North Flight Data Systems Receives FAA STC

NORTH Flight Data Systems LLC has received FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval for the installation of their Lightweight Aircraft Recording (LARS) system in the Eurocopter EC155 series helicopters. In cooperation with Metro Aviation, Inc., NORTH FDS integrated their voice, video and flight data recording system into the EC155B1 airframe. The system provides six channels of audio, one channel of video, and in excess of 200 separate parameters of recorded digital aircraft data.

Metro Aviation, Inc. was selected to provide the completion services for the three EC155B1 airframes that will be operated by the University of Michigan Health System air medical provider, Survival Flight. Metro Aviation is a longtime helicopter operations and completion provider with the main offices for the company located in Shreveport, Louisiana. The company operates almost 100 air medical aircraft around the United States. Located in Ann Arbor, Survival Flight has been providing critical care transport since 1983 when they initiated service as the first air medical provider in the state of Michigan.

Jeff Warner, President of NORTH FDS says, ”As a follow on to our successful integration into the EC135 fleet we are fortunate to have the cooperation of Metro Aviation and the University of Michigan to pursue the installation. We are excited about bringing sophisticated tools in an affordable package to the market and advancing the use of data for Flight Operations and Quality Assurance (FOQA) programs.“