StandardAero: Over a century of world-class service

This text was created by Perception journal, the sponsored content material division of MHM Publishing, on behalf of StandardAero.

StandardAero has so much to supply. As one of many largest unbiased upkeep, restore, and overhaul (MRO) suppliers on this planet, it delivers a full suite of rotary-wing providers by means of its international helicopter division. The corporate prides itself on offering a customer-centric service, which has lengthy been the hallmark of all the pieces its practically 7,000 workers do in additional than 50 main services worldwide.

Now, there’s much more to be pleased with: The addition of a long-awaited world’s first — a full four-axis digital autopilot for mild helicopters that StandardAero developed in partnership with Thales Group.

StableLight is a strong and feature-packed autopilot in a compact, light-weight bundle that’s completely suited to mild rotorcraft.

“An answer for four-axis autopilot for mild helicopters — the primary of its variety,” described Neena Gill, vice chairman and basic supervisor of helicopter applications at StandardAero. ​

The system lately acquired a supplemental sort certificates (STC)  from the Federal Aviation Administration for Airbus AS350 helicopters. StableLight transforms the pilot’s flight management expertise with clear stability augmentation that works exactly and with out suggestions to the management sticks.​ Options embrace stabilized climb, flight perspective restoration, auto hover, and extra, in a system that drastically decreases pilot workload.

“It brings transport class capabilities to an autopilot system for mild helicopters,” Gill defined. And most significantly, it improves flight security. “That’s actually the goal of what we needed to do. A number of our clients are air medical and legislation enforcement customers and it’ll assist them full their missions.” The built-in security options will go a good distance to assist scale back situations of spatial disorientation and managed flight into terrain (CFIT). StandardAero has partnered with Thales Group for the previous two years, working collectively to develop the product and provide you with the perfect answer.

“It’s a very cool product that might be revolutionary,” Gill stated. “It basically takes out a lot of the handbook management, permitting focus on the mission — and tremendously lowering pilot workload and fatigue. We predict it is going to actually form the sunshine helicopter market going ahead.”

However revolutionary merchandise like StableLight received’t detract from StandardAero’s huge group of world-class helicopter providers. Partnerships with authorized authentic gear producers (OEMs) worldwide permit it to cowl a helicopter’s full life cycle, together with airframe meeting, engine MRO upgrades, and customized options. The corporate is dedicated to offering the very best requirements of high quality, reliability, and repair to greater than 3,000 army, industrial and personal operators in over 85 nations. For over a century, clients have relied on StandardAero because the business specialists.

“We provide full engine accent overhaul amongst 4 retailers situated across the U.S. and U.Okay. for practically all engines,” Gill stated. “And in our helicopter portfolio, we’ve got a store in Langley, B.C., that additionally does airframe work. We have now full functionality on numerous Airbus and Bell fashions that features not simply airframe inspections but additionally avionics and structural repairs, and numerous dynamic parts. When
we are saying ‘tip-to-tail,’ it signifies that we do all the pieces from plane modifications and STCs, to upkeep and overhaul on a whole lot of airframes and nearly each engine sort.”

Particularly, StandardAero is the biggest supplier of Rolls-Royce M250 MRO providers, with retailers situated all over the world, together with Winnipeg, Manitoba; Harmony, North Carolina; Vancouver, British Columbia; Singapore, and the U.Okay.

“We have now been servicing the M250 engine since 1964,” Gill stated. “Our group has over 600 years of mixed expertise on that engine line with a mean of over 18 years’ expertise per technician.” 

StandardAero can be licensed to service the Pratt & Whitney PW200 engine, now bringing it from the Dallas store into the Winnipeg Middle of Excellence — a transfer scheduled to be accomplished this yr. The corporate additionally acquired Transport Canada approval
in December 2023 to get the PW200 on its ticket.

“We’re additionally organising a brand new check cell in Winnipeg. We’re actually going all in to assist the PW200 product right here in Winnipeg,” Gill stated. “It’s an engine line that continues to develop so we’re ramping as much as assist that market [with] new tooling and extra.”

With over 100 engines in its fleet deployed both as leases or provided to clients as exchanges, the corporate helps the market with its heavy funding in these engine swimming pools.

“One of many issues we’re actually pleased with is the unparalleled stage of service we offer,” Gill stated. “Our group works exhausting for our clients. We hearken to them. We work to extend the reliability of their engines. We guarantee the standard is at all times above par, and that’s one thing we stress. By means of our engineering-heavy focus, we work on customizing options for our clients’ particular wants — not simply offering cookie-cutter solutions. Given present provide circumstances on this planet, we’re focusing extra on ensuring we’ve got different options.”

And that new autopilot? “We’re actually excited to carry the StableLight to market this yr and present the world what it could possibly do,” Gill enthused.

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