Aviat Aircraft said it will offer Forward Vision's EVS-100 both as a factory-installed option on new Huskies and as a retrofit on older models. The company said it is the first GA manufacturer to offer the infrared enhanced-vision system. Stu Horn, president of Aviat, said the EVS-100 "turns night into day" and can see through light fog and clouds. "This is not a virtual image, but actual," he said. That is, the pilot sees a real-time image derived from the actual landscape, not from a database. The EVS-100 can reveal obstacles on a dark runway, aid emergency night landings and prevent midair collisions in low visibility conditions, Horn said. The system includes an infrared sensor weighing 1.2 pounds that is installed on the fuselage like an antenna and a cockpit display. Cost for the system, whether as a new option or a retrofit, is $22,000, Horn said.
"This system has applications for wildlife tracking, search and rescue, fire patrol and law enforcement," he added. The system is not to be used for navigation but as an advisory system only.
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