Canada’s Alpine Aerotech (Booth 4639) secured FAA and EASA STC approvals for its digital instrument kit for Bell 212 VFR operations, it announced this week at Heli-Expo 2020. The digital flight instruments can replace analog heading and attitude indicators, as well as Tarsyn/rate gyros, flux valves, remote compensators, compass controls, and all associated wiring, reducing the number of components that can fail.
The kit also includes all installation provisions to create a near plug-and-play solution requiring only minor structural modifications. No price has been announced, but Alpine plans “to price the kit aggressively in relation to repair/replacement expenses” and believes it will become “the next obvious upgrade for cost-conscious Bell 212 operators.”
Installations have already been completed on Canadian-registered aircraft, and “customers have already provided great feedback from the initial installations” said Taylor Wilson, Alpine’s manager of manufacturing.
Aerotech, marking its 30th year, provides solutions aimed at increasing aircraft utilization and decreasing maintenance costs.