AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2021 - 39

IMC on a VFR day
Icarus face shield simulates realistic conditions
BY DAVID TULIS
ICARUS IS A clear plastic instrument-training
face shield that transforms from clear to translucent
to opaque, which simulates instrument
meteorological conditions at the touch of an
app. It can also be modulated independently
using an attached power module.
A polymer dispersed liquid-crystal film clips
to the bill of a ballcap and allows pilots to look
through a clear face shield. A USB-rechargeable
power module is corded to the face shield.
Visibility options can be set to unlimited (clear)
or one of three simulated instrument conditions
via the power module or selected through an
iOS or Android app. Users may choose simulated
instrument conditions of one mile, one-half
mile, or less than one-half mile.
In practice, the face shield changes immediately
with no delay and is accurate in depicting
the three ranges of limited visibility. Unlike traditional
frosted eyeglasses, the Icarus wraps
around the side of a user's face. There's no cheating
by looking out a side window or by peering
over a nose bridge-and no advance warning
from an instructor, so users may be realistically
caught off guard as they enter IMC.
Fixed-wing general aviation and Wisconsin
National Guard helicopter pilot Nick Sinopoli
developed the smart device to help train helicopter
pilots to survive sudden entry into bad
weather or visual obscurations such as dust,
snow, and smoke. The patented training device
helps them avoid spatial disorientation and lossof-control
accidents, which account for five to 10
percent of all general aviation accidents. Of those
accidents, 90 percent are fatal. Between 2010
and 2019, 184 fatal aircraft accidents-including
20 helicopter accidents-were caused by pilots
becoming disoriented after inadvertent entry
into instrument conditions. The NTSB listed spatial
disorientation and loss of control as factors
in a 2020 Sikorsky S-76B helicopter crash that
claimed the lives of former NBA basketball player
Kobe Bryant, his daughter, and seven others.
Although the Icarus face shield can be
an effective training tool, the device is also
fragile-and pricey. The wafer-thin apparatus is shipped in a
padded laptop case. Even when the face shield was treated with
respect, a crease began to form in the center-top area near the bill
bracket after just one flight.
Sinopoli said he is tracking and addressing the bending-stress
issue caused by " multiple layers of material " that make up the
polymer dispersed liquid crystal film. " I'm happy to report that
after experimenting with a few methods to stiffen the visor and
unload the attachment point, we have a substantial improvement
to fix the issue. " david.tulis@aopa.org
PRICE: $1,000 for fixed-wing device; $1,500 for helicopter version.
GET IT: For your students if you're an instrument instructor or have
a flight school.
SKIP IT: If you are a primary flight student.
icarusdevices.com
The Icarus instrument training device is a face shield controlled by an app or an
attached power supply that can instantly change to opaque to simulate instrument
meteorological conditions, as demonstrated in the Middletown Valley near Frederick,
Maryland.
AOPA PILOT / December 2021
39
DAVID TULIS
http://www.icarusdevices.com
AOPA Pilot Magazine - December 2021

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