The U.S. Navy has selected Safe Flight’s exceedance warning system for more than 100 of its Bell TH57 trainers.

Engine temperature and power exceedances cost the Navy millions of dollars in maintenance, according to Safe Flight, which added the exceedances can also cause premature component failure, higher operating costs and even lead to accidents.

The company’s solution is a tactile feedback alert that, when operating limits are approached or exceeded, delivers a warning through the collective lever. Spokesman Matt Greene said that a vibration is first transmitted at about 98 percent of the published limit and doubles in intensity at 100 percent. “Pilots can now ‘feel’ their way around the helicopter’s flight envelope and the benefits are safer operations, less maintenance downtime and lower DOC,” Greene said.

The Safe Flight warning system is commercially available for the Bell 206 series through Edwards & Associates.