India’s Pawan Hans Helicopters (PHHL), a government enterprise that claims to be the largest helicopter operator in the country’s civil and parapublic market, signed a $9.8 million contract for three AS 350B3 Ecureuils in June.
Chairman and managing director R. K. Tyagi told AIN the company expects delivery of the helicopters around August or September next year.
Russian Helicopters is relaunching production of the Mi-34S1 light piston helicopter and simultaneously working on a turbine version, the Mi-34S2 Sapsan, powered by a Turbomeca Arrius 2F. The Sapsan (Russian for peregrine falcon) is expected to be certified under U.S. FAR 27 and European CS 27 regulations.
Following Transport Canada certification and FAA validation of the Bell 429 in July, Bell Helicopter Textron of Fort Worth, Texas, delivered the first aircraft, S/N 57006, to launch customer Air Methods on August 1. The current Bell 429 fleet (two prototypes, three flight test and two customer aircraft) has accumulated more than 2,200 hours.
The FAA issued a final rule revising the training, qualification, certification and operating requirements for pilots, flight instructors, ground instructors and pilot schools to clarify, update and correct existing regulations. The changes were made to incorporate international flight standards and respond to recent technological advances.
The FAA has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) modifying the airspace over the Hudson River in the aftermath of the August 8 midair between a Liberty Helicopters sightseeing AS 350 and a Piper PA-32R-300, killing all nine people on the
two aircraft.
Gulfstream Aerospace is designating the Jet Aviation facility in São Paulo, Brazil, as an authorized warranty repair facility. “Because Jet Aviation is now part of the General Dynamics parent-company aerospace group, it allows us to improve our service capabilities in the region, and in particular in Brazil,” Gulfstream said. General Dynamics is also the parent company of Gulfstream.
In a hearing of the lawsuit filed by Blue Sky Avgroup against kit-airplane developer Epic Air, a federal judge in late August agreed with both the plaintiff’s and defendant’s request that a receiver be appointed. Early this month, the receiver is expected to provide a report and then Bend, Ore.-based Epic Air and sister companies Aircraft Completions Services and Aircraft Investor Resources will file for bankruptcy.
A private jet terminal at Shanghai Hongqiao Airport is scheduled to open ahead of the World Expo in May. Construction is now well under way, with the terminal structure already completed but not yet outfitted inside. The executive terminal will have security inspections, quarantine and customs separate from the other terminals at Hongqiao Airport.
Airbus confirmed to AIN today that it will build just 13 A380s this year, rather than the previously planned 14.
Sikorsky Aircraft wrapped up whirl testing of a demonstration rotor system with active flaps as part of the company’s “commitment to design, develop, test and ultimately field next-generation technologies that will advance the current state of rotorcraft.” Development partners on the project are United Technologies Research Center for the blades and Hamilton Sundstrand Claverham for the flap actuators.
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