In a recent candid video, Guida shared the gritty, exhilarating journey of certifying Tamarack’s groundbreaking technology—most notably its Active Winglet load alleviation system—and offered a glimpse into what’s next for the industry. Pair this with Tamarack’s Engineering Consulting expertise, and you’ve got a recipe for aviation’s future.
Guida didn’t mince words about the certification process. “You’re just trying to stay ahead of it because you have no control,” he admits, pointing to the formidable task of working with certifying authorities like the FAA and EASA. These agencies, while critical to safety, can feel like roadblocks to innovation. “They’re not always in the most encouraging positions,” Guida notes, echoing a universal truth for disruptors navigating government red tape. Yet, for Tamarack, this was a fight worth winning—a battle that shaped their success.
The challenge mirrors the complexities outlined in our recent dive into Tamarack’s Engineering Consulting services, where Supplemental Type Certificates (STCs) and Type Certification Major Changes (TCs) demand precision and persistence. Guida’s experience underscores why Tamarack’s expertise—spanning Project Specific Certification Plans (PSCPs), Request for Conformity (RFC), and Test Planning and Reporting—has become a lifeline for aviation pioneers.
Two moments stand out in Guida’s recounting of Tamarack’s rise. The first was a flight test with a prototype system on his personal airplane, where the team needed to dump a gust load in a mere tenth of a second. “That was critical to get ahead of the gust and the load coming in,” he explains. Seeing the data on a graph post-flight was the green light: “Okay, we’re ready now we can do this.” It was a eureka moment that validated the Active Winglet technology’s potential.
The second milestone came with bigger players. After scaling to a CitationJet and a Cirrus, Tamarack set a world record—a feat that caught Textron’s attention. “Then we got certified in December of 2015,” Guida recalls, marking a huge leap. From there, the certifications snowballed: the CJ, CJ1+, CJ2+, CJ3, CJ3+, M2, and beyond. Each success honed Tamarack’s flight test engineering and data submission process, turning certification into a habit of excellence. “Our team really gelled,” Guida says. “We were getting very efficient at it.”
This aligns seamlessly with the Engineering Consulting article’s focus on mastering STCs and TCs, showcasing Tamarack’s ability to navigate FAA scrutiny with DAR and DER coordination, ensuring every aircraft modification soars to new heights.
What began as an aftermarket solution is now poised to revolutionize new aircraft designs. “There’s no reason why you wouldn’t have a load alleviation system on a new aircraft,” Guida asserts. The Active Winglets lighten the wing, reduce inertial response to gusts, and shift design parameters for aerodynamicists, loads engineers, and weight specialists. “This is not just something that’s a flash in the pan,” he emphasizes. “We were ten years ahead of everything, but now it’s catching up.”
This forward-thinking vision ties directly to the Engineering Consulting services, where Tamarack’s expertise in test planning and reporting paves the way for integrating sustainable, high-performance tech into production-line aircraft. It’s a testament to their role as aviation disruptors, a theme echoed across their recent projects.
As Tamarack looks to the future, Guida sees a technology with boundless potential. “No matter what industry you’re in, you’re going to want to watch this growth,” he predicts. From where Tamarack stands today, the path forward is clear: collaboration with industry leaders to squeeze every ounce of innovation from this system.
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