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's StableLight four-axis autopilot has received FAA supplemental type certification (STC), allowing it to be retrofitted on Airbus AS350 and H125 helicopters.
The system is an innovative "true" autopilot designed to be light and cost-effective for light helicopters, attributed to a recent revolution in actuator design.
StableLight offers advanced features for pilots and operators, including stability augmentation, auto hover, go-around mode, and a terrain awareness and warning system (TAWS) with auto-pull up functions.
Priced at $150,000 with a 40-pound installed weight, the system is also seeking EASA and Transport Canada validations.

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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.