Story ID: 348 L-3AviationProducts
L-3 Aviation’s ‘Trilogy’ ESI an Enstrom Option
By: Bill Carey
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Word Count: 344
L-3 Aviation Products (Booth No. N4505) announced at the NBAA Convention that Enstrom Helicopter has selected its Trilogy ESI-2000 electronic standby instrument as an option for the Enstrom 480B helicopter.
  
The Trilogy ESI-2000 provides attitude, altitude, airspeed and optional heading data on a 3.7-inch digital screen. It mirrors the layout of the Enstrom 480B’s primary display, facilitating a quick transition to back-up flight information in an emergency, while reducing weight and saving panel space, L-3 says.
  
The standby instrument is powered by a lithium-ion battery. “Favorable self-discharge characteristics allow the battery to maintain a charge over long periods of disuse with little or no energy loss, while its excellent power-to-weight ratio provides high output with minimal added mass,” according to L-3. “Following emergency use, the battery is recharged by the aircraft’s electrical system with no need for removal or inspection.” The ESI computer monitors battery maximum capacity and notifies the pilot when a replacement is needed.
  
The Trilogy ESI is also being offered by AgustaWestland on both the commercial and military variants of the AW119 helicopter.
  
Last year at NBAA, L-3 introduced the GH-3900RSU electronic standby instrument system with an ultra-thin, 4.2-inch diagonal high-resolution DU-42 display and a separate remote sensor unit (RSU). The two-part system separates the display from the sensor array, allowing technicians to install the system behind the aircraft’s panel, including areas with limited space. The RSU houses rate/level sensors, air data transducers and optional accelerometers that deliver attitude, altitude, airspeed and navigation data to the display.
  
L-3 also reports that its FA5000 cockpit voice and data recorder has been selected by Bombardier for the Global 7000/8000 and Learjet 85. The solid-state FA5000 provides two hours of audio recording on all four channels and 25 hours minimum flight-data recording.
  
The company’s NXT-600 and NXT-800 ADS-B OUT-capable Mode S transponders are available as an upgrade for business jets. The transponder will make aircraft compliant with upcoming ADS-B out mandates in Europe and the United States.