Some VDL applications for helicopter safety and efficient operation

A new air-to-air surveillance system that consists of Global Positioning System (GPS) based position sensor, VHF data link (VDL) and cockpit display for traffic information (CDTI) had been developed. The result of the flight test showed great improvement on situational awareness of a surrounding traffic, i.e. "see and avoid" capability. Although this system was initially intended to be used for air-to-air surveillance, we continued to try some other applications such as air-to-ground data link communications and specific airspace surveillance ground monitoring systems. This paper presents such applications for the emergency medical service (EMS) helicopters. The data link communication includes typical position report and flight directions that support the optimum flight planning.