Each year in Oshkosh, Wis., there’s a spectacle like none other. And it isn’t the Northern Lights but a phenomenon of its own rights, well known in the close-knit aviation community. That’s when the “World’s Greatest Aviation Celebration,” sponsored by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) brings the history and the future of the industry together at Wittman Regional Airfield in Oshkosh.
This year’s EAA AirVenture 2011 in July drew close to 550,000 visitors during the seven-day event — members, fans and spectators who came to see daily aviation shows, aerobatics and pyrotechnics and the opening day “Fly-In Theater,” as well as attend forums, workshops and demonstrations. AirVenture 2011 also attracts top government officials, corporate leaders and international aviation enthusiasts. (EAA is an organization of more than 160,000 members focusing on the spirit of flight.)
In addition to spectator traffic, there were more than 10,000 aircraft flying into Wittman, landing at what became the busiest airport in the world. Celebrating the Centennial of Naval Aviation, the show brought together the largest collection of naval aircraft in any single event — including the replica of the Navy’s original N-1 Curtiss Pusher to today’s Boeing F/A-18 combat jets. “FIFI” the Boeing B-29 was the biggest “warbird” at AirVenture 2011, the big bomber flown in by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF).
With such high-level property and a bevy of attendees, the site needed stealth perimeter detection, and the specifier of the solution, Mitchell Christian, owner of Cyber Consulting & Security, also in Oshkosh, opted to go with FutureSentry’s First Responder, an automated perimeter detection solution that mimics the actions of a security guard to prevent crime before loss or damage occurs.
Tracking and deterring
Leveraging leading technology, the solution uses advanced motion detection to automatically identify potentially dangerous targets within 1,000 feet and track objects to deter criminal behavior. Once it detects motion in a user-defined area, the system illuminates activity with a high-intensity LED light and continues to guard the area until no activity is present.
Christian deployed First Responder on a trailer for mobility to cover the main viewing area at the show—the ConocoPhillips Plaza, where the Boeing 787 Dreamliner prototype was stationed for a time, as well as other aircraft.
“The planes are of course the main attraction,” said Christian. “It was the first time the new Boeing 787 was in the United States, and the B-29 bomber FIFI is the only remaining flying aircraft of its kind,” he said.
Some of the concerns of the show owners were protecting the aircraft from any accidental mishaps or threats of vandalism or damage, he said. Christian opted to integrate the First Responder, using its available alarm output circuitry to wire two analog pan-tilt-zoom surveillance cameras, which were configured to trigger on alarm or alert for CCTV viewing or record for evidence at 30 fps.
“It’s totally portable,” said Christian, adding that First Responder lends itself to a variety of applications. “It can run up to three weeks on battery power. I spent about one week doing initial testing but the specification worked perfectly and the final installation was accomplished in minutes,” he said.
“We had no incidents and we had a much easier time with security with the FutureSentry deployed,” he continued. “What attracted me to the solution was the lights used on it; it’s a great deterrent, and if you can deter criminals or activity, that’s going to stop a lot of incidents.”
He called the deployment a “major success.” “I’ll be looking at doing more with the system on my trailer in the future.”
