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DART Helicopter Services Announces Transport Canada Approval of Apical AW139 Liferaft Kit.

DART Helicopter Services announced that their affiliated partner, Apical Industries Inc, has received Transport Canada approval of their Liferaft Kit for Agusta AW139 model helicopters.


September 20, 2007  By Carey Fredericks

July 13/07– DART Helicopter Services has announced that their affiliated partner, Apical Industries Inc, a world class leader in emergency flotation and evacuation equipment, has received Transport Canada approval of their Liferaft Kit for Agusta AW139 model helicopters. FAA approval has been previously received and EASA approval is pending.

The AW139 Liferaft Kit consists of two externally mounted Liferaft Pod Assemblies and a Liferaft inflation reservoir with a mechanical activation system. The Liferaft Pod Assemblies include an aluminum mounting structure, a fabric top cover, a carbon fiber bottom cover, a 10 Man Reversible Liferaft and an integrated composite Passenger Step.

The 10 Man Reversible Liferafts incorporate a twin tube design, a canopy, and a survival kit. The Liferafts feature a 15 man overload capacity and meet all applicable TSO-C70a requirements. Both Liferafts are inflated with a single Liferaft reservoir assembly.

The Liferafts are deployed using the mechanical Liferaft inflation system which consists of two cockpit mounted T-Handles mounted along the door frame on the pilot’s and co-pilot’s side, and one T-Handle mounted in the passenger compartment subfloor accessible through an access panel.

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Jeff Shapiro, President and CEO of DART Helicopter Services, commented that, “This system is superbly designed to reduce any weight or drag penalty when compared with any currently available systems. In addition, Apical’s longer maintenance and overhaul requirements and optional exchange program mean that this system will enhance not only the operational safety but also the bottom line.”

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