on a Marginal VFR (MVFR) day. He warned me that going in and out of the clouds, with that frequent change from light to dark and back again would induce spatial disorientation. He was correct.
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Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
