Will Allow Test Pilot Trainees To Maximize Aircraft's Capabilities

The National Research Council Canada Institute for Aerospace Research has contracted with Calgary-based Eagle Copters Ltd. to replace the engines in their Bell 412 HP Advanced Systems Research Aircraft (ASRA) with a Pratt and Whitney PT6T-9 Twin-Pac. The replacement engines have digital engine control instead of a manual engine governor, permitting more carefree operation of the aircraft near engine and torque limits.

NRC Bell 412

For NRC pilots and researchers involved in control law design, the new engines will allow the aircraft to fly more predictably. In addition, the re-engining will allow NRC pilots to take full advantage of the aircraft's fly-by-wire capabilities during research and training activities. Specially configured with on-board research equipment for the development and testing of advanced flight systems and various modern cockpit technologies, NRC's 412 is an integral part of their "finishing school" for helicopter test pilots, a two-week training session on advanced handling qualities for students at training organizations in the U.K., the U.S., France and Canada.

Eagle Copters Ltd. is installing the engines at its Calgary hangar. Once the job is complete, Eagle will hold a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) from Transport Canada, Canada's regulatory body for aviation, which will allow the company to do similar work for other clients in the future and expand the technology for additional foreign validations. NRC's Chief Test Pilot, Rob Erdos, who is a Design Approval Representative (DAR) for Transport Canada, will flight test and complete the necessary certifications for the modified aircraft.

NRC Bell 412

"This project is an excellent example of how NRC Aerospace supports small and medium-size Canadian aerospace companies," said Stewart Baillie, director of the NRC Aerospace Flight Research Laboratory. "NRC Aerospace gets new engines installed in its Bell 412 from a well-respected Canadian supplier, while Eagle Copters Ltd. acquires a new service they can offer to Bell 412 operators around the globe."

FMI: www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca