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Aviation Safety Resources Files Patent for Life-Saving Smart Recovery System
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Berkeley Heights, NJ -- Aviation Safety Resources (ASR), a pioneer in life-saving emergency-landing systems for small aircraft, today announced it has filed a patent with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for a sensor-based Smart Recovery System (SRS) that promises to bring a new level of safety to owners of private aircraft, small commercial jets and helicopters.
Applying sensor systems currently available in commercial and military aircraft to general aviation aircraft, the Smart Recovery System detects the environment in which the aircraft is operating and makes decisions based on monitoring data. The system immediately evaluates an emergency situation, identifies the devices and systems available on the aircraft, and then automatically deploys the appropriate device and/or system in the safest manner unless overridden by the pilot.
"There is nothing available in the general aviation market today that does anything more sophisticated than instructing a pilot to pull a handle," said ASR President Dario Manfredi. "Today's commercial airlines are the safest mode of transportation but general aviation remains a serious safety concern. Our Smart Recovery System will save lives by bringing a whole new level of automation, sophistication and systems integration to general aviation aircraft."
In a 2007 report "Crash Risk in General Aviation" researchers from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said changes are needed to improve safety in general aviation flights. In an examination of crash risk, they found that general aviation flights averaged 1,685 crashes and 583 deaths each year from 2002 to 2005, accounting for 91 percent of all aviation crashes and 94 percent of all aviation deaths. When crashes do occur, aircraft fire is the most important determinant of survival.
Among the devices and systems deployed by the Smart Recovery System to rectify an in-flight emergency are fire suppression agents, fire extinguisher systems, flight control systems, rocket members, airbags and ballistic parachute recovery systems such as the company's patented TriChute Landing System.
The TriChute Landing System is designed to equip general aviation aircraft with a pilot-controlled system that lands passengers and aircraft safely in the event of an in-flight emergency. The system separates the passenger compartment from the fuel-containing wings and deploys three parachutes using separate ballistics' systems for the fuselage and wings. Each part lands separately allowing a controlled, level landing for the passengers while minimizing the damage to the aircraft.
ASR continues to seek investors who want to get in on the ground floor of its emerging technology and has named Fred DiMaria, of Kinnelon, N.J., director of corporate development. DiMaria will lead the company's efforts to raise $3.2 million in seed money to fund Phase II of the program, in which the ASR team will build and test a radio-controlled model to collect data and fast-track FAA certification. ASR has engaged Scion Aviation and PI Research to develop and test the prototype model.
In addition, Ron Marino of Mooresville, N.C., has been named director of corporate finance responsible for overseeing all phases of ASR's funding and financing activities and interaction with potential investors.
Individuals interested in more information about the company's technology and investment opportunities can call 908-771-9179, visit www.aviationsafetyresources.com.
About Aviation Safety Resources
Aviation Safety Resources, based in Berkeley Heights, NJ, is a pioneer in life-saving emergency-landing systems for small aircraft. The patent-holding, family-owned company was founded in 2000 by Dario P. Manfredi to fast-track the commercialization of recovery systems for general aviation and unmanned aerial vehicles. Manfredi's passion for aviation was inspired by his father, Dario J. Manfredi, who first developed the concept for a groundbreaking safe-landing system in 1947. The company's intellectual property includes a body of granted, provisional and pending permanent patents with the potential to create revenue in excess of $44 million in the $150 billion general aviation market. The ASR Innovation Team consists of a blue-ribbon panel of aviation experts and its patented inventions are on the road to FAA certification. ASR technologies promise to define a new era in general aviation safety. For more information, please visit www.aviationsafetyresources.com.
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