The Northeast Montana STAT Air Ambulance Cooperative has received the first of three Pilatus PC-12 aircraft that have undergone a complete Garmin avionics upgrades from Fargo Jet Center (FJC). The new functionality, performance, situational awareness and safety features will allow for increased mission safety and dispatch reliability for the air ambulance team.

“Our relationship with FJC dates back more than a decade when we were looking for an authorised Pilatus service centre to support our first PC-12. Since then, we have added two more aircraft to our fleet ,with FJC continuing to support our routine maintenance as well as provide dedicated air medical interior modifications and other minor installs and upgrades,” says director of operations Russ Dahl. “FJC has proven itself as a reputable and professional operation, which made it an easy choice when looking for a solution for our avionics needs.”

The Pilatus PC-12 had previously been operated using factory-installed Bendix King EFS 50 EFIS systems and legacy avionics equipment. With the removal of the ageing, analogue sensors and bulky, spinning mass gyros, flight data is now presented on large, customisable, high-resolution touchscreen displays. FJC also completed the integration of auxiliary video from an existing infrared camera system and there has been a significant reduction to the electrical loads on the aircraft and a substantial weight reduction of over 150 pounds.

"Seeing the quality workmanship and attention to detail our team delivered on this first aircraft is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our team," says FJC avionics lead Drew Stiles. “Collaborating with the Northeast Montana STAT Air Ambulance Cooperative team to develop a custom solution tailored to better serve is operation has proven to be a win for all involved.”

FJC's PC-12 Garmin avionics upgrade consists of: Dual G600TXi systems with 10.6” displays, GAD-43e adapter, GCU-485 control panel and GI-275 standby indicator; dual GTN-750Xi WAAS GPS/nav/com transceivers with GMA-350c audio panel and Flight Stream 510 for Bluetooth/wi-fi connectivity; G600TXi EIS eEngine indicating system with dedicated 7” display and PFD backup; GWX-75 weather radar and GDL-69A SXM receiver; three axis GFC600 digital autopilot with pitch trim; and dual GTX ADS-B compliant transponders.