Operating a helicopter with external occupants requires that the highest safety standards must be met. This is not only stated by the aviation authorities´design requirements, it is a matter of plain common sense.

With the AirAccess system first delivered in 2003, ecms has established a new standard in safety, quality, functional features and handling qualities for human external cargo systems. The system includes the widest possible spectrum of load path redundancy, electronic self-monitoring, and even an applied load readout and monitoring system as a standard feature.

Another decisive improvement with respect to cargo hook or rescue hoist HEC operations is the use of twin rope systems throughout the load path. This brings not only load path redundancy, but directional stability, pendulum dampening and the most stable handling qualities ever available for "underslung" loads on a helicopter.

The twin rope setup has become a recognition feature of ecms products.

What is it good for?

Human external cargo applications with our HEC products are manifold:

• Rescue and evacuation
• Water rescue, mountain rescue
• Offshore operations, shipdeck crew transfer
• Aerial work, power line maintenance and repair
• Radio tower or wind turbine maintenance
• SWAT team insertion and retrieval

And of course, all our HEC external load systems can be used for non-HEC external load operations as well.