No aircraft are currently flying with SPD windows, nor is it likely that any aircraft will ever be flying with SPD windows.
Well then what is this?
Congratulations to InspecTech Aero Service on the inclusion of its SPD-Smart electronically controlled window tinting system on the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter
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Sikorsky S-92 cabin configured for VVIPs
by R. Randall Padfield
In the helicopter pavilion in East exhibit hall, directly under a big Sikorsky banner is a cabin mockup of a VIP interior for the twin-engine Sikorsky S-92. The U.S. helicopter builder has yet to deliver a customer aircraft–although this is expected to happen early next year, probably to an offshore operator–but company officials express high hopes for sales of VIP-configured S-92s. Negotiations, they say, are ongoing.
The mockup on display here in Dubai is making its first appearance anywhere, and Sikorsky plans to use it at future events as well. Completed by Heritage Aviation of Grand Prairie, Texas, the interior is as elegant as that of any large-cabin business jet. It also includes some features that are not readily apparent on casual observation.
“All controls and switches are digital,” explained Everett Horst, vice president of Heritage Aviation, which focuses exclusively on helicopter completions. “All information goes through a digital bus, all the lights, the entertainment system, the window tint system and so on. And they can be controlled with a single remote control.” A row of button controls under the windows allows adjustment of the lights and windows as well.
You change the tint of the “electrochromatic” windows similar to the way you change the tint on a television or computer monitor. The default setting (power off) is dark and nearly opaque. With power on, the tint becomes adjustable and allows the user to eliminate the tint nearly completely. Like double-glazing in a ground structure, there are two panes in each window. Only the interior one is electrochromatic.
The cabin is divided into three areas. The forward section contains a separate lavatory with a commode and a sink, and a beverage cabinet in the entryway by the cabin door. The middle section holds four “captain’s” chairs in a club configuration and the rear section holds two captain’s chairs on the starboard side and a four-place divan on the port side. Dividers with sliding doors separate the sections. The captain’s chairs swivel and recline. All the chairs and the divan are covered in soft, high-quality leather.
Each cabin section contains two 20-inch LCD video monitors mounted on the dividers. |
