Mon, Oct 17, 2005
FAA Grants Sikorsky S-92 Full Icing Certification
The FAA has certified
Sikorsky Aircraft's S-92 helicopter, equipped with a new Rotor Ice
Protection System (RIPS), for flight in known icing conditions. It
becomes the first helicopter directly certified by the agency to
the newest and most stringent all-weather flight safety standards.
Sikorsky is part of United Technologies Corp.
Any S-92 with RIPS will now be allowed to launch in icy weather
that might otherwise delay or cancel flight operations. The RIPS
determines the temperature and moisture content of the surrounding
environment and applies heat to the main and tail rotor blades to
remove any ice buildup.
"One of the S-92's key features is its all-year, all-weather
capability. Certification of RIPS adds to the S-92's reputation as
the most modern and efficient aircraft in its class," said Jeffrey
Pino, Sikorsky's Senior Vice President for Corporate Strategy and
Commercial Programs.
The FAA granted the certification upon completion of final
flight tests in Alaska in October. Those tests also included
evaluations by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and by
Transport Canada, the Canadian certifying agency. Sikorsky is
seeking S-92 RIPS certification from both agencies.
Most of the S-92 helicopters delivered to date or ordered
include RIPS. Beginning this month, Sikorsky teams will visit
customers to update the previously delivered RIPS equipment and
activate the system for operation now that it has received
certification. Besides Sikorsky, key suppliers include the
Autronics and Penny & Giles divisions of Curtiss-Wright and the
Moog Corporation.
Development of the S-92
RIPS began in 1997 and included three years of aircraft testing.
That testing began with ice accretion tests in the Eglin Air Force
Base McKinley Climatic Hangar in Florida and dry air tests of
simulated ice on the tail surfaces in 2003. In 2004 Sikorsky
conducted flight- testing behind a CH-47D helicopter with special
equipment that creates a cloud of ice in the air behind it.
The tests ended with flights in natural icing conditions in 2004
and 2005 at sites from the northeastern United States, through
Canada to Alaska.
Sikorsky also plans to incorporate similar rotor ice protection
equipment on the new S-76D helicopter, which is slated to enter
service in 2008.
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