The talent suite aft of the helicopter provides better images

The Requirement

At the time Mid-Canada Mod Center (MC2, previously KAAV) performed this mod, The CTV Television Network wanted to strengthen its breaking and morning news gathering capabilities and traffic reporting in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) and other markets. To achieve this goal, four Bell 206 Helicopters were eventually equipped with specialized systems including a News Talent Suite and cockpit avionics modifications.

Why the Operator Selected MC2

MC2’s extensive experience specifying, installing and certifying critical avionics systems on special mission rotorcraft are well recognized. Scott Gibson, then manager of engineering projects at CTV, had confidence that that the MC2 team would provide the most effective system for gathering and live transmission of high-definition video and audio required for their reporting demands.

Bell 206 cockpit modifications reduce pilot workload

Main Benefit

Installing the Talent Suite and tail cameras, plus the microwave transmission system, gave CTV the ability to gather on-the-fly, report and transmit breaking news and traffic conditions in and around the GTA. Enhanced audio and video quality, with the transmission equipment enabled truly live reporting – a game-changing upgrade to the helicopters, which put this news organization at the forefront of live aerial reporting.

About the Mods

Special mission rotorcraft mods are complex, especially because of space and weight constraints. Like every modernization MC2 takes on, the CTV News helicopters left the hangar with a fully-certified system onboard. In addition, this modification required custom-built cabinetry to house the News Talent Suite. Key modifications, state-of-the-art at the time of these upgrades, included:

News Gathering and Reporting Mods

  • FLIR HD Camera, MRC Strata PTX-PRO Microwave System, NAT AA97-CTV Custom Audio/ICS System, three Iconix HD Cameras (Forward & Aft Talent plus a Tailcam) and two Motorola 2-Way Radios.

Cockpit Mods

  • Garmin G500H FDS (Flight Display System)This 6.5” dual display allows pilots to see in reduced lighting situations, displaying key flight parameters, and it displays the video being collected by the cameras, to ease pilot workload.
  • Garmin GNS 530W WAAS GPS/Nav/Com: This component is an all-in-one GPS/Nav/Comm solution. It features a WAAS-certified GPS, comm, ILS/VOR with localizer and glideslope.
  • King (BendixKing) KY-196A VHF COM: This small, lightweight addition to the cockpit digitally displays active and standby frequencies at the same time in clear, distinct windows, so you can select a standby frequency while monitoring the active frequency.
  • Garmin GTX 327 Transponderis a panel-mounted GTX 327 is a TSO-certified Mode C digital transponder.
  • L3 Skywatch Traffic Systems, NAT AMS-43 Panel, and FreeFlight TRA3000 Radar Altimeter System

MC2 performed all engineering and design too.

Great Results

The upgrades to CTV’s Bell 206 helicopters provided better range for live transmission of HD video and audio, which was important in a highly-competitive news market. The cameras delivered better quality product, both video recorded outside the aircraft, and in the Talent Suite. The cockpit mods help to enhance the operational safety of the helicopters while reducing pilot workload.

What the Operator Says

“This has been an important enabler for CTV. We’ve continued to perfect the equipment installed to increasingly improve our news team’s ability to report live and inflight, with progressively better-quality audio and video.”

Bring Us Your Special Mission Rotorcraft

Contact Norm Matheis, Special Mission Business Development, to learn how we can meet your needs.