Latest from Bill Wagstaff
Rotorcraft
Rotorcraft Update: New Bell president maps the future
While praising the efforts of his predecessor, Bell Helicopter’s freshly appointed CEO has been offering his own vision of the future for the beleaguered r
Rotorcraft
Eurocopter quietly working on 'neighborly helicopter'
Just a few years ago Eurocopter scored a major coup at an HAI Heli-Expo show, amazing the crowds by introducing a new helicopter as a completely certified
Rotorcraft
Russian helo designs struggle to enter market
“I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia.
Security
Mounting a solid defense
Thanks to the many miracles of modern optics, modern aerial surveillance crews can zoom in their lenses from improbable distances and get razor-sharp image
Rotorcraft
Rotorcraft Update: Extex reveals extension plan
PMA parts maker Extex is finding current business so good it has embarked on an ambitious new expansion program.
Finger tapped as new Sikorsky chief
Dean Borgman, president of Sikorsky Aircraft since 1998, has been appointed chairman of the company.
Rotorcraft
Rotorcraft Update:Enstrom scores biggest sale ever
Mere months after a corporate shakeup rocked Enstrom Helicopter to the roots of its mahogany row, the Menominee, Mich.-based rotorcraft manufacturer celebr
Charter & Fractional
Helicopter share programs reinvent the fractional model
“What’s the difference between fractional helicopter operations and fractional business jet operations?” asked one fractional sales professional rhetorical
Accidents
Rotorcraft Update: This year's second Salt Lake City-area aeromed crash claims pilot
Searchers scouring the ground near the impact site of an Agusta A109K2 operated for Salt Lake City’s Latter Day Saints Hospital have found the part suspect
Rotorcraft
Italian authority certifies AB139
In a surprise move at last month’s Paris Air Show, the much anticipated Bell/Agusta Aerospace AB139 received its type certification from the Italian aerona
ATC
Congress poised to support Gulf low-level ATC initiatives
Taking a more proactive stance than was common in the past, HAI has in recent months been energetically lobbying on Capitol Hill in favor of the developmen
Rotorcraft
Advanced Indian helicopter now free to seek civil sales
After nearly two decades, India’s first indigenous rotorcraft is poised for civil certification in that nation this month, with FAA/ JAA approval expected
Accidents
Rotorcraft Update: Oscars cameraman awarded $13 million
A former Los Angeles-area TV cameraman who was badly hurt when the helicopter he was riding in crashed while he was covering the 2000 Academy Awards
Rotorcraft
Rotorcraft Update: Enstrom names new executive team
In the wake of last winter’s corporate turbulence, Enstrom Helicopter president Peter Parsinen has appointed executives to several key positions to continu
Safety
In-flight medical services more than just first aid
For entrepreneurs, the maturing of a growing market they created comes as a mixed triumph.
Maintenance and Modifications
Use of PMA parts growing within rotorcraft ranks
“PMA parts? Ooh, now there’s a murky area,” said a maintenance supervisor who oversees the upkeep of an offshore oil support helicopter fleet numbering wel
Accidents
Rotorcraft Update: Hawaiian air-tour accident claims family and pilot
The fiery wastelands of Hawaii’s vast volcano fields, among the world’s biggest and most violently active, are one of the Pacific Rim’s biggest tourist att
Rotorcraft
Rotorcraft Update: British-built controls for Marine One?
In an apparent effort to assuage British pressure to adopt the Anglo-Italian EH-101 as the follow-on to the White House’s aged fleet of Sikorsky VH-3S oper
Rotorcraft
Rotorcraft Update: Hiller FH-1100 single-turbine helo reborn
Although dormant for more than a decade after a production run of some 250, the Hiller FH-1100 single-turbine helicopter is being re-manufactured by FH-110
Rotorcraft
Rotorcraft Update: Eurocopter tests fly-by-light system
Eurocopter has successfully flown a production-capable testbed helicopter using fly-by-light systems to drive its primary flight controls.
Rotorcraft
Rotorcraft Update: Rolls-Royce/Teal forecast foresees flat growth
Rolls-Royce has combined its crystal-ball-gazing talents with those of the Teal Group, the industrial forecasting specialist that usually provides its pred
Safety
'Oasys' can detect wires a mile away
Amphitech International has announced an initial sale of the first commercially available obstacle avoidance radar system for helicopters to Canadian Helic
Aircraft
Bell still bullish on BA609 despite Osprey difficulties
The fortunes of the Bell/Agusta BA609 are closely linked to those of the U.S.
Rotorcraft
Rotorcraft Update: ...as civil tiltrotor development slips
Despite the fact that the Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6C-67A engines are installed on the first BA609 prototype tiltrotor, Bell is letting the development
Rotorcraft
Rotorcraft Update: Helicopters haul mountaintop privies
There are some jobs only helicopters can do.
Rotorcraft
Rotorcraft Update: Layoffs continue at Bell...
Coping with a slowdown in both commercial and military sales, Bell Helicopter has laid off 45 more nonunion employees, bringing to 800 the number of jobs i
Rotorcraft
Rotorcraft Update: Powers get power from new Turbomeca engines
Agusta has delivered the first A109E Power to be driven by Turbomeca’s newly FAA-certified Arrius 2K1 engines to Erie, Pa.-based aeromedical transport prov
Rotorcraft
Rotorcraft Update: Portugal goes for a gaggle of EH 101s
AgustaWestland scored a big win last month with the sale of 12 new search-and-rescue (SAR)-configured EH 101 helicopters to the Portuguese government.
