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Kings Chosen By U. S. Forest Service To Install New Avionics and Standardize Panels In Two Twin Otters
As everyone knows, forest fires are a constant threat to life and property in many areas of the United States. When a big fire breaks out, the U. S. Forest Service is often called upon to perform near miracles to bring it under control. Frequently this involves the use of Forest Service aircraft, such as the DeHavilland Twin Otter. In addition to transporting personnel, it is primarily used to parachute fire fighters, known as "smoke jumpers" into areas very near a fire that are remote and unreachable by road.
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The DeHavilland Twin Otter, one of several types of aircraft the Forest Service relies on, is a highly versatile workhorse that supports the ground firefighter in many ways. It can carry cargo, tools and as many as 8 smoke jumpers quickly to wherever in the nation forest fires threaten. |
Kings Avionics, recently upgraded two Forest Service Twin Otters based at Ogden. The crew consists of a pilot, mission coordinator (spotter) and a spotter located in the rear of the aircraft. They eyeball the area, select the drop zone and direct the jumpers. Communication among all crew members and jumpers on the ground is crucial to safety and is conducted through Forest Service FM audio-intercom radios. These were already installed, but were noisy and made communications difficult. So perhaps the most important upgrade we did was to install new audio stations which are much more functional and state of the art, with options for controlling volume that were not available before. We also installed a new paging system with enough volume to be heard with the rear door open. New audio panels let the crew transmit and receive air to air and air to ground communications.
Besides new FM audio-intercom equipment, we installed a Garmin GNS530, a GNS 430 and a GTX 330 transponder which can display FAA Traffic Information (TIS). We also made some panel modifications to standardize both cockpits. Here, Kings technician Bob Carmichael does some final tests. |
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Kings Avionics is pleased to have been selected to upgrade these Twin Otters to perform their missions more effectively and safely.
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