GPMS receives HUMS STCs for EC135 and AS332

GPMS International has announced that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted supplemental type certificates (STCs) for its Foresight MX health and usage monitoring system (HUMS) on the Airbus EC135 and AS332 Super Puma platforms.

Ronnie Ries, VP of Marketing at GPMS, commented: “We appreciate Blackcomb Helicopters and Precision’s dedicated support in achieving these STCs and we’re excited to see them monitoring their fleets with Foresight MX. We also want to thank Metro Aviation for their contribution in helping us with these certification efforts.”

Precision Helicopters uses Airbus’ Super Puma and Flexrotor to provide rapid support for firefighting missions. In February, GPMS first announced it was working with Precision to complete certification of the system for the AS332, ahead of the start of the summer fire season.

According to Ries, demand for new Foresight MX certifications has been driven primarily by three types of operators: current GPMS customers wanting to monitor their entire fleet, operators needing to meet contractual requirements, and operators looking at ways to mitigate significant business challenges.

He explained: “Operators are recognizing that the impact of unscheduled maintenance goes beyond the price of an AOG part. The stress to their already shorthanded maintenance team and the lost revenue from an easily detectable bearing that’s going to make metal is having sceptics take a closer look at why their peers are adopting Foresight MX HUMS.”

In May, Blackcomb celebrated its 35th year of operation. The company offers a range of services including support for aerial firefighting and search and rescue missions.