A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

Upgrading the panelware on its H-60 and S-70i helicopter platforms, Sikorsky Aircraft (Booth No. C5028) has selected a trio of L-3 Aviation Products (Booth No. C5901) as standard equipment: the GH-3001 electronic standby instrument system (ESIS), Stormscope WX-500 lightning detection system and PS-855 emergency power supply (EPS).


The GH-3001 provides accurate attitude, altitude, airspeed and heading cues in a compact unit certified to higher EMI standards, and the unit is night-vision-goggle (NVG) compatible. “NVG is a lot more mainstream than it used to be 10 years ago,” said Larry Riddle, v-p sales and marketing, business, regional and general aviation for L-3 Aviation Products.


The WX-500 Stormscope, a passive system, analyzes the radiated signals of electrical discharges from storm cells to detect and map thunderstorms. In the H-60 application, the WX-500 uses a remote processor that displays lightning data on the helicopter’s avionics displays.


The PS-855 EPS supplies power to critical avionics in the event of an emergency. The PS-855’s lead-acid batteries are capable of meeting severe performance requirements and produce additional power output at 24 VDC to run other emergency equipment without interruption. In the Sikorsky applications, the PS-855 primarily provides backup power to standby instruments.


L-3’s five-year contract with Sikorsky is an extension of a previous agreement, according to Riddle. The extension spans 2013 through 2017 and represents the largest single order L-3 has received from an OEM for its GH, Stormscope and power supply products.


At the L-3 Aviation Products booth, the company is demonstrating the GH-3900 RSU electronic standby instrument system. The system includes a remote sensor unit (RSU)--including ADAHRS--that can be installed elsewhere in the helicopter, with the thinner display head installed in the instrument panel. “This is very applicable to the helicopter market,” said Riddle. “Helicopter cockpits are the epitome of limited space.” L-3 is also displaying its Tacan+, SRVRVR cockpit voice recorder and Wescam electro-optic and thermal imaging systems. o

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