Fairbanks, Alaska-based Wright Air Service flies a variety of aircraft on charter flights to remote locations in the interior of Alaska. Among its fleet of 21 aircraft are four Helio Courier H-295s.
Years ago, Wright modified the engines on two of its Helios. The modifications were field approved by the FAA. Since then, those two Helios have more than 22,000 hours of operating experience.
Over the last decade or so, the FAA has tightened the requirements for obtaining a field approval or stopped issuing them altogether.
With a desire to modify the two additional Helios, Wright hired Momentum Aeronautics of Saint Paul, Minnesota, to complete two supplemental type certificates (STCs) for the H-295.
The project was unique because of the old field approvals Wright Air Service obtained. The company wished to use much of the existing data and experience to get STCs for these modifications.
The advantage of getting an STC to modify aircraft is that once a company obtains a specific STC, the same modifications can be done to multiple aircraft without approving each modification individually. Additionally, the STC process ensures that the installation has passed scrutiny by the certification branch of the FAA.
Wright already had the design work complete, obviously. And 22,000-plus operational hours speaks volumes — or it should.
And here’s where the FAA exhibited a willingness to walk its talk when it comes to encouraging the industry to deliver improvements to the aviation marketplace. You know, that whole Part 23 rewrite thing…
Wright’s extensive experience with this Helio modification allowed Momentum Aeronautics to save a lot of effort to meet FAA requirements. For example, the FAA agreed no testing was required because of Wright’s extensive time spent in the airplane with existing field approvals. Often the FAA will tell STC applicants that service data is not compliance data, but in this case the FAA took a much more measured approach considering the magnitude of time on the installation.
The news release from Momentum Aero says, “Essentially, we got lucky.” Perhaps. But as the quote goes “The harder I work, the luckier I seem to be.”
For sure, both Wright and Momentum put in a lot of work to comply with the FAA process. But the easiest thing for any FAA employee is to follow the rules, to the letter.
Marry Wright and Momentum’s existing hard work with the Part 23 rewrite and I believe this FAA “flexibility” is a prime example of a desired result.
“The FAA Aircraft Certification Office staff in Alaska was great to work with on this project,” said Kyle Taylor, an aeronautical engineer for Momentum Aeronautics. “But we also worked hard to make it easy for them to say yes.”
The FAA gets beat up — a lot — by those of us not on the FAA payroll. Oftentimes, the agency deserves it. But when FAA officials play a part in making something better — and in this case, walking their talk— we must say well done.
So… FAA, well done. And I’ll go a step further and say Thank You.
In defense of Ben Sclair, I am a former employee of Wrights who was there when the original engines were modified to fuel injection. One of my current customers has an H-295 that we wanted to fuel inject this past spring. It was only through my efforts in getting this field approval, and my past affiliation with Wrights, that I learned of the STC project from Wrights, and the ACO’s stance on future mods of this type. It certainly was not not readily available public knowledge.
Not that I’m defending the FAA either. I am non too happy that they will not entertain future efforts of this type. Perhaps that will change with additional public comment.
I “sensed” that, David. Thank you for your candid comments. And that’s why I wrote such an outspoken comment here. I am HOT over the Part 23 rewrite issue, as you can probably tell.
There were about 50 people who participated in the ARC Part 23 Rewrite activities for FIVE YEARS !!! … some of them FAA types. They did a good job IMHO. The final report — if adopted as written — would have greatly improved things for everyone. What ultimately resulted isn’t even close.
And NOW … EAA is “working” with the FAA on their MOSAIC idea. Hmmm … that was kinda what the ARC Committee was trying to do in the first place.
Unless and until the FAA cuts over regulating Class I Part 23 airplanes … all they’re doing is rearranging the chairs on the Titanic while simultaneously giving themselves promotions and patting themselves on the back. One of the reasons I regularly write “poison pen” comments is exactly what you said … it’s time for “them” to wake up or smell the roses at the funeral for GA.
“Walking the Talk” … am I missing something here, Ben? Are you writing “tongue in cheek?”
Reading the title, a reader would be inclined to believe that the FAA did something “right” for a change. In fact, they greatly complicated the situation not only for Wright Air Service but also for anyone else who might want to modify their like engines in the H-295 using a field approval. Instead of modifying their two other Helio’s using a field approval by similarity using their extensive experience with the first two, they had to hire Momentum Aeronautics — that wasn’t free — to develop an STC. That’s not progress. That’s complicating the process with associated expenses. And for what? Who is gonna benefit? Certainly not the owners of the other 52 Helio H-295’s on the registry. The FAR Part 23 rewrite didn’t help Wright Air at all. They had to pay for an STC process for just two more airplanes when — in fact — a simple Form 337 “by similarity / experience” woulda done the trick in the past.
David Delcourt stated that Wright Air has no intention of selling the STC’s to other H-295 owners and now — because of the STC — the FAA will not accept any field approvals for the same modification. This doesn’t sound like “walking the talk” … it sounds like Catch -22 personified!
“That whole FAR Part 23 rewrite thing” is a HUMONGOUS irritant to me as a long time pilot, mechanic and GA aircraft owner who is intimately familiar with the FAR Part 23 rewrite activities and time line. I followed the work of the Aviation Rulemaking Committee from it’s beginning in 2009. After five years, the ARC sent their well written 346 page Report / Recommendations to a genuine FAA “good guy” … Earl Lawrence, manager of the Small Aircraft Directorate. The Recommendations had some excellent provisions contained therein. Predominantly, establishment of a new category of airworthiness called “Primary Non-Commercial” which would have allowed owners of GA airplanes to modify them in much the same way as E-AB airplanes. What the higher HQ within FAA adopted — and is patting themselves on the back over — is nowhere close to what the ARC’s recommendations contained. The FAR Part 23 rewrite final Regs are travesty, Ben. The ARC wasted their time, predominantly.
Yeah … there’s a few NORSEE items now easily approved but the largest problem I see is that most everything is now having to get an STC … just like this article describes. Things didn’t get simpler … they got MORE complicated for the “little” guy. Sorry, but I don’t agree with the thrust of your article.
As I’ve said before and continue to say today … “The FAA … making simple stuff hard since 1958 !”
Just to add to the story, it was in regards to fuel injecting the GO-480 and eliminating the pressure carb. Wrights has no intention of selling the STC to any private Helio owners wishing to do the same, and as of very recently, the Aircraft Certification Office in Anchorage is not accepting field approvals to do this citing the existing STC, which is not available to the general public.
Now that’s really big news. The Bureaucrats at the FAA did their jobs! Wow.