Dart Aerospace was awarded U.S. FAA supplemental type certification (STC) for its emergency float system with integrated life rafts for five-blade Airbus Helicopters H145s. This certification follows Transport Canada and EASA approvals. The floats were previously approved for the Airbus four-bladed H145 and EC145 models and feature a tri-bag design for stability in water up to sea state 6. The design includes two externally-mounted life rafts delivering a 45 percent weight reduction over other externally mounted liferaft options while saving cabin space, the company said. 

“We are eternally grateful to Airbus, FAA, TCCA, and EASA for their support as we pursued this STC during a particularly challenging time so that we could provide this critical system to the five-blade H145 operators,” said David Shepherd, v-p of certification at Dart. “We also received great support from Airbus as we worked together to complete flight testing in Germany in the midst of a global pandemic.” 

Dart holds over 1,000 STCs and offers mission equipment and related services, replacement parts, and tooling for civil and military operators, completion centers, MRO facilities, and all major rotorcraft OEMs. Products include aerial firefighting systems, flotation systems, landing gear, interior, and exterior accessories, cargo expansion, cable cutters, and filters.