Cobham has introduced the latest version of its personal flotation device, the Survivor+, to the helicopter market. It combines a life jacket and a tethered personal life raft into a single system worn as a vest. Cobham originally targeted the device at workers on oil rigs, but the company says helicopter operators could adopt it for their passengers. As a supplement to helicopter-attached rafts, the Survivor+ can either be donned before boarding or stored under the seat.
It activates automatically on immersion and includes, among other things, an inflatable canopy, ballast bags for stabilization and a strobe light. “It may avoid drowning from hypothermia if you cannot get to the main liferaft,” a company representative told AIN. The company says it has sold 50 units to a distributor.
