Announces Program to Amend its Learjet 30-series RVSM STC to Add Autopilot and Wing Configurations
West Star Announces Program to Amend its Learjet 30-series RVSM STC to Add Autopilot and Wing Configurations
West Star Aviation, Inc. announced that it has initiated a program to amend its Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) — awarded in August 2003 — to include Learjet models 35A and 36A with the FC-530 autopilot, models 35 and 36 with the FC-200 autopilot and Mark IV wings, models 35A and 36A with the FC-200 autopilot and non-Softflite Century III wings, and 31 models with the FC-531 autopilot. The existing STC applies to Learjet 35, 35A, 36, and 36A model aircraft equipped with the FC-200 autopilot and Century III Softflite wings.
The avionics package for all aircraft in the amended STCs will be essentially the same as the Honeywell equipment used in the original STC. However, on aircraft equipped with the FC-530 and FC-531 autopilots, the existing altitude pre-select and Rosemount pitot-static probes will be incorporated into the RVSM solution whereas (as in the original STC) a new digital altitude alerter and two Rosemount pitot-static probes will be installed on aircraft equipped with the FC-200 autopilot.
West Star estimates the amended STCs will allow approximately 70 to 80 additional Learjet 30-series aircraft to meet the impending RVSM mandate, scheduled for implementation in domestic airspace on January 20, 2005. According to Greg Laabs, West Star’s Vice President of Operations, the company’s decision to invest in the expanded RVSM program was in response to numerous customer requests.
“Currently, there are no RVSM solutions on the market for Learjet 35A and 36A aircraft with Mark IV and non-Softflite Century III wings”, said Laabs. “West Star’s amended STC will enable our customers operating these aircraft to become RVSM compliant without undergoing costly wing modifications or ‘one-off’ STC certification”.
Aircraft in the test group are now undergoing equipment installation and test flights are scheduled to begin in late January. West Star expects the FAA to award the STC amendments no later than mid-July 2004.
In order to meet the high demand for the West Star Learjet RVSM solution, five other facilities have been designated authorized installation centers: Atlantic Aero, Inc. in Greensboro, North Carolina; Avcon Industries, Inc. in Newton, Kansas; Flight International Aviation LLC in Newport News, Virginia; JetCorp in Chesterfield, Missouri; Northeast Airmotive in Portland, Maine, and Precision Jet Service, Inc. in Stuart, Florida. These installation centers have received the required training and acquired the tooling necessary to perform the West Star RVSM modification on Learjet 35/36 aircraft in the original STC group as well as those included in the amended STC.