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StandardAero has announced the attainment of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification of a new glass cockpit upgrade for the Bell 212 helicopter, available for both visual flight rules (VFR) and instrument flight rules (IFR) operations.
The upgrade features proven Universal Avionics EFI-890H Advanced Flight Displays which can be integrated with legacy Honeywell and Bell autopilot systems.
The first installation of this new supplemental type certificate (STC) was accomplished in co-operation with leading Bell Customer Service Facility, Alpine Aerotech of Kelowna, B.C., and its launch customer.
This new glass cockpit solution is now also being made available to other Bell 212 operators seeking to economically update their aircraft.
“The partnership approach to this upgrade worked very well and we are extremely appreciative to have such a great customer who believed in us and our collective approach,” said Jeff Denomme, president of Alpine Aerotech. “Working together allowed us to provide a complete upgrade in the cockpit and the aircraft simultaneously, providing a truly modernized aircraft.”
In addition to the installation of two Universal Avionics Advanced Flight Displays, the STC also includes incorporation of dual, large format Garmin GTN 750 touchscreen navigators offering NAV/COM/GPS/HTAWS/ADS-B capability.
Aging and heavy Tarsyn gyros are replaced with the highly reliable and compact Rockwell Collins AHC-1000 Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS). This upgrade allows operators of the hard-working Bell 212 machine to modernize their fleet with a low-cost solution that not only can extend the usefulness of their aircraft for years to come, but also improves safety by alleviating pilot workload and fatigue.
“We are excited to bring yet another advanced technological retrofit solution to the market, specifically supporting those operators using the Bell 212 to perform important firefighting, search and rescue, offshore and utility missions day in and day out,” said Elvis Moniz, StandardAero’s vice-president of Business Development for Airframes and Avionics. “Over the past year, our experienced in-house design team worked diligently with the Universal Avionics and Alpine Aerotech teams to make this modernized safety solution a reality.”
StandardAero has been a leader in the development of glass cockpit retrofit solutions since the technology was first introduced, and was among the first to develop fully integrated and certified IFR-compatible retrofit solutions such as those developed for the Bell UH-1H, Bell 212S, Bell 205, Bell 206, Bell 407, Sikorsky S-76, Sikorsky S-61 and Nuri, Airbus AS350, and Airbus AS355.
StandardAero has performed more than 500 glass cockpit installations on rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft over the years, substantiating their high level of expertise in addressing the issue of aircraft obsolescence.
Visit StandardAero at booth #B1429 at the Georgia World Congress Center during HAI Heli-Expo March 5 to 7 in Atlanta, Ga.
