Erickson Announces Enhanced Aircrane Modifications
August 3, 2015 | By Business Wire News
PORTLAND, Ore.
Erickson Incorporated (NASDAQ:EAC), a leading global provider of aviation services, is pleased to announce newly designed and certified enhancements for the S-64 Aircrane to improve situational awareness for aircraft pilots. As part of a continuous improvement initiative, the company has installed and certified FAA mandated Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) OUT (transmit) systems, which are ADS-B IN (receive) systems combined with state of the art GPS units with Helicopter Terrain and Awareness System (HTAWS). The HTAWS system provides flight crews with real time visual and audible information for terrain and obstacles in and around the helicopter flight plan.
Erickson performed all system design, integration, testing and certification for the advanced avionics, and has selected Garmin Limited to supply the hardware for the new systems. The modification is FAA approved and certified to today’s regulatory requirements, but will also be compliant with the new mandated FAA requirements that will be required by December 31st, 2019. Erickson has released the first modified machine to service following successful flight testing.
Since the company acquired the Type Certificate for the S-64 Aircrane in 1992, Erickson has been the OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) for the aircraft, and has continuously improved the helicopter’s reliability, safety, operating costs, supply chain and overall capabilities. This new, state of the art design, test and certification of the ADS-B OUT system can be applied to any platform, and when combined with the company’s manufacturing capabilities, clearly identifies Erickson as a “one stop shop” for ADS-B, HTAWS and other avionics upgrades and system enhancements.
Erickson Vice President of Manufacturing and MRO, Kerry Jarandson said of the project, “We continue to invest in product enhancing features, such as the ADS-B, to leverage our manufacturing and MRO capabilities. Industry leading product innovation is in our DNA, and we continue to deploy new ideas for our fleet as well as the global customer base we support.”
About Erickson
Erickson is a leading global provider of aviation services and operates, maintains and manufactures utility aircraft to safely transport and place people and cargo around the world. The Company is self-reliant, multifaceted and operates in remote locations under challenging conditions specializing in Government Services, Manufacturing and MRO, and Commercial Services (comprised of firefighting, HVAC, power line, construction, timber harvesting, oil and gas and specialty lift). With roots dating back to 1960, Erickson operates a fleet of approximately 80 aircraft, is headquartered in Portland, Oregon, USA, and operates in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific, and Australia. For more information, please visit our new website at www.ericksonaviation.com.
This press release contains certain statements relating to future results (including, without limitation, “believe,” “may,” “estimate,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “expect,” “predict”), which are forward-looking statements as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on beliefs of Company management, as well as assumptions and estimates based on information currently available to the Company, and are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from historical results or those anticipated, including certain other risks or uncertainties more fully described under the heading “Risk Factors” in our most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K as well as in the other reports we file with the SEC from time to time, which are available at the SEC’s web site located at http://www.sec.gov. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of such statements or to reflect the occurrence of anticipated or unanticipated events.
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Erickson Incorporated
Susan Bladholm, 971-255-5023
Erickson—Media requests
sbladholm@ericksonaviation.com
or
Zachary Cotner, 503-505-5804
Investor Relations
zcotner@ericksonaviation.com
