FFV's Covert DVRtm Serves and Protects

Advanced Digital Recording Technology Used in Presidential Test Helicopters

When it comes to the President's transportation, the U.S. government doesn't take any chances. That's why the Government turned to Gans and Pugh Associates Inc. when it needed to design a video recording system to use in test presidential helicopters, the same helicopters that will one day carry the President.

Gans and Pugh is in its 40th year of business as a manufacturing representative company for surveillance and physical security equipment. In this capacity, Gans and Pugh represent Fast Forward Video and the Covert DVR™ to the U.S. Government. Known in the commercial world as the Mini DVR Pro™, the Covert is a rugged, ultra-compact digital video recorder that provides solutions to challenges the Government faces in its helicopter testing.

"Two years ago the Government chose the Covert system because it is robust with exceptional video quality," says David Tilton, owner of Gans and Pugh Associates. The Covert features scalable motion JPEG compression and 720x486 image pixel resolution. It records up to 2 hours at 5:1 compression and uses readily available compact flash cards. The video capture and playback rate is 60 fields per second and video can be recorded as PC-viewable QuickTime™ files.

Ruggedness is the key feature the U.S. Government looks for when specifying any electronics system, and it's vital for gear that's being used in helicopters. "With the Covert, the Government can record audio as well as instrumentation data on the recorder," says Tilton. "The robust recorder also allows recording in digital format without the worry of losing information. Vibrations created by helicopter rotors interfered with hard drives previously utilized by the Government. The Covert overcomes that obstacle."

The project to get the Covert into the test helicopters began two years ago and involved everybody at Gans and Pugh. From start to finish, it took one year for the Government to purchase the recorders and to design the system for the test helicopters that are in place today.

Presidential helicopters are not the only use the Government has found for the FFV's Covert DVRtm; it is a practical solution for the U.S. Military as well. "In addition to the presidential test helicopters, the U.S. Special Forces also uses the Covert to record on their vehicles in Iraq," says Tilton. "They chose the Covert because it is robust and holds up well in the harsh environment of Iraq. With the Covert, they can record video, audio, and GPS data on their vehicles."