U.S. Coast Guard Awards MH-60T Flight Trainer
the 2008 Thomsen Innovation Award

October 2008

The MH-60T Cockpit Procedures Trainer (CPT) delivered to the USCG Aviation Training Center in Mobile, AL by J.F. Taylor, Inc. was chosen to receive the 2008 Captain Niels P. Thomsen Innovation Award, the Coast Guard announced recently.

“The MH-60T CPT was chosen for the Thomsen Innovation Award for two reasons,” said Mr. Chris Broxterman, Chief, Flight Training Systems of the U.S. Coast Guard’s Aviation Training Center. “First, for its capability to support and sustain pilot training, without disruptions, during the extended HH-60J to MH-60T configuration transition period; and secondly, for J.F. Taylor’s leveraging the CPT software and hardware design from the HH-60J to the MH-60T, which minimized technical risk, the out-of-service period of the trainer, and the cost associated with the configuration upgrade.”

J.F. Taylor designed and fabricated the MH-60T CPT simulator with high fidelity controls and displays and incorporated the Common Avionics Architecture System (CAAS) “glass cockpit” platform configuration.  The device was delivered to the USCG in November, 2007, prior to the aircraft configuration release.

“We are delighted that the U.S. Coast Guard has found the MH-60T CPT worthy of this significant award,” said Mark J. Taylor, Vice President and Program Manager for the simulator’s development.  “We worked very closely with the USCG team to keep the simulator current with the aircraft’s platform changes that occurred during production.  Contractually, we could have stuck to the design freeze early in the program. But a more important goal to us was to provide our customer with a current device to productively train their crews, even though this meant some redesign during fabrication.  We are honored that this award justifies our company’s focus on customer satisfaction."

The Coast Guard’s fleet of HH-60J helicopters is being upgraded to the MH-60T platform to economically maintain their legacy helicopter capability for the foreseeable future.  Approximately 80% of the pilot-to-machine interface is changing with the introduction of the CAAS cockpit and previously, the U.S. Coast Guard had no part or full task training device for the new glass cockpit configuration.

In addition to hardware development, J.F. Taylor performed software upgrades necessary to properly interface the existing HH-60J OFT software to the Common Avionics Architecture System to produce the high fidelity CPT.  Incorporating this existing software in the new platform provided a significant cost savings to the Coast Guard.  Additional Coast Guard benefits from J.F. Taylor’s work include a maintenance system built into the hardware and COTS-based hardware and software, to reduce the total life cycle costs for the device.

Mr. Broxterman will accept the award for the simulator at the USCG Innovation Expo at Virginia Beach in November 2008.

 About the Captain Niels P. Thomsen Innovation Award

This award program was established to recognize the exemplary efforts of Coast Guard individuals or teams who have created and implemented innovative solutions to Coast Guard challenges. The award’s namesake Captain Niels P. Thomsen was recognized for inventing the chain-stopper, which is used by Coast Guard Buoy Tenders to secure and safely release the chain and sinker for buoys. His innovative device has prevented countless accidents and serious injuries to personnel and dramatically reduced the amount of time required to successfully conduct Aids to Navigation operations.

 About J.F. Taylor, Inc.

J.F. Taylor, Inc. provides engineering and professional services for U.S. military aviation programs.  Founded in 1983, the company’s core projects are in hardware and software systems, aircraft training and simulation devices, systems engineering, test support, and instrumentation of real-time data systems. The privately-owned company headquarters are in Southern Maryland, near the Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, with offices/staff in Orlando, FL; Suffolk, VA; and Honolulu, HI.  J.F.  Taylor, Inc. is certified to ISO 9001:2000 with Design.

Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

For additional information about J.F. Taylor, Inc., contact information@jfti.com.