Genesys Aerosystems Pursues STC for Military Trainers

FAA approval of the avionics suite for the Pilatus PC-7 military trainer will also open the door for approval for the Beech Model 3000 and T6 Texan II, the company said.

Genesys Aerosystems, which is pursuing a supplemental type certificate (STC) for an avionics suite for the Pilatus PC-7, said it expects FAA approval in early 2023. [Courtesy Andreas Glockner via Pixabay]

Mineral Wells, Texas-based Genesys Aerosystems has been assigned a project number from the FAA to pursue a supplemental type certificate (STC) for an avionics suite for the Pilatus PC-7—a low-wing tandem trainer used by the military—which will open the door for more military applications.

The company has been pursuing the STC for several months, according to Jamie Luster, Genesys Aerosystems director of sales and marketing. They expect FAA approval by Q1 2023.

Genesys expects to acquire the STC for its avionics suite on the PC-7, and thus add the aircraft to its approved model list (AML) for the suite. Once that is in place, because of similarities between the Beech Model 3000 and T6 Texan II and the PC-7 and -9, Genesys projects approval on the STC for the suite in those aircraft to follow.

Pilatus PC-7 Genesys PC-7 Avionics 2 The initial installation is being accomplished in Genesys’ Pilatus PC-7, upon which the PC-9 and Beech Model 3000 are based, according to the company.

“The similarity of the PC-7, Beech 3000, and T-6A Texan II models lend themselves ideally to an AML STC,” Dean Boston, chief certification engineer, said in a statement. 

“This approach allows us to easily modify the design as needed to meet the T-6A’s unique requirements as well as a variety of similar trainer fleets around the world," Boston said.

The Genesys avionics being certified on these tandem-seat trainers includes Genesys electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) displays with integrated flight management system (FMS), terrain awareness warning system (TAWS), military-grade head-up display (HUD) symbology, integrated digital flight recording, and a host of other features for tandem-seat training aircraft.

The STC architecture also includes the Genesys Digital Radio software-definable integrated VHF and UHF nav/com radio, ultra-compact sensors, engine/airframe indications, integrated radio management, and an integrated voice-warning master caution system.

Genesys Aerosystems is a Moog Inc. company, and it is a leading provider of integrated avionics systems for military and civil customers.

Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.

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