BLR Aerospace, a name synonymous with outstanding performance enhancement technologies that increase the capabilities of rotary-wing and fixed-wing aircraft by manufacturers such as Bell Helicopter and Hawker Beechcraft, today announced an FAA-certified performance increase for its Bell 212 FastFin® System.

The FAA has approved a Flight Manual Supplement (FMS) certifying up to 500 pounds of additional out-of-ground effect hover performance for Bell 212s equipped with FastFin.  The same approval is expected soon from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). With the FastFin® System, most Bell 212 operators will increase their useful load between 10% and 15%.

“Helping the Bell helicopter community fly more productively and more safely is a priority for BLR,” said Dave Marone, BLR’s vice president of Sales and Marketing. “The FastFin® System clearly delivers the performance benefits operators need and want.”

Installation of the FastFin® Tail Rotor Enhancement and Stability System kit involves modifying a helicopter tailboom with two parallel strips (known as Dual Tailboom Strakes), and reshaping the vertical fin to optimize airflow around the tailboom.  This field installed kit delivers a range of important benefits to operators who fly the modified aircraft.

More than 75 FastFin® Systems have been sold for Bell 412 helicopters since the system was FAA certified in July 2010, and EASA certification is imminent. The system’s advantages — including up to 1,250 pounds of additional in-ground effect hover — are so strong that Bell Helicopter has made the FastFin® System standard on new Bell 412EPs.

About BLR Aerospace

BLR Aerospace is focused on developing the highest performance aerodynamic solutions in the industry, and we back our superior designs with unsurpassed manufacturing quality