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NEW PRODUCTS Continued from page 27 PS Engineering Gary Picou, PS Engineering's vice president, introduced the company's PAC45, the latest in its comprehensive line of audio panels. The PAC45 is designed for the special-mission market and features MultiTalker, a patented technology developed by the Wright Patterson Air Force Base and exclusively licensed to PS Engineering. The technology allows crew members to locate up to six communication radios spatially in their headset. By leveraging what is sometimes referred to as the "cocktail party effect" - the human brain's ability to directionally distinguish unimportant conversations from critical ones - the audio-processing technology allows crew members to orient audio from those six individual radios in any one of nine unique positions within a stereo headset. With a design focusing on special-mission audio requirements, the PAC45 addresses those operators' unique needs with features like enabling up to three control heads (pilot, co-pilot, mission observers/specialists) with single hub, Bluetooth connectivity for telephone and music streaming, full-duplex satellite telephone capability, volume controls for all switched receivers, CVR output and ICS call functions. The new unit also provides unlimited dealer-configured bezel legends, four unswitched inputs, night-vision goggle compatibility and PS Engineering's patented IntelliVOX intercom squelch. The PAC45 is pin-compatible with the NAT AMS series of special-mission audio controllers, allowing relatively easy upgrades to legacy systems. For MultiTalker operation, the only additional wiring required is to accommodate the stereo audio where only monaural capability was installed. Since the PAC45 is all-digital, connections to supported control heads require few wires. No external computers are required to configure the PAC45; it's all done from the front panel, according to the company. PS Engineering expects initial deliveries of the PAC45 to begin in mid-2017. It will be FAA-certified to the most recent standards. For more information, visit ps-engineering.com. PS Engineering's PAC45 Robotic Skies As commercial unmanned aircraft systems become more capable and are integrated into the airspace system, one question their popularity poses is who will maintain them and their systems. Brad Hayden, president and CEO of Robotic Skies, believes his company has the answer: a brokered network of FAA Part 145-approved repair stations located across nearly every region of the world and optimized to provide certification, maintenance and repair for the emerging commercial UAS fleet. Drawing on only the best maintenance organizations currently maintaining manned aircraft, Robotic Skies is offering a comprehensive, turnkey field service program it said is designed to keep UAS flying safely and affordably. At this year's edition of the AEA Convention, Hayden briefed attendees on a new partnership his company has with uAvionix Corp. to perform installation and field maintenance work for its line of avionics products designed for commercial drone aircraft, which uAvionix said are "the world's smallest, lightest and most affordable ADS-B transceivers, transponders and GPS receivers." As part of the partnership agreement, Robotic Skies will provide sales, installation and ongoing field support for uAvionix customers through its global network of service centers. Among the products covered by the agreement are uAvionix's recently announced FYXNAV GPS position source, an FAA TSO C199-approved device, which includes a receiver and antenna, and which the company noted provides high-integrity GPS inputs to drone autopilot navigation systems and ADS-B equipment. Additionally, uAvionix offers the Ping2020 (978 UAT) and Ping1090 (1090ES) ADS-B transceivers, which the company claimed are the smallest and lightest available. "Companies like uAvionix and Robotic Skies represent the future of the unmanned aerospace industry," Hayden said. "We are excited to count uAvionix as a manufacturing partner, and look forward to servicing their customers now, and as the unmanned market develops." For more information, visit roboticskies.com. - 28 -
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