StandardAero and Thales have announced that automotive accessories firm WeatherTech is the launch customer for their advanced 4-axis Compact Autopilot System for the Airbus Helicopters H125/AS350 platform.
Derived from certified transport category solutions, the Lightweight Compact Autopilot brings Four-axis capability, performance and enhanced levels of safety to the light helicopter market, while eliminating the need for a traditional dedicated flight control computer.
David MacNeil, founder and chief executive of WeatherTech said that the decision to use Thales to upgrade the autopilot systems on his StandardAero aircraft fleet was a result of how well StandardAero had performed in modifying its H125 helicopters, therefore using its partner Thalese Compact Autopilot technology, “was an easy one to make”.
StandardAero and Thales’ engineering and Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) design partnership team will begin ground and flight testing for the new autopilot system on these aircraft beginning in early 2020.
Various equipment upgrades on each of the aircraft will allow for greater compatibility testing and eventual certification with a number of aftermarket modifications common to the popular H125 (B3e) and later model AS350 series of helicopters.