Swiss aircraft instrument maker Revue Thommen is targeting the rotary-wing market across a variety of platforms with products that include altimeter air-data displays, airspeed indicators and vertical-speed indicators.
Thommen’s night-vision-compatible instruments are available for helicopters that include leading Bell and Eurocopter models.

United Rotorcraft Solutions (Booth No. 67A), Decatur, Ga., has STCs that cover installation of Thommen NVIS instruments in the Bell 206 and 407, the Eurocopter AS 350B2, AS 350B3, EC 120, EC 130 and the BK 117. STCs for the AS 335, Bell 430, 412 and 205 are pending and future STCs covering the AS 365N Dauphin, EC 135 and EC 145 are being contemplated.  URS has a Revue Thommen instrument display in its booth at this year’s Heli-Expo.

Thommen’s success in the NVIS market includes an ongoing order to upgrade the Canadian air force’s Bell 206 fleet with its AD32 encoding altimeter. The AD32 is a three-inch altimeter that measures static pressure with an integrated solid-state sensor and displays the altitude with an analog pointer and liquid crystal display, then transmits the data via an Arinc 429 serial databus. The integrated alerter allows pilots to better focus on targets, confident that altitude is being monitored, according to the company. The AD32 has also been selected by Agusta USA for installation on the A109 Power.

Thommen recently opened a sales office in Addison, Texas, to serve the U.S. aviation market, with an emphasis on the helicopter sector, according to Rudolf Iten, the company’s director of marketing. The sales office is directed by U.S. avionics industry veteran Ken Paul, who pointed out Addison’s proximity to OEMs Bell and Eurocopter as well as industry leading modification centers including HeliDyne, Texas Aviation, United Rotorcraft and Heritage Aviation. He also noted that the FAA’s helicopter certification office is in Fort Worth.

Technical support will be provided out of Addison by Instrument Tech, Thommen’s authorized U.S. service provider.