AD Aerospace
AD Aerospace plc is a British aerospace company based in Preston Brook, Cheshire. It specialises in video security systems, safety systems and fire detection systems for airliners. Products include Cockpit Door Monitoring Systems link to monitors or Electronic Flight Bags and Cargo Security systems watching out for and recording baggage theft or cargo tampering and producing court admissible evidence.
AD Aerospace is a British company, based in Manchester, UK and Atlanta, United States, which designs and manufactures the FlightVu range of aerospace video products, including state-of-the-art video security, safety and entertainment systems. In addition to general security applications such as threat detection, physical security and access control, these systems can be used for monitoring activity in the cockpit, passenger cabin, external control services and for cargo hold surveillance.
AD Group, its parent company, traces its roots back to 1982 with the founding of the UK CCTV giant Dedicated Micros (DM) the world leader in multi channel digital video recorders (DVR) and inventor of the world’s first video multiplexer. This technology has been further developed for the transport industry by AD Aerospace and AD Network Video, which deals with ground based vehicles. It is calculated that globally 7 million images a second are captured on DVRs from AD Holdings.
AD Aerospace was founded in 1995 to transfer the group’s expertise to the aerospace sector and Mike Horne was bought in as Managing Director due to his many years’ experience of video systems for use in hazardous environments.
AD Aerospace Ltd., is the parent company of Innovative Sensor Developments (ISD), designer of video system for Rugged and Mobile Military Applications. ISD’s products include the DACIC Long Range Surveillance dual wide and narrow Field of View Camera and the VAMP family of gun sight cameras for armoured vehicles and remote weapon stations.
The first aerospace certified video server was produced for a FlightVu Defender system for Lufthansa Technik in 1999 and the 8th generation video server is now under development.
A major milestone for AD Aerospace was achieving Boeing approved supplier status in early 2001 with the order to fit a video smoke verification system to the entire Swiss Air fleet. This was carried out in response to the Peggy’s Cove disaster and consisted of environmentally protected cameras being fitted throughout inaccessible areas of the aircraft such as the cargo hold, cabin overheads and avionics bay.
In November 2001 AD Aerospace received the first order for video cameras for cockpit door security from JetBlue which would become the first fleet wide fit of a Cockpit Door Monitoring System. These CabinVu systems are now fitted on many more airlines such as easyJet, Thomsonfly, bmi, Hapag Lloyd, SAMA, Hong Kong Express and Corsair.
AD Aerospace has supplied Cargo Surveillance systems to Boeing for use on the B747-400 Dreamlifter to monitor the status of the B787 Dreamliner’s fuselage parts in transit. AD is also a production partner for Flight Deck Entry Video Surveillance systems on B737, B747, B757, B767 and B777.
A key product for the retrofit market is CabinVu, which enables the flight deck crew to view the area outside the flight deck door assess any situation and identify personnel before allowing them access to the cockpit. This has become much more important following JAA, FAA and ICAO rulings on the fitting of intruder resistant flight deck doors and provides a solid basis for decision making in critical and life-threatening situations.
This “entry level” system, consisting of video cameras located over the cockpit door and in the galleys linked to a monitor on the flight deck, is expandable to a full “FlightVu Witness” system, extending the camera coverage throughout the passenger cabin. The complete Witness system uses a FlightVu digital video recorder/server to record the images for future use in investigation, analysis and prosecution, and can also be seamlessly integrated with ground based security systems, using wireless “Gatelink” connections to the airport terminal.
The other systems in the FlightVu range provide security in cargo/baggage holds and for parked aircraft or enhance safety with video smoke detection. FlightVu entertainment systems offer IFE even on short haul flights with external cameras providing everyone with “window seat” views.
AD Aerospace is a designer and manufacturer of video camera systems for commercial aerospace with EASA approvals for Manufacturing: UK.21G.2205 and Maintenance: UK.145.00613, and is an approved supplier to The Boeing Company. The company has facilities in Manchester, England, Atlanta, Georgia, United States and in Singapore.
AD Aerospace Customers include
Boeing, British Airways, AirAsia, Philippine Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Sama Airlines, EasyJet, HapagFly, Continental Airlines, Astraeus Airlines, JetBlue Airways, LiveTV, Qinetiq, Germania, BMI, Corsairfly, Lufthansa, Air Harrods, Swiss International Air Lines, Thomsonfly, Hainan Airlines, Skymark Airlines
