We've recently attended several aerial firefighting conferences and trade shows. At these shows, we've had the opportunity to talk with many aerial firefighting operators, and they’ve all been saying one thing: “We need those ATUs.”
ATU hype is growing in the aerial firefighting community. We are seeing it all over the country of America. It's clear to see that Additional Telemetry Units (ATUs) are becoming a must-have.
Right now you might be wondering, what’s an ATU?
Don’t worry. We’re here to shed some light.
An ATU is an Additional Telemetry Unit that records firefighting event data and sends that data through an Automated Flight Following (AFF) device.
This data includes:
- Tank/Bucket Fill
- Drop-start and drop-stop
- Associated GPS positioning
- Volumes for each drop
- Retardent (suppressant) type used
The reason aircraft ATUs are becoming more and more popular is because the US Forest Service recently proposed mandated changes that require firefighting helicopters to collect ATU data and transmit it to government agencies through an AFF device.
Luckily, there are certain ATU devices like the AFDAU-T1, DataVault, and DZMx that can easily integrate with AFF systems and enable operators to seamlessly send all the required data automatically. Piece of cake.
If you’re an organization or operator who wants to stay compliant and meet these contract conditions, then you need to get yourself a helicopter ATU before it’s too late.
Hot tip: The ATU you choose needs to be compliant with USFS. It can’t just be any random aircraft ATU device. To ensure you’re compliant, you need to be purchasing your ATU from an approved vendor such as TracPlus, who can set you up with an all-in-one solution covering ATU and AFF compliancy.
TracPlus offers the most comprehensive range of additional telemetry units (ATUs) in the market.
To discover which ATU best suits your needs, reach out to us today.
