Heli-Expo: Altair Avionics Certifies Start Controller on Bell 206

Altair Avionics (Norwood, MA) announced at the HAI tradeshow in Las Vegas, NV, that it has received FAA certification for its IntelliStart Plus start controller on the Bell 206 helicopter. IntelliStart Plus is a new product that limits the start temperature on the Rolls Royce 250 engine, monitors engine events and logs flight and cycle information.

The unit, which on the Bell 206 consists of an airframe mounted processor, two harnesses and up to twenty-one sensor inputs, sets the not-to-exceed temperature during engine start. As it tracks and records engine start parameters, the system meters fuel flow to limit engine temperature. Developed in conjunction with Honeywell's (formerly AlliedSignal's) Engine Systems and Accessories Division in Tempe, AZ and South Bend, IN, IntelliStart Plus works in parallel with the DP Series fuel control on the Rolls Royce 250-C10 through C30 variants.

In addition to start control, the IntelliStart unit features up to twenty user configurable event limits, six cycle counters and three trend sample facilities. The product also has a user scalable buffer memory that allows recording of engine parameters leading up to and following an event.

System configuration and analysis is achieved through the new Altair web-based data management system called TurboTracker. Altair offers a web-based central resource database for the set-up, download and analysis of system data.