The transmission of live images represented an important advance in air traffic regulation
The year 2013 was the year of the arrival of the “Pegasus” aerial cinemometer, an event with social and media repercussion. For any driver to hear his name is synonymous with a fine, although the work of the helicopters of the
DGT it is much more complete and complex, and according to this body, it is fundamentally focused on achieving a reduction in the number of road accidents.
The Helicopter Unit of the General Directorate of Traffic (DGT) was born in Madrid in 1962, based at the Cuatro Vientos aerodrome (Madrid), with three pilots, two mechanics and two helicopters. Fifty-three years later, it has accumulated more than 200,000 flight hours.
Although the DGT
he has 13 helicopters at his disposal, only 10 of them have MX15 cameras from the Canadian manufacturer L3 Wescam compatible with the Pegasus surveillance system. Pegasus is actually the name of these cameras, although helicopters are commonly called that.
In addition to the famous helicopters, the DGT has a total of 39 drones in operation, most of them model Thyra V019. The maximum autonomy they can achieve is 40 minutes, with an action range of up to 10 km and a 40x optical zoom. They all operate at a height of 120 meters and their propellers allow them to reach 80 km/h.
The Pegasus is capable of operating at a height of 300 meters and a distance of one kilometer from the target with pinpoint precision. Starting from the position of the helicopter, a GPS calculates the coordinates of the vehicle to be controlled, at which point a laser rangefinder measures the exact distance between
the helicopter itself and the vehicle. This measurement of the position is carried out on several occasions, being what allows the radar to calculate the average speed of the controlled vehicle at that moment -it is capable of measuring averages between 80 and 360 km/h-. If there is an infraction, it is recorded and transmitted electronically.
Another of the characteristics of the Pegasus is its ability to be selective. While a traditional radar shoots photos left and right, the Pegasus, being controlled by humans, has the option of observing the behavior of drivers from above. In this way, those who are carrying out unsafe driving or commit flagrant infractions will be a priority target of the DGT’s radar.
One of the great tasks carried out by the Unit is the traffic regulation missions. Its objective is to provide air support for the safety and flow of traffic. Thanks to these flights, the traffic management centers obtain live information on the state of the roads and can make the appropriate decisions at all times.
Along with regulation,
surveillance missions are some of the most important. They are carried out 365 days a year, especially on conventional roads, and affect those sections that are especially dangerous, with the highest number of fatal accidents.
For every 2 and a half hours of flight of the Pegasus radar, about 300 kilometers of tracks are controlled, and its range can be extended by linking stops between the different DGT helicopter bases.
In addition, these missions have been completed with new surveillance flights. Some to control the dangerous behavior of cars and bicycles on busy cycle routes (improper overtaking, circulation of cyclists in groups, use of protective helmets…). And others in the sections frequented by heavy vehicles, where compliance with the safety distance standard for these vehicles is especially monitored. All this always in coordination with the agents of the Traffic Group of the Civil Guard. But there are also surveillance flights on highways on weekends, where the most dangerous offenses are usually related to speeding.
The “Pegasus” aerial cinematographer is the first certified worldwide to penalize offenders for speeding. It started operating in
DGT helicopters in early 2013 and is currently installed by eight of the twelve Patrol helicopters.
The variable message panels on the highways include a new warning for drivers, “Mobile speed control”, in the sections where the DGT helicopters are operating. “The objective of this new message is to publicize the presence of speed control from the air, just as the presence of fixed and mobile radars on the ground is reported, so that the driver has full information at all times”, as explained by the DGT.
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