Story ID: 
Bell 412EP Gets Glass Retrofit Approval
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: Upgrade adds Astronautics Badger Pro+ displays and Garmin navigators
Word Count: 238
The FAA has certified Bell’s Basix-Pro avionics upgrade for the 412EP helicopter, offering operators the opportunity to add the same avionics configuration as new 412EPXs and Bell 429s. The Basix-Pro upgrade is available through Bell’s Aeronautical Accessories unit and can be accomplished at Bell completion centers in Miami, Singapore, Australia, Prague, and Piney Flats, Tennessee.
With four Astronautics 6-by-8-inch high-resolution Badger Pro+ smart displays, the retrofit kit also adds Garmin GTN 750 Xi and GTN 650 Xi GPS navigators, a Mid-Continent Standby Attitude Module, and an optional upgrade of the Honeywell SPZ-7600 automatic flight control system to a four-axis configuration.
According to Astronautics, features of its Badger Pro+ integrated flight display system include aircraft parameter, chip, and exceedance recording for 70-plus hours; external video on a full screen and with a pan feature; multiple HD digital video inputs; display of weather radar and HTAWS in full and arc HSI formats; route mapping with five declutter levels; and non-ITAR night vision goggle compatibility.
Bell already has a contract to modify several analog-instrumented 412EPs with the Basix-Pro upgrade.
“The Bell BasiX-Pro glass cockpit retrofit Kit will provide Bell 412EP operators with modern flight deck technology to improve situational awareness and decrease pilot workload, while also offering the same look and feel of a new production Bell 412 cockpit,” said Eyton Zelazo, Astronautics director of displays and cockpit integration.