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Vector Aerospace, a global independent provider of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, made exciting announcements on the first day of HAI Heli-Expo in Dallas, Texas.
Crash-resistant fuel tank
Vector has over the past year continued to pursue certification of the crash-resistant fuel tank (CRFT) being developed with Robertson Fuel Systems LLC as a retrofit for the Airbus AS350/EC130 family of helicopters.
Vector and Robertson have undertaken substantial testing of this safety enhancing technology, including both prototype hardware drop testing and computer aided design and simulation.
The two companies are designing the retrofittable CRFT to satisfy U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) standards for newly certified aircraft.
The development of this crash-resistant fuel tank technology as a retrofittable upgrade for legacy helicopter types has been substantiated by a recommendation made by the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) last April that the FAA and EASA prioritize approval of such retrofit solutions for the AS350.
Similarly, a report issued to the FAA’s Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) by the Rotorcraft Occupant Protection Working Group late last year confirmed that compliance with the resistant fuel system standards of 14 Code of Federal Regulations 27/29.952 is “extremely effective at preventing post-crash fires and thermal injuries.”
“We are confident that our diligent testing and modification work on the CRFT over the past year has paid off,” said Elvis Moniz, vice president, Business Development at Vector. “The result will be an outstanding crash-resistant fuel tank for the AS350/EC130 series, which will satisfy the more stringent requirements for newly certified aircraft in order to maximize safety and anticipate future mandates. Vector is excited to be working with Robertson to bring this crash-resistant fuel tank to the market later this year.”
ADS-B upgrade for light, medium and heavy helicopters
Vector recently received approval from the European and United States airworthiness authorities for its ADS-B solutions offered for Part 27 and Part 29 rotorcraft.
In December 2016, Vector received European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) supplemental type certificate (STC) approval for its Part 29 rotorcraft ADS-B solution for the Airbus Helicopters AS332 L/L1 Super Puma, Leonardo Helicopters AW139 and Sikorsky S-76.
Simultaneously, Vector received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) STC approval to extend the approved model list (AML) its Part 27 ADS-B solutions to include the Airbus Helicopters H120/EC120, H125/AS350 and H130/EC130 light helicopter families.
Vector’s Part 29 ADS-B retrofit upgrade has already received STC approval from the national airworthiness authorities of the USA (FAA), Brazil (ANAC) and Mexico (DGAC). This STC–which utilizes the L3 Lynx NGT-9000 transponder–allows for a panel mount or remote mount transceiver, if cockpit space is a challenge.
The company’s ADS-B In/Out solution for the Airbus light helicopter family offers customers a choice between using the L3 Lynx NGT-9000 transponder or Garmin’s GTX-345 unit.
Vector’s ADS-B In/Out retrofits include a 1090 MHz extended squitter and UAT ADS-B In, and the upgrade also features Wi-Fi enabling for use with portable electronic devices (PEDs) via apps such as ForeFlight or Garmin Pilot. Installation of this ADS-B retrofit can be undertaken easily, with the associated aircraft downtime ranging from one day for simple configurations to a maximum of three days for more complex work.
“Receipt of EASA certification and the new AML STC for the ADS-B retrofit upgrade broadens our ability to offer this unique solution to customers across the globe,” said Moniz. “This upgrade has generated significant customer interest in recent months, and we are actively supplying ADS-B kits and installation support to operators globally as the ADS-B regulatory compliance mandate date draws closer. To date, Vector has installed nearly 500 ADS-B systems in a variety of aircraft types, and we are continuing to work on new ways to offer our customers cost-effective solutions that are technically sound, well documented and well supported.”
