UPS To Install Emergency Vision Assurance System On Its Aircraft

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UPS To Install Emergency Vision Assurance System On Its Aircraft By Shane Nolan

		April 8, 2011 - UPS announced it would equip its air fleet with the Emergency Vision Assurance System (EVAS), becoming the first international air carrier to take such a step. You may recall On September 3, 2010 a UPS 747-400 cargo plane, Flight 6, had departed Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) about 6:53 PM local time, with a filed fight plan to Cologne, Germany. The pilot reported to air traffic control upon takeoff that there was a fire onboard the aircraft and requested to return back to the airport. The Captain declared an emergency and was instructed by controllers to land at a near by Emirati air force base in the desert. It appears that there was a fire onboard the Boeing 747 and that the fire had caused a considerable amount of smoke in the cockpit to the degree that the pilots were unable to see outside the aircraft and were unable to read their instruments on the cockpit panels. Installation of the enhanced safety equipment comes at the recommendation of the Joint UPS-Independent Pilots Association (IPA) Safety Task Force. ?Safety ownership is a core value at UPS,? said UPS Airlines President Mitch Nichols. ?We have long been committed to protecting our employees, aircraft and customers? shipments and this new equipment will add yet another layer of safety.?

?Since forming the safety task force last fall, the IPA and UPS have mobilized quickly to research and recommend fire safety enhancements,? said IPA and Safety Task Force member Capt. Bob Brown, lauding the level of cooperation between union and company. ?EVAS is an important step forward.? In the event of smoke in the cockpit, EVAS helps maintain a pilot?s critical field of vision by displacing the smoke with a transparent Inflatable Vision Unit (IVU). ?EVAS allows pilots to see their flight path, vital instruments and perform the key tasks of flying in dense-smoke situations,? said Bertil Werjefelt, the president of Vision Safe, which manufactures the device. ?It?s a real safety enhancement and we?re very pleased to be working with UPS Airlines.?

Installation is expected to begin with UPS?s B-767 fleet, after which the equipment will be added to the primary over-water aircraft, the B-747-400 and MD-11. Full fleet equipage will be a multi-year process as the company works to obtain proper certifications and cycle aircraft through modification.

VisionSafe Corporation was formed to explore various new ways to provide vision for individuals in common land and air environments as well as marine, submarine and scuba diving environments. In the process, the company developed and patented the EVAS system for pilots who might have to deal with smoke in a cockpit. The system has been certified by the Federal Aviation Administration since 2001.

		UPS is a global leader in logistics, offering a broad range of solutions including the transportation of packages and freight; the facilitation of international trade, and the deployment of advanced technology to more efficiently manage the world of business. Headquartered in Atlanta, UPS serves more than 220 countries and territories worldwide. Other News Stories (For the latest news please checkout our home page) Bombardier Prepares For Final Assembly Of Flight Test CSeries Aircraft Southwest Airlines Has History Of Not Inspecting Aircraft For Cracks Heroin Smugglers Arrested At Dulles International Airport US Airways Pilots Outrage Over Data Theft By US Airways Management Lean, Green Flying Machines Closer To Reality Raytheon To Modernize Largest FAA Terminal Air Traffic Control Facilities First Polish Pilot Achieves BLACK HAWK Helicopter Rating UAE Releases Preliminary Report On A U.S Registered G-21 Plane Crash U.S. Marine Corps Challenges With The CH-53K Helicopter Program Cessna Aircraft Picks Up 30 Aircraft Orders At 2011 Sun ?n Fun Smoke In The Cockpit United Flight 497 Makes A Challenging Landing Aurora To Design And Fabricate The S-97 RAIDERTM Prototype Airframe FAA Mandates Inspections On Early Models Of The Boeing 737 Aircraft French Authorities Release Photos Of Air France Flight 447 Crash Site Lufthansa Selects PurePower PW1100G Engines For Airbus A320 New CEO?s Appointed To Sabre Airline Solutions And Travelocity Puppy's Birth Signals Milestone For Explosives Detection Canine Program Labor Unrest At Lufthansa And Subsidiary Airlines CAA Welcomes Guilty Verdict For Passenger Carrying Chainsaw United Continental Flight Attendants To Vote On Union Representation Crewmember Identity Verification Program To Begin Testing NTSB Investigating Southwest Airlines Rupture And Depressurization Event Gulfstream G650 Undergoing Flight Takeoff Performance Test Crashes As China Opens Its Low Altitude Airspace Eurocopter Showcase Its Product Line FAA Must Improve Controller Training Metrics To Identify Program Needs Boeing Releases Study On Jatropha Sustainable For Aviation Fuel AirTran Airways And Georgia Aquarium Unveil Dolphin 1 ?Hearts of Courage? Survival Of A Plane Crash In The Alaska Wilderness Traveler Arrested For Improper Currency Declaration At Dulles Airport Orbitz Loses World's Largest Car Rental Operator As A Customer WTO Ruling Exposes Airbus Subsidies Gave Company Unfair Advantage