Aviation Specialties Unlimited awarded EASA STC

Aviation Specialties Unlimited (ASU), a company which modifies civil and military aircraft for night vision operations, has been awarded Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

The STC applies multiple aircraft, including the Bell 212, 412, AB212, AB412, and 412EP.

It follows the awarding of a similar STC from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), as well as another, applicable to the H225, for United Nations missions in Africa.

ASU says the certificates are intended to streamline the approval process and ultimately save customers from ‘critical downtime and delays’.

ASU reportedly now holds more than 60 night vision STCs from the FAA, EASA, and other aviation administrations.

The STCs streamline processes for ASU customers

ASU's Chief Pilot Alexander Emmel said: “Saving our customers time and money is vital to getting them back to their peacekeeping missions.

“ASU's mission is to help helicopter operators fly safely using NVGs. We can think of no better way to do this than to modify the aircraft lighting for night vision operations, assure pilots and crew are trained, and enable them to utilize the game-changing technology that NVGs offer,” he added.

ASU says that the STC was critical for its partner, Global Helicopter Service (GHS), to equip their global aircraft fleet for night-time peacekeeping operations.

GHS is an EASA approved helicopter service based in Germany which employs a flexible fleet of helicopters including the Bell 212.

According to Dominik Goldfuss, CEO of GHS, the company ‘partnered with ASU as a distributor for Europe providing required inspections and certifications as well as related services of advanced night vision technology products’.