ICARUS Devices is proud to announce that the US Army is now the largest user. The rapid adoption has been led by National Guard units and 30% of states are now ICARUS users.

The Instrument Conditions Awareness Recognition and Understanding System (ICARUS) is a smart view limiting device that allows Instructor Pilots to simulate Degraded Visual Environments (DVE) in the aircraft. ICARUS changes visibility and allows Instructor Pilots to dial in the visibility for dynamic scenario-based training.

The ICARUS Device was granted fleet wide Air Worthiness Releases for the UH-60L/M Blackhawk and LUH-72 Lakota earlier this year. ICARUS is very affordable at $1,250 per device, allowing units to use their own purchase cards and safety funds. The device provides Army Aviators the most bang for their buck when it comes to training for Instrument Flight Rules, Inadvertant Instrument Meteorological Conditions and Weather Aeronautical Decision Making.

“To be able to work with soldiers across the country and globe has been very fulfilling” Says ICARUS inventor Nick Sinopoli. “I often am dealing with incredibly experienced instructors who have thousands of hours and multiple combat deployments. I am usually taking notes and learning when I talk to them. Building a tool that makes them more effective instructors gets me out of bed in the morning.”

Weather is large portion of most Army risk assessments and while ICARUS can’t change the weather, it prepares pilots for unexpected weather unlike the old hoods that have been around since 1929. Army helicopter crews often experience weather that differs significantly from forecast in remote training sites where they practice things like terrain flight, sling loads and hoist.

Over 400 ICARUS devices are flying coast to coast, enhancing initial and recurrent training in everything from a Cessna 172 to a CH-47 Chinook. The ICARUS Device team would like to thank all the instructor pilots, command teams and supply officers they have worked with for their dedication to Soldier safety and reducing weather related aviation accidents.