The Development to Production of an Integrated Health and Usage Monitoring System for Helicopters

This paper starts with the reasons why Bristow Helicopters as an operator are at the forefront of putting together an Integrated Health and Usage Monitoring package. Bristows identifies its long history of design work introducing onto helicopters various major modifications culminating in the IHUMS programme. The paper goes on to deal with the need for health monitoring which is really the outcome of the HARP report. It discusses the trials that were conducted in three phases for the CAA and which led Bristows to believe they could package an integrated CVR/FDR and health monitoring system together in time to meet the CAA's mandated FDR. The practical specification for the system is discussed and the argument for the need to integrate the system with flight data recording and cockpit voice recording. The operation of the system is then discussed in some detail indicating how the generic nature of the system is accomplished and introducing the vital role of the groundstation and the interface in the groundstation between the pilot and the engineer and the system as a whole. The paper goes onto discuss the problems of certification and of gaining manufacturers acceptance of the system on their aircraft, without which of course monitoring would never reach its full potential. The paper finishes with some ideas of future potential and the direction which Bristows believe IHUMS will develop.