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GPMS Collaborates with MD Helicopters to Achieve Foresight MX STC on MD530
GPMS recently announced it has collaborated with MD Helicopters, Wysong Enterprises, and Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to achieve the FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for its Foresight MX predictive health & usage monitoring system (HUMS) on the MD530 platform.
“We received tremendous support and cooperation from the team at MD,” said Jed Kalkstein, president of GPMS International. “Thanks to their assistance, the expertise of our installation partner, Wysong Enterprises, and the support from the team at the Tennessee Valley Authority, MD530 operators will be able to benefit from the advanced capabilities that Foresight MX brings to rotorcraft operations.”
“At MDHI, we’ve been looking at ways to help our customers future-proof their fleet and deliver next-generation operations. Foresight MX provides the data to improve readiness, enhance
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safety, lower maintenance costs, and dramatically improve the OEM support relationship. We’re glad to have it as the first successful HUMS solution on the MD530 platform,” said John “Jack” Harris, MD Helicopters’ director of public safety sales.
For the STC, Foresight MX was installed on an MD530 that belongs to the TVA, which is one of the largest public power providers in the United States. With the STC on the MD530 platform, the TVA will have Foresight MX on its full fleet of Bell 429s, 407s, and MD530s that it utilizes to inspect and service approximately 16,300 miles of transmission lines.
This is an important STC for operators of the MD530 platform, which is widely used in public safety missions as well as by customers like TVA in utility, power line and construction operations. These missions and operations often include low-and-slow flight regimes where aircraft performance, reliability and safety are paramount. Kalkstein explains that Foresight MX stands out in mission-critical operations like these. “Foresight MX’s capabilities go beyond
standard HUMS. Our system delivers aircraft performance and condition monitoring that includes flight data monitoring as well as comprehensive coverage and analysis of the engine and vital components to help ensure optimal aircraft performance,” stated Kalkstein. “This equips operators with additional confidence in the capability and reliability of their aircraft to perform in these intricate operations.” Foresight MX also automatically delivers rotor track and balancing solutions after each flight, and provides diagnostic and prognostic capabilities, including detailed forecasts for remaining useful life data for trending components. The Foresight MX system for the MD530 has a minimal, lightweight footprint and is available for install in new aircraft and retrofits.
GPMS already has STCs on a range of helicopter platforms, including Bell 407 GX/GXP/GXi, Bell 429, Bell 412/212, and the Airbus H125/AS350 B3. The company also has completed the system for the Mi- Series helicopters and expects further STCs for the H135, the AS350 B2, Bell 206, analog Bell 407, and the Blackhawk in 2022.
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