Transport Canada and the Malaysia Department of Civil Aviation have granted STC approval of a Universal Avionics flight deck upgrade and a new high-end luxury interior for a VVIP Sikorsky S-76B that was recently completed by Richmond, British Columbia-based Heli-One for a customer in Asia.
The flight deck STC covers three UA EFI-890H advanced flight displays and a Universal UNS-1Lw flight management system with Vision-1 synthetic vision system (SVS). These units replace legacy analog electronic flight instruments, thereby increasing operational capability, reducing aging and reliability issues, and eliminating the costs of replacing and maintaining older displays. The STC’d avionics are also an option for operators of other S-76 variants, including the A, C, C+, and C++, who want the “look and feel” of the S-76D's avionics for these models.
“There is still a lot of life in these legacy helicopters,” said Universal Avionics director of technical sales Grady Dees. “With our products and Heli-One’s experienced and capable team, we now have a cost-effective, reliable upgrade solution for operators.”
Meanwhile, new interior amenities of Heli-One's VVIP Sikorsky S-76B upgrade include multi-spectral LED lighting so that passengers can choose various customized light settings via touchscreen displays in-cabin or iPad. Passengers also have access to audiovisual entertainment shown on a 15-inch display in the cabin. And they can follow the flight’s progress with Flight Show. Two wall panel displays and a credenza display also provide touchscreen control of the system, which can also be controlled via a smartphone/iPad app.
Additional amenities include carbon-fiber furnishings, leather seats, two external cameras installed on the tail boom, and noise-canceling headsets with conferencing ability.
“This is our first modernization upgrade for the S-76,” said Heli-One president Eddie Lane. “We are excited to present this option to the industry as a way to add years and value to this versatile aircraft type.”
Heli-One is a segment of CHC Helicopter, which is the operating company of CHC Group.