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Government sector boosts Helitech orders
November 01, 2009
The reformed European Helicopter Association–operating under the acronym newEHA–publicly touched down for the first time at the 2009 Helitech show at Duxford, UK, albeit having had to adopt a slightly revised flight plan. At the 11th hour, the European HEMS and Air Ambulance Committee (EHAC) opted not to merge with newEHA. So the new organization, which had...
moreHelitech news Briefs
November 01, 2009
Rolls-Royce boosted availability of RR300 engine parts and customer services by signing an exclusive distribution agreement with AAR. According to Rolls-Royce Helicopter Engine business president Ken Roberts, the worldwide AAR group will provide a turnkey solution for RR300 operators around the clock. The RR300 turboshaft has been selected by Robinson...
moreFirst Bell 429s delivered; getting airmed interiors
October 21, 2009
Bell Helicopter Textron of Fort Worth, Texas, delivered the first Bell 429 customer aircraft to launch customer Air Methods on August 1, after which S/N 57006 flew south from Bell’s assembly facility in Mirabel, Quebec, to Mercy Hospital in Des Moines, Iowa. While in Des Moines, where it is expected to enter service as “Mercy One” at the end of this year,...
moreSikorsky Whirl Tests Active Rotor System
October 01, 2009
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...
moreBell delivers first 429 to launch customer
October 01, 2009
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 Air Methods...
moreRussian firm relaunches Mi-34 with Arrius engine
October 01, 2009
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.First delivery is pegged for the fourth quarter of...
moreIndia’s Pawan Hans adds Eurocopters
October 01, 2009
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...
moreItaly tests first dedicated route for low-level IFR helo flying
October 01, 2009
A recent study of the transportation infrastructure in Italy determined the nation needs a means of effecting a major improvement in the flow of traffic between its densely populated urban areas, and the country is testing opening low-level air routes to rotorcraft as a way of improving mobility. The Italian civil aviation authority– Enac–is scheduled to...
moreFirst Eurocopter EC 135 Hermès Is Back on the Market
September 29, 2009
Falcon Aviation Services, a charter operator based in Abu Dhabi, has placed its Eurocopter EC 135 “L'Hélicoptère par Hermès” on the market, less than five months after taking delivery. UK-based PremiAir is marketing the luxurious light twin. Although Falcon Aviation is “operationally very happy with the aircraft,” CEO Philip Markham told AIN, it fills a...
moreVH-71 Presidential helicopter teeters on the edge
September 28, 2009
The future of the VH-71 presidential helicopter program neared the wire last month as Congress worked to pass a final 2010 defense appropriations bill that the President would sign before the start of the fiscal year on October 1. If the bill is not signed into law by then, Congress would need to pass a continuing resolution to temporarily fund the...
moreNew Chinooks for Canada, and Upgrades for UK
September 15, 2009
Boeing took a long-expected order from Canada for 15 CH-47F Chinook helicopters worth $1.15 billion. These will be new-build helicopters, to enter service in 2013 and 2014. Boeing said it would offset the entire contract value with contracts and partnerships in Canada. Canada already operates six CH-47Ds that it acquired urgently last year from the U.S....
moreCessna Parent Textron Sees Bizjet Recovery in 2011
September 10, 2009
During a Textron business update yesterday, company chairman and CEO Lewis Campbell said he is seeing trends of economic stabilization, though he admitted that subsidiary Cessna Aircraft is still “fighting its way through the most difficult down cycle, maybe in the history of the business jet industry.” While he added that 2010 is going to be a “tough year”...
moreUsed Helo Market Better than Bizjets, but Still Weak
September 08, 2009
Market conditions for pre-owned rotorcraft are “below normal levels and falling,” according to a monthly rotorcraft survey published last week by UBS Investment Research. The firm’s latest rotorcraft composite index, which measures overall business conditions, came in at 40, some 5 percent higher than UBS’s previous survey but still 10 points below...
moreNTSB Seeks To Reduce EMS Helicopter Flight Risks
September 03, 2009
On Tuesday, the NTSB issued 19 recommendations for helicopter emergency medical services (HEMS), addressing pilot training; safety management systems; collection and analysis of flight, weather and safety data; flight data monitoring; development of a low-altitude airspace infrastructure; and the use of dual pilots, autopilots and night vision goggles. HEMS...
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