A little over a month ago, the Japan Coast Guard (JCG) equipped its fleet of four Bell 505 Jet Ranger X with the DART Aerospace Emergency Flotation System and the aircraft have now been accepted by the JCG.

Installation of the kits took place in Kagoshima, Kyushu, Japan, where the JCG’s 10th Regional Coast Guard Headquarter is located.  A DART project engineer travelled to the Kagoshima site to support Bell for the first kit installation.

DART is happy to announce that this project is the first entry-into-service for the 505 Emergency Flotation System, a technical solution which DART designed and developed with the full support of Bell.

Within 12 months from project kick-off, DART Aerospace successfully received Transport Canada certification (TCCA) on the flotation system. In addition, the company received Japanese Civil Aviation Bureau (JCAB) validation shortly thereafter to support the 505 aircraft and flotation system acceptance by the JCG.

Bell and DART Aerospace have worked closely to deliver professional results for the Bell 505 Emergency Flotation System to the client.

The system has just recently received certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).