The European Aviation Safety Agency has certified Leonardo-Finmeccanica’s Full Ice Protection System (FIPS) for the AW189, clearing it to operate in full icing conditions, the company announced at Farnborough 2016 on Monday.
This approval comes after three years of winter flight trials in Northern Europe and North America to gather data and test the effectiveness of the system’s electrically heated main and tail rotor blades, heated windshields and an ice detection system. The fully automatic system allows pilots to concentrate on other flying activities.
Leonardo-Finmeccanica calls FIPS “critical” for operators flying in Northern Europe, Canada, Russia and the northern U.S., where the winter months commonly usher in icing conditions. Now available as an option on the AW189, FIPS follows certification of the Limited Ice Protection System (LIPS) in September last year.
LIPS allows flight within a known and defined envelope of icing conditions provided that the capability to descend into a known band of warmer temperatures is available throughout the intended route.