Promote your company to the global vertical aviation industry through the VAI Member Spotlight, a free benefit for VAI member companies. Want to be featured? If you’re not already enjoying the many benefits our members receive, join VAI today! VAI Member Spotlight: Onboard Systems Hoist & Winch, California, USA The company provides mission equipment, including hoists and winches, for search-and-rescue and human external cargo helicopter operators. By Jen Boyer Anaheim, California–based Onboard Systems Hoist & Winch has helped helicopter operators save lives around the world for more than 65 years. The Signia Aerospace subsidiary provides mission equipment for search-and-rescue (SAR) and human external cargo (HEC) operations with a laser focus on what it knows best—hoists and winches. The company designed its hoists for durability and ease of maintenance. They are available for most medium and large Airbus, Bell, Leonardo, and Sikorsky helicopters, plus the Boeing CH-47 Chinook, Korea Aerospace Industries KUH-1, and Mil Mi-17. Designed for Durability The hoists include the company’s translating drum cable management system, which can meet the demands of high-usage and high-fleet-angle environments, especially SAR missions. Onboard Systems Hoist & Winch designed the technology with no required cooldown period to extend cable life and allow for continuous duty—in other words, no interruptions during critical rescues—and high-fleet-angle operation. The hoists also feature single-point payout, which enhances safety by reducing the potential for hoist-induced load swings. Onboard Systems Hoist & Winch holds FAA and European Union Aviation Safety (EASA) certifications for its rescue hoists. The company’s product line includes both alternating current and direct current hoists, as well as internal- or external-mounted hoists. The company also develops, manufactures, and supports cargo winch systems for helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. In addition to its off-the-shelf products, the company can tailor winch designs and development to meet individual operator needs. The cargo winches also use the company’s translating drum cable management system. Support and Training In addition to providing winches and hoists, Onboard Systems Hoist & Winch offers support and training for operators. The company maintains a network of design and service centers, including for global field support. Both hoist maintenance training and hoist operational training courses are available for new and existing operators with the option to take the courses simultaneously. Jen Boyer is a journalist and marketing communicator specializing in aviation. She holds commercial, instrument, flight instructor, and instrument instructor ratings in helicopters and a private rating in airplanes.
