Maintenance and Modifications
Alpine's New Bear Paws Approved for AStars
Alpine Aerotech's Bear Paws have received Transport Canada STC approval.
Alpine Aerotech Bear Paw for H125 helicopter
Alpine Aerotech has developed and received STC approval from Transport Canada for its Airbus H125 Bear Paw skid gear kit. (Photo: Alpine Aerotech)

Aircraft maintenance company Alpine Aerotech has received supplemental type certificate (STC) approval from Transport Canada Civil Aviation for its Bear Paw skid gear kit that is compatible with Airbus H125 (AS350/355) series helicopters. FAA and EASA STCs are pending. 

The Bear Paws are priced at $2,600 through the end of 2022 and weigh 15.5 pounds. Adding optional ice grippers increases the weight by 1.7 pounds. “Operators seem to really like our Bear Paws, and the AS350 version has been the most requested,” said Taylor Wilson,  manufacturing manager for Alpine.