DART Aerospace has announced its partnership with Bell Helicopter on the design and development of an emergency flotation system (EFS) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X helicopter.

This solution will be the Bell factory-offered 505 flotation system and will be co-marketed by both Bell Helicopter and DART. The Transport Canada certification of the EFS is estimated for Q1 of 2018 and, shortly thereafter, applications will be submitted for other foreign aviation authority validations such as FAA and EASA.

“DART looks forward to working collaboratively with Bell on this flotation system as well as exploring other opportunities for additional Bell 505 STCs to assist 505 operators with their specific missions,” said Alain Madore, President and CEO of DART Aerospace.

Added safety in over-water operations, longer maintenance intervals than conventional float systems and industry leading turn-around-time on R&O are just some of the multiple key benefits DART has to offer in the design and development of Bell 505’s EFS STC. Since 1995, DART has developed and certified over 30 proprietary flotation systems and continuously improves its offering to better serve its customers.

There is a strong demand for the Bell 505 worldwide, and there is no doubt at this point that this type of certification agreement for a flotation kit configuration is an important project for Bell Helicopter and DART.

“Bell Helicopter is proud to partner with DART on this safety measure for our Bell 505 customers,” said LaShan Bonaparte, Bell 505 program manager. “There is much interest in this device and we are proud to offer this solution to our Bell 505 customers.”

DART’s STC EFS will be the first flotation solution available for the Bell 505.