Press item Eckelmann AG, Wiesbaden Germany, July 2014

FTI andairberlintechnikdevelop camera-guided aircraft parkingsystem

FTI Engineering Network GmbH, Wildau – an affiliated company of Eckelmann AG - is to develop an innovative anti-collision monitoring technology for the manoeuvring of aircraft on the ground in collaboration with airberlintechnik and WheelTug plc. The partners have signed a Letter of Intent on thisat the Farnborough International Air Show in July 2014.

In future the so-called “Pilot Ground Situation Awareness System” (PGSA) should enable pilots to manoeuvre unaided on the ground using cameras on the fuselage and vertical stabiliser as well as sensors placed on the wing tips. Until now, pilots have relied on either visual signals from the ground crew or push-back vehicles to move aircraft to and from the parking position. The PGSA is being developed as a retrofit and should primarily increase the efficiency of ground operations.

The development, design and certification of the PGSA will be done by airberlintechnik and FTI. WheelTug will provide the new system to its customers along with an electronic nose wheel drive system, which is also currently under development.

The new PGSA system will be pointing the way to an improved economic and ecological future for aircraft ground operations. Most importantly, time savings will further improve efficiency of ground operations.

“With our long time experience in producing video based aircraft security systems we aim to make aircraft operation safer and more efficient. It is a pleasure to work in cooperation with airberlintechnik and provide a video based awareness system for this WheelTug project”, said Michael Weisel, CEO FTI.

FTI part of Eckelmann Gruppe

As a part of the Eckelmann Group FTI Engineering Network GmbH operates in the field of Aviation.Located in Wildau near Berlin the company provides technical solutions for the international aerospace industry like video surveillance systems, data storages and video distribution devices FTI holds a Design Organization Approval according to EASA.21J.405.

FTI and airberlintechnik develop camera-guided aircraft parking system
(Foto: Andreas Wiese airberlin)

Contact
Eckelmann AG
Berliner Straße 161
65205 Wiesbaden, Germany
Tel.: +49 611 7103-0

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