Citation
(2008), "FAA awards STC for innovative emergency power system", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 80 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2008.12780aad.009
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2008, Emerald Group Publishing Limited
FAA awards STC for innovative emergency power system
FAA awards STC for innovative emergency power system
STG Aerospace's Wireless Emergency Primary Power System (WEPPS) has received an FAA STC for the whole Boeing 737NG family, the first in a prioritised “roll-out” program of certification aimed at the whole commercial aircraft market.
The patented next generation emergency power system, received regulatory approval following rigorous design, development, and testing programs, concluding with final flight testing in Florida.
WEPPS is a radically new application of current technologies for managing and powering emergency lighting systems, with a built-in wireless monitoring and diagnostic capability. It is said to give airlines:
• A “fit for life” solution for battery modules that needs no charging and/ or scheduled maintenance – ever!
• A means of performing daily checks on the whole emergency lighting system in under 10s.
Peter Stokes, Chief Executive of STG Aerospace, said: “We, and our customers, are very pleased to receive this thorough endorsement from the authorities. WEPPS resolves a series of significant problems the industry has suffered for many years, and with a payback period often much less than 12 months, and total `through life' costs less than 5 per cent of conventional Ni- Cad systems, it makes sound business sense from the moment it is installed right through the aircraft's operational life.”
Savings on spares, the burdensome maintenance cycle and the elimination of dispatch delays associated with current ELS power systems could add up to over US$1billion per year for the commercial aviation industry. Anticipating the huge demand, the exclusively business class airline, Silverjet, got their orders in early, even before the STC approval.
The approval data from the FAA STC will now be submitted to EASA for reciprocal approval, and STG Aerospace anticipates securing this imminently.
The rollout program for FAA and EASA certifications across the remainder of the Boeing family is in progress, before making applications for Airbus and other aircraft types.
Details available from: STG Aerospace, web site: www.stgaerospace.com