By Lisa Gordon | September 22, 2016 Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 48 seconds.
Eagle Copters of Calgary has partnered with CertCenterCanada, the only independent flight test and certification facility in the country, to complete and certify an integrated cockpit solution for a 25-year-old Bell 412 helicopter belonging to the National Research Council of Canada (NRC).
Eagle Copters has been in business for 41 years and offers helicopter leasing, sales and support services to a global network of customers. The company was contracted by the NRC to upgrade their aircraft with higher power, electronically controlled engines to improve rotor stability and overall capability in support of NRC’s flight research programs.
During the early phases of the program, it became clear to Eagle Copters and NRC that integrating the engine controls with a more modern glass cockpit made more sense than re-using the helicopter’s original analog cockpit.
“Our program to integrate a new cockpit into the NRC aircraft has been going on for quite some time,” said Stephane Arsenault, Eagle Copters’ vice president of sales and marketing. “Our initial plan was to develop a commercially viable retrofit solution for both the engine and cockpit, but the program complexity and certification challenges we’ve uncovered have redirected us. Our current goal is to successfully complete our NRC contract with a solution that fully satisfies their overall needs, and will provide us with a technical foundation for future programs.”
The Bell 412 is the civilian variant of the CH-146 Griffon helicopter currently in service with the Royal Canadian Air Force. Arsenault said the technical solution that is under development could also be applicable to military programs, based on both cost effectiveness and the overall avionics architecture.
CertCenterCanada staff will work with Eagle Copters and its sister company, DART Aerospace, to help guide the planning, testing, documentation and ultimate certification process with Transport Canada.
“Our program with the NRC Bell 412 represents the perfect opportunity for us to begin our working relationship with CertCenterCanada,” said Barry Kohler, president of Eagle Copters. “This program has grown and changed considerably from its inception. We felt we owed it to our team and the NRC to supplement our internal capability with an objective, highly experienced organization to ensure we end up with the most effective solution for both our current customer and the potential re-use of the technology.
“It also starts what will be a long-term relationship with CertCenterCanada, as our future programs will increase in complexity and we’d much rather use an experienced set of available resources versus finding and developing all of these resources ourselves.”
CertCenterCanada is an initiative launched by Montreal-based Marinvent Corp. According to company president John Maris, the centre was opened in July 2016 to meet an increasing worldwide demand for independent flight test and certification services. The new organization aims to support civilian and military clients seeking to test and certify aircraft, avionics and aircraft systems, thereby reducing the substantial costs, time commitment and risk associated with product certification.
“We are proud that Eagle Copters has chosen to work with us and welcome them as our launch customer,” said Maris. “It starts us on our path to becoming a resource for aviation and aerospace companies of all sizes while helping to further develop Canada’s strong national certification capabilities.”
The CertCenterCanada concept has been welcomed by both government and industry. When it was first announced at the 2016 Farnborough International Airshow, Chrystia Freeland, Canada’s international trade minister, said, “This new certification centre will not only save our aerospace companies time and money and make them more competitive globally, but it will create high-quality employment for the middle class at home.”
Jim Quick, president of the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC), noted that a prompt and responsive certification process is essential to ensuring that the Canadian aerospace industry remains competitive.
“Canada is a world leader in aircraft certification and this announcement will only reinforce and enhance our capability in this regard,” said Quick. “I congratulate CertCenterCanada on this very important milestone and commend Eagle Copters for support for this initiative.”
