Heli Austria picks Thales and StandardAero’s StableLight autopilot system
Heli Austria is the European launch customer for the system, which is in the process of gaining EASA certification
Heli Austria has selected the StableLight four-axis autopilot system for use on its H125 helicopters.
One of the systems, supplied by Thales and StandardAero, is being installed at Heli Austria’s facility in Salzburg, ahead of certification by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
The autopilot offers stabilized climb flight attitude recovery and auto hover, among other features, with the ultimate purpose of decreasing pilot workload. The aim is to enhance mission capabilities and reduce the risks involved in critical flight phases and adverse conditions.
StableLight already has supplemental type certificate (STC) approval from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
“Operational and pilot safety are very important to Heli Austria,” said Roy Knaus, CEO of Heli Austria. “We have been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to be the European launch customer of this proven product. The added safety features and reliability is a welcomed advantage to our pilots.”
SPAES recently introduced a life raft deployment upgrade for EC155 helicopters.
Oliver Cuenca
Oliver Cuenca is a Junior Editor at AirMed&Rescue. He was previously a News and Features Journalist for the rail magazine IRJ until 2021, and studied MA Magazine Journalism at Cardiff University. His favourite helicopter is the AW169 – the workhorse of the UK air ambulance sector! He also led the creation of Waypoint: The AirMed&Rescue podcast, serving as its Production Editor and co-host.