Dart Aerospace's new 240 and 260 USG firefighting buckets, introduced this week at Heli-Expo, build on the Canadian company's range of firefighting equipment for helicopters. They come just 12 months after the company launched its 320 USG bucket.
The new products give operators the option of using smaller buckets. “With buckets ranging from 240 to 320 U.S. gallons, we can satisfy a good chunk of the firefighting market,” said Steve Ghaleb, Dart’s vice president of commercial operations.
Montreal-based Dart intends to introduce additional new models with different sizes and features. The company claims its buckets deliver weight savings compared with similar equipment on the market.
Separately, Dart also is launching a new Skylight replacement window for the Leonardo AW139. The new unit is made from single-layered polycarbonate and is available as a direct replacement for the manufacturer’s laminated acrylic window.
Its new Skylight window had to go through extensive DO-160 environmental testing, including temperature, vibration, and operational shock tests. Bird-strike compliance assessments were also completed. The Dart engineering team conducted a 300-hour operational evaluation with an offshore helicopter operator.
“It’s been a long, though successful, journey to get this product tested and certified to meet industry standards and innovate at the same time,” said Emmanuel Paillier, Dart’s v-p of product strategy and business development. “Given the complexity of the design and its manufacturing challenges, our R&D capabilities once again allowed us to overcome such an important milestone for this new product.”
The new window is STC'd for the AW139 and available in both clear and bronze tints.
Also this week at Heli-Expo, Dart (Booth C3102) announced the appointment of AeroBrigham as its latest approved maintenance center. The service center, based in Decatur, Texas, specializes in maintenance, completions, painting, and interior upgrades for helicopters.