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| AS350 Operators Benefit from Newly Certified AFS Inlet Barrier Filter | |
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St. Louis, Missouri, Jan 25, 2008 – A rapidly growing number of AS350 operators are protecting their helicopter investment with newly certified inlet barrier filters (IBF) from Aerospace Filtration Systems (AFS). 
Operators worldwide have made more than 75 installations of the new filters since their certification by U.S. and Canadian authorities in 2007. One operator, Dwight Jones, owner of Mountain Air Helicopters in Santa Fe, NM, calls the AFS inlet barrier filters "… the very best air inlet protection available." The filters are compatible with AS350s equipped with either Turbomeca or Honeywell engines and are easily installed without modification to the engine cowl and without downloads to calculate. The rugged, canted flat filter design allows the aircraft to operate at peak efficiency with maximum airflow in all flight regimes and environments. "The system is simple to maintain," Jones said. "We operate our helicopters in some very extreme conditions with the majority of our landings on unimproved helispots in mountainous, high desert areas where dust, dirt and sand are a constant worry." Mountain Air Helicopters specializes in firefighting and other utility work in New Mexico's hot and high terrain, arguably some of the toughest environments for helicopter operations. "Smoke, ash and other contaminants related to the fire environment produce additional engine air hazards," he said. "These contaminants are power robbers and at the altitudes we work, we need all the engine power we can get. We have a constant challenge of protecting one of the most expensive and crucial parts of our aircraft, the engine." With satisfactory power checks, AFS AS350 IBF-equipped helicopters are permitted to operate to basic inlet charts with no flight or gross weight restrictions. The recently approved Flight Manual Supplement for Arriel-powered AS350 IBF permits operation to basic inlet or sand filter performance charts alike, depending on engine health and filter condition. The system features a sealed engine intake plenum that replaces the sand filter, engine air particle separator or alternate barrier filter. For added safety, the AFS IBF system includes an integral bypass system designed with a rear-facing bypass door and breathable plenum to greatly reduce the possibility of debris entering the engine. An easily accessed switch in the cockpit operates the bypass system. Down time is lost revenue for helicopter operators. According to Jones, "The filters are priced well and filter swap is a snap. We purchased an additional filter element for quick swaps when our filters get dirty in the field. This allows our mechanics time to properly clean the standby filter and it takes only maybe five minutes to change the element so we have no downtime." Standard with AFS systems is a reliable filter maintenance aid that allows on-condition inspections between established cleaning intervals of up to 300 hours, or one year, eliminating unnecessary cleaning. Filter assemblies are designed for 15 cleaning cycles, for a maximum life of 4,500 flight hours depending on operating environment. AFS inlet barrier filters are certified for most commercial and military helicopters and are in wide use by U.S. military helicopters operating in the combat environments of the Middle East.
About Aerospace Filtration Systems, Inc.
About Mountain Air Helicopters, Inc. Visit AFS at Booth 4013 and see an AS350 IBF system during the upcoming HELI-EXPO 2008 in Houston, Texas, Feb. 24-26, 2007. # # #
For more information, contact: |
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© 2001-2007 Aerospace Filtration Systems, Inc. | Fax: 636.300.5205 | ||
