This worldwide company called DART Aerospace has provided helicopter mission equipment, parts, and accessories directly to operators, OEMs, MROs, and strategic partners for 50 years now. Its success has been a result of the company’s vision in the design, manufacture, and installation of mission-critical helicopter equipment, as well as augmenting services through the acquisition of key partner companies. Now DART is looking to the future of the vertical-lift industry with innovative helicopter solutions, as well as drones and other vehicles such as electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. It’s a testament to DART’s unwavering commitment to innovation.


Since its founding in June 1975, the company has been dedicated to solving customer challenges, according to Aerial Firefighting Business Unit Manager Michael Lee.


By trade, Lee is an aircraft maintenance engineer. During his tenure at DART, he has taken on an ever-evolving role spanning mechanical design, engineering,


program management,


and since May 2023, business unit management at the company’s headquarters in Montreal, Quebec. While DART’s initial focus was primarily on simpler STC solutions, the business has since diversified and evolved to offer complex TC and STC solutions to thousands of customers across the globe, Lee said.


Airworthiness certifications are a constitutional portion of the business. DART works with both OEM and aftermarket customers to offer full-service Type Certifications (TC), Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) and Parts Manufacturing Approval (PMA). DART’s website states:


“To date, DART has designed and developed approximately 20 systems in collaboration with helicopter OEMs. We are always ready to consider both new OEM project ideas and structure win-win OEM partnerships.” (www. DARTaerospace.com)


64 Sept/Oct 2025


Ike Thethi, an aerospace engineer with 12- plus years in new product development, has served as an engineering manager for over three years at DART. He took on the role of business unit manager in the Parts and Accessories division this year. Thethi reflected on the full name of the acronym DART, which stands for Design Approval Representative Team. “In its early days, the company’s focus was on supporting customers with specific one- off design approvals.” At that time, DART was a team of Designated Airworthiness Representatives (DAR) who would create the project and its paperwork, he said. Then they would send the project elsewhere


for manufacturing. Over


the years, he said, “We have evolved every aspect of the business starting from a preliminary idea to development, documentation, manufacturing,


“We have people who are very educated about the products,” Thethi said. “It’s all about the people that make this company what it is today.”


testing and certification per regulation authorities.”


Lee added, “We are focused on innovation and listening to the customer, with the objective of helping them solve a specific problem.” Customer service is a fundamental area of DART’s business as well. “We provide a product to market, but it doesn’t end there,” he explained. DART has a team of dedicated customer service employees who listen to market feedback, make improvements, and resolve customer issues. In fact, many of the customer service employees have been engineering designers themselves.


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