StableLight Helicopter Autopilot Earns FAA STC

Thales and StandardAero have announced that their StableLight four-axis autopilot has been granted a supplemental type certificate (STC) by the FAA.

Kate O'Connor

Friday, November 24, 2023 at 05:03 PM ET

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StableLight is being offered as a retrofit for Airbus AS350 and H125 helicopters. [Courtesy: StandardAero/Thales]

Key Takeaways:

Thales and StandardAero have received FAA supplemental type certification (STC) for their StableLight four-axis autopilot, designed as a retrofit for Airbus AS350 and H125 helicopters.
The StableLight system offers a "true" autopilot solution for light helicopters, made possible by a cost-effective and lightweight design due to a revolution in actuator technology.
It provides advanced features such as stability augmentation, attitude retention, auto hover, go-around mode, and a terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS) with auto-pull up functions.
Priced at $150,000 for the kit, the 40-pound system is estimated to take 2-3 weeks for installation, with EASA and Transport Canada validations pending.

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Thales and StandardAero have announced that their StableLight four-axis autopilot has been granted a supplemental type certificate (STC) by the FAA.

Available as a retrofit for Airbus AS350 and H125 helicopters, StableLight is based on Thales’ previously certified Compact Autopilot system for light and medium helicopters. Thales credits “a recent revolution in actuator design” by its engineers for allowing it to create a “true” autopilot light enough and cost-effective enough for light helicopters. The system was developed in partnership with StandardAero.