VIH Aerospace (VIHA) has been a well-known provider of helicopter and fixed-wing maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services since 2004, offering a range of services including dynamic component repair and overhaul, full service avionics, mobile repair teams, structural repair and paint, engineering and supplemental type certificate (STC) development and integration services.
“Our ability to provide high quality products, services and innovations, quickly and efficiently is what separates us from other companies,” said Dave McGrath, director of marketing, business development and sales.
But as the company continues to grow, it is shifting gears to become recognized as a manufacturing, maintenance, repair and overhaul (MMRO) company in the international aviation market.
“By and large, we are pushing our MMRO capabilities and our key services differentiators, as well as aggressively promoting our supplemental type certificates that we can integrate in the various Bell, Sikorsky, and Airbus products,” said McGrath. “We have become more versatile internally, by partnering with other organizations to offer a more comprehensive suite of services.
“We are moving much more into the third party global MMRO market, and I keep using the term MMRO, because one of the directions that we’ve taken in 2015 — which is carrying through — is our focus on manufacturing,” said McGrath. “So that’s why we’re now calling ourselves an MMRO, and it goes beyond standard helicopter MRO and manufacturing of our STC kits. One of the growth initiatives that we’ve undertaken in 2015 is third party manufacturing across the aerospace sector.”
VIHA has the capability to manufacture many parts in-house, but also utilizes a select group of vendors to ensure capacity requirements and manufacture of certain larger parts.
“Some of the larger parts we have manufactured measure in at about 15 feet,” said Arne Arneson, general manager for VIHA. “We have our preferred vendors that we use for some of the parts; however, VIHA performs the final inspections to ensure quality, dimensions, and fit.”
“One of the key things that we do when we outsource is manage the vendor. We manage the final quality inspection,” said McGrath. “When anything comes out the door it has the VIHA stamp on it. Our quality and inspection team ensures every individual item passes a detailed inspection. This is one of the things that puts us ahead of the curve.”
The company has more than 60 STCs, most of which are found on Bell and Sikorsky products.
More recently, VIHA earned both Federal Aviation Administration and Transport Canada STCs for the MCP01 master caution panel found on the Bell 212. The company partnered with AEM Corporation on the development of the MCP01, which is an aftermarket replacement master caution panel, of the original equipment used on the 212.
“The MCP01 is a one-of-a-kind installation. The new panel provides a number of enhancements that positively impact aircraft safety and reliability,” said Arneson. “The current 212 master caution panel is wholly based on 1960s-era design and technology; and this fact consistently results in issues of reliability and even failure that most often results in extended repair or complete replacement of difficult to procure replacement panels. This ultimately results in aircraft downtime and loss of revenue for the operator.”
VIHA’s avionics team is well known for its high quality service with years of experience repairing and maintaining avionics systems, including communications, radar and navigation systems, as well as performing system upgrades and modifications to meet evolving operational requirements.
“We have some of the best avionics people in the business,” said McGrath. “I’d stack them against anybody as far as putting together avionics, FLIR and NVG [night vision goggle] systems. There’s not a lot we couldn’t tackle.”
VIHA also has a number of STCs for the S-92, like the auxiliary fuel tank system, followed by various bubble windows including vertical reference windows, NVG and FLIR systems, as well as search-and-rescue-related kits.
VIHA is a Bell customer service facility that works on all Bell light and medium helicopters. But it also specializes on the Sikorsky S-61 and S-92, and is now also providing services on the Airbus Helicopters AS350/H125 and EC130/H130.
VIHA has the ability to install any certified kit on an aircraft or helicopter, regardless of whether it’s a VIHA-designed product or developed by another vendor. VIHA has experience on the following models:
• Bell 205, 206 series, 212, 222, 230 and 407;
• Sikorsky S-61, S-76, S-92;
• Airbus Helicopters EC120, EC130, EC135, AS350, AS355;
• Kamov Ka-32;
• Robinson R22;
• Bombardier CL-604 Challenger; and
• Hawker Beechcraft 800A.
“We’re definitely getting recognized globally now,” said McGrath. “Quite frankly, the quality of our product speaks for itself and the word is getting around.”
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