Vector Aerospace successfully completes first AS350 CRFT flight test

Vector Aerospace Corporation, a global independent provider of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, and its partner Robertson Fuel Systems (RFS), a HEICO Company, have reported that their Crash-Resistant Fuel Tank (CRFT) for the Airbus AS350 light single helicopter family has successfully completed its first flight. This second major milestone toward Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification of the retrofittable CRFT comes shortly after the successful completion of an FAA-certified 50-foot drop test that demonstrated the tank’s ability to withstand impact without any leakage, thereby helping to prevent post-crash fires. The new CRFT has since been installed on two flight test aircraft, an AS350 B2 and an AS350 B3, with both undergoing extensive ground-testing as the program progresses steadily forward.