AD Aerospace and AEI Supply Fleet Wide Fit
Hapag Lloyd Express, the low-cost German airline and part of TUI AG, has selected FlightVu Cockpit Door Monitoring Systems (CDMS) to enhance security on its Boeing B737-500 fleet. Hapag Lloyd Express has taken this step after recognizing the need to provide enhanced safety and security for its passengers.
AD Aerospace of Manchester, UK, and Aircraft Engineering & Installation Services Inc. (AEI) of Orlando, Florida, USA, are providing the video security system and installation design respectively. The FlightVu CDMS system enables the flight crew to view the area outside the flight deck door, including the adjacent galleys, from their usual seated positions. The pilots can visually identify anyone requesting entry and take appropriate action should an incident arise.
“At Hapag Lloyd Express we consider the safety and security of our passengers and crew as our top priority,” said Ulrich Fielder, Head of Engineering, Hapag Lloyd. “We believe that FlightVu CDMS will add to and enhance the systems and procedures we already have in place.”
Security measures are being progressively improved and increased throughout the airline industry in recognition of the potential risks arising from terrorism and air rage. Although intrusion resistant cockpit doors have made pilots and the airlines safer, it has also isolated pilots leaving them unaware of what is happening in the cabin. This is where Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) comes into use.
The FlightVu CDMS consists of two or three CCTV cameras linked to a LCD monitor or monitors strategically mounted in the cockpit pedestal. The system provides the flight deck crew with clear, forward viewing, real-time video of the area outside the cockpit door. The CCTV cameras are flush mounted, in low-profile color co-ordinated housings, to the aircraft interior outside the secure cabin door and in the galley area. Infra Red Illuminators are included to allow the area to be viewed even with the cabin lights extinguished.
“We are very happy to be providing FlightVu CDMS for the Hapag Lloyd Express,” said Mike Horne, Managing Director, AD Aerospace. “We truly believe that CCTV surveillance combined with secure flight deck doors greatly enhances the in-flight safety of commercial aircraft.”
FlightVu cockpit door monitoring systems have been or are being installed on aircraft for, Air Seychelles, bmi, Britannia, Corsair, easyJet, FlyJet, Hapag Lloyd, Britannia Nordic and MyTravel amongst others.