EC145e Closer to Canadian IFR Certification

Metro Aviation, January 28, 2020 - Metro Aviation announced it’s moving closer to receiving Transport Canada certification for the Airbus EC145e’s IFR package.

With support from Metro Aviation, Genesys AeroSystems and S-TEC established an FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for the aircraft in February 2019 and Canadian approval is expected this year.

The certification comes ahead of an anticipated EC145e delivery for Airmedic, a Canadian based EMS company.

Metro sought the IFR certification after receiving requests from customers, like Airmedic, for enhanced safety and technology in the cockpit.

Several EMS programs were able to extend their mission capabilities throughout the U.S. with the 2019 STC. The same will apply for customers operating in Canada.

Owners reaction

Air medical program managers currently operating an EC145e have announced their support for this one-of-a-kind aircraft. HELI-EXPO 2020 attendees can see the airframe up-close at Metro Aviation’s booth (#3624). The aircraft is available in both VFR and IFR configurations, allowing it to the meet the requirements of any mission.

The EC145e is currently available to customers worldwide with a starting price point well below comparably sized aircraft. Given the limited amount of availability.

West Michigan Air Care : “WMAC transitioned to the EC145e from an AS365N2 Dauphin. We have been in this airframe for over a year and our ground handling/lift off times are comparable to those experienced in our previous aircraft. The availability of the wheeled stretcher in the EC145e has improved our overall time for completing flights. The Metro Aviation configured EC145e is an awesome airframe for use in both scene work and complex critical care interfacility transports.” – Matthew Heffelfinger, program director, WMAC

University of Utah AirMed : “My favorite feature of the EC145e is definitely the patient access in the patient cabin. The ability to get to the patient from head to toe regardless of their condition or position has been instrumental for our teams. The loading system was also very attractive to our program. We can easily load in and out on a regular stretcher without having to have another configuration. We’ve received nothing but positive feedback from our crews. They love the medical configuration, access to the pilot, and the communication system. One of the main reasons we chose EC145e was because of the safety features.” – Frankie Toon, program manager, University of Utah AirMed+

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta : “We chose the EC145e, because it has a lot of safety features. The space inside is significant and our crews’ ability to see outside the aircraft for safety reasons is very important to us. It has a terrain awareness system and a wire strike system designed to cut power lines should we ever make contact. It just offered a very customized interior to provide the best care for our patients. We see why everybody loves it. It is the best that you can fly in, and our crew can take better care of patients during critical care transports.” – Stacie Spicer-Gordon, program director, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta

GundersenAir : “When we were deciding which aircraft we wanted to purchase, we realized we would be able to accept a lot of the flights previously missed if we had IFR capabilities, especially being close to the river and river valley - there is a lot of fog. The crews love the aircraft. They like the cockpit room and it’s lighter so we can take more equipment and heavier patients if we need to.” – Stephanie Hill, program director, GundersenAir

EC145e Aircraft Specs

The EC145e has a maximum takeoff weight of 7,903 lbs/ 3,585 kgs, the same as the EC145C2 variant, but the useful load is increased by as much as 330 lbs / 150 kgs (VFR) and as much as 270 lbs / 122 kgs (IFR).

- HSI and navigation display for VOR, ILS, GPS, etc.
- Moving map
- GPS-SBAS Flight Management System (FMS) including VNAV, LPV, etc. (as listed in RFMS)
- HTAWS
- 3D Synthetic Vision System (SVS)
- Flight path marker
- Highway in the sky
- 3-axis HeliSAS autopilot
- Single Pilot VFR
- Glass cockpit
- Garmin G500H and GTN 650/750 navigation and communication system
- 2-axis HeliSAS autopilot
- Genesys Aerosystems 3D Synthetic Vision System EFIS avionics solution

About Metro Aviation: Metro Aviation, Inc., based in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States is a worldwide provider of completion services for all missions and types of helicopters and specializes in the EC135 and EC145 with several Supplemental Type Certificates (STC) developed by the company for these and other aircraft. Metro is an FAA approved repair station, approved Airbus (Eurocopter) Service Center and FAR Part 135 air medical operations provider at several locations across the United States. The company is privately held and is one of the largest traditional air medical providers in the country.