AIN Staff

BLR Aerospace completed proof-of-concept flight tests of its&nbsp;FastFin&nbsp;tailrotor&nbsp;enhancement&nbsp;and stability system on the Airbus Helicopters H125 (AS350B3e) last year. Now the company expects to complete&nbsp;flight testing&nbsp;and to receive FAA certification for the product later this year, with approvals by EASA and Brazil’s ANAC to follow.

 


Dave&nbsp;Marone, BLR v-p of sales and marketing, told&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;that BLR bought an AS350B3e last year to do the proof-of-concept work on the helicopter. “Working together with Airbus Helicopters on development of the system was significant and accelerated development of the program,” he explained.

 


BLR’s AS350B3e with the&nbsp;FastFin&nbsp;is undergoing&nbsp;flight testing, so is not being displayed here at Heli-Expo. The test program showed that&nbsp;FastFin&nbsp;improves wind-azimuth tolerance and increased useful load in a hover. Detailed performance data will be provided after certification, when&nbsp;FastFin&nbsp;will be offered as an aftermarket modification and as an option on new H125s.

 


Separately, BLR announced that 1,000th&nbsp;FastFins&nbsp;are flying on helicopters in 35 countries. The 1,000th&nbsp;FastFin&nbsp;went to&nbsp;Agrarflug&nbsp;of Ahlen, Germany, for a Bell 212 on January 29.

 


In 2005, an AS350B3 flown by one test pilot broke the world record for the highest-altitude landing and takeoff, performed on Mount Everest at 29,035 feet (8,850 meters). Perhaps Airbus Helicopters will attempt to exceed this record with a&nbsp;FastFin-equipped H125 with two pilots on board.

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