Aero Dynamix (ADI) is offering the first EASA STC approval for a night-vision lighting system on an MD902.
“The European Community has a lot of aircraft flying EMS missions much like those in the U.S., and the FAA has identified several items it believes could greatly enhance EMS mission safety, including the use of night-vision goggles. As a result, EASA has adopted the same thought process,” Casey Howlett, commercial sales/project coordinator, told AIN.
“Night vision imaging system [NVIS] lighting modifications are required when flying with goggles because the goggles’ performance is greatly degraded when used in a non-compatible lighting environment. Apparently there are few, if any, expert NVIS lighting providers in the European community, so they are turning to U.S.-based companies such as ADI for guidance and integration,” he said.
According to Howlett, ADI pursued EASA Part 145 certification and STC approval for its NVIS lighting systems to address the demand within the European community.
“While an FAA STC holder can get an STC validated by the EASA without being an EASA-approved [Part] 145 [repair station], a lot of the documentation has to be repeated each time. The demand in the European community for this is significant enough to warrant getting the EASA approval. Now, as an EASA-approved Part 145 repair station, we are able to greatly reduce the amount of paperwork required for STC validation and therefore reduce the approval-process timeframe significantly,” he explained.