GPMS has collaborated with MD Helicopters, Tennessee-based customisation, completion and maintenance specialist Wysong Enterprises and helicopter operator Tennessee Valley Authority to achieve the FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) for its Foresight MX predictive health and usage monitoring system (HUMS) on the MD530 helicopter.

“We received tremendous support and cooperation from the team at MD,” says GPMS president Jed Kalkstein. “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 futureproof their fleet and deliver next-generation operations. Foresight MX provides the data to improve readiness, enhance 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,” adds MD director of public safety sales Jack Harris.

For the STC, Foresight MX was installed on an MD530 belonging to the Tennessee Valley Authority. TVA is one of the largest public power providers in the United States. With the STC on the MD530 platform, TVA will now have Foresight MX on its full fleet of Bell 429s, 407s and MD530s that it utilises 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, powerline and construction operations. These missions and operations often include low and slow flight regimes where aircraft performance, reliability and safety are paramount.

Kalkstein explains: “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. 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 kit for the MD530 has a minimal, lightweight footprint and is available for installation in new aircraft and as a retrofit.

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, analogue Bell 407 and the Blackhawk in 2022.