NEW CENTURY, Kan. - Butler National Corporation, a specialized aircraft structural modification, maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) company in Olathe, Kan. announced that its subsidiary, Avcon Industries, Inc., has obtained Federal Aviation Administration Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) approval of the Avcon dual camera port installation and the Avcon Special Mission Pod modification on the Textron/Cessna Model 208B airplanes.
The modifications are FAA-approved and may be simultaneously installed to provide approximately 80 cubic feet of additional space in the fuselage-mounted pod, which space may accommodate sensor/cameras/radars with a full 360-degree swept volume. The Avcon dual camera ports are compatible with the lower fuselage pod and allow the installation of cabin-mounted Lidar/camera sensors.
The Avcon "Special Mission Pod" is uniquely designed by the Avcon aerospace engineers to optimize sensor operational capabilities for the Model 208 and 208B airplanes," Commented Chris Reedy, President and CEO of Butler National Corporation. "Similarly, the combination of a Special Mission Pod with the Avcon Caravan camera ports expands the functionality of the aircraft to other applications."
"Avcon continues to look for opportunities to grow the utility of airplanes for special missions, among other commercial operations. While Avcon offers many special mission modifications for King Air airplanes, from extended nose, camera ports and its oversized pod for the King Air B300 to provisions for external stores and workstations, now Avcon has extended its available platforms to include the Model 208/208B Caravan family," Commented Aric Peters, Director of Sales. Peters added, "The Avcon modifications are designed for generic functionality, to include installation, retraction, and extension of lights, cameras, and is compatible with a wide range of radar bands including X/P/L-bands."
