Safety equipment designer Klatt Works is making its debut at this year’s NBAA-BACE with its Smoke Assured Vision Enhanced Display (SAVED) full-face oxygen mask with integrated head-up display (HUD).
At the show in Las Vegas, the Pleasanton, California company announced the start of its first business aviation supplemental type certificate (STC) for the system, which will see its installation in BLM Aviation’s Gulfstream G550 and pave the way for integration in both the G550 and G450 models. The company has already secured an STC for its use in the Boeing 777 commercial jetliner.
The lightweight, wearable, reusable system provides pilots with an augmented reality technology system that delivers information to display screens inside the mask for use during cockpit smoke emergencies when pilots cannot see the flight instruments or even the view outside the cockpit windows.
SAVED provides HUD vision relayed from a nose-mounted camera, allowing the crew to aviate during extreme smoke emergencies with visual references to land or ditch the aircraft. It can receive video in SDI or NTSC format through dual 720p, 4:3 biocular see-through displays, with adjustable brightness for day or night operation, and is usable with corrective lenses. Power is provided via dual redundant left and right cockpit buses.
The company has established a full end-to-end value chain for the product. Ametek Ameron will integrate the SAVED system into the standard two-piece MF-20 pilot masks and offer ongoing maintenance and service based on customer requirements. For the certification, L2 Aviation will take the lead in the application process and handle the production of the SAVED kits, while EFI will support the initial installation on the G550 as well as perform future installations.
The certification plan was submitted to the FAA and the companies anticipate receiving STC approval by February 2025.