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Paravion Technology gets STC for Bell 429 blade kit
May 3, 2012 By Carey Fredericks
May 3, 2012, Fort Collins, Co. - Today, Paravion Technology, Inc. announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had issued an STC (Supplemental Type Certificate) for its Blade Fold Kit for Bell 429 helicopters.
With the fixed provisions installed, owners and operators can store their aircraft in space limited areas, such as small, off-site hangars and aboard ocean-going vessels.
The kit includes a set of permanently installed provisions and a set of forward and aft blade supports. To fold the blades, quick-release pins are inserted into the fixed provisions and the supports are then attached to the pins and raised to move the fore and aft blades off of their droop stops. The inboard expandable blade bolts of the supported blades are then removed and the tail rotor is used to rotate the other two main rotor blades into position. The rotated blades are then secured by the blade supports. The whole operation can be completed in less than 20 minutes by two people.
Pricing for the complete kit, fixed provisions and blade supports, is $14,500.00 US. The fixed provisions and blade supports can also be purchased separately for $8,862.26 US and $5,637.74 US, respectively.
