Norwood Memorial Airport (Mass.) manager Russ Maguire has proposed rules for helicopter operations that he says will improve safety, access and efficiency. But several based helicopter companies and owners claim the rules would severely and unfairly limit their operations.
Helicopter
December 16, 2010 - 11:08am
Eurocopter’s compound helicopter demonstrator, the X3 (x cube), met its first speed target–180 ktas in level flight at “reduced engine power,” the manufacturer announced last week. The aircraft features a conventional main rotor, two propellers on stub wings and no tail rotor.
November 11, 2010 - 11:15am
Bristow Helicopters inked a multimillion-dollar, five-year contract with a consortium of oil companies in the North Sea. The renewed deal was signed with the Integrated Aviation Consortium (IAC), which includes BP, CNR International, Fairfield Energy, Petrofac, Shell and TAQA. Bristow will thus provide helicopter services from Scatsta Airport in the Shetland Islands to the East and West Shetland Basins.
October 26, 2010 - 1:24pm
Eurocopter unveiled a compound helicopter demonstrator called the X3 (“x cubed”) designed to cruise at 220 knots–about 50 percent faster than today’s medium twins. The helicopter manufacturer believes it has found a sweet spot at a target speed that should make time savings profitable, and the technology could be incorporated into helicopters in less than a decade.
September 30, 2010 - 7:28am
The useful life of a given helicopter’s components can vary significantly depending upon its mission, making predictive maintenance challenging, but that might be changing.
September 28, 2010 - 10:52am
Eurocopter yesterday unveiled the X3 (“x cube”) demonstrator, a compound helicopter with a 220-knot cruise speed. The aircraft first flew on September 6 in hover, and is scheduled to fly again on Thursday. Some 100 flight-test hours are planned in the next 18 months, with the target speed expected to be reached in the first quarter.
September 21, 2010 - 10:07am
Sandel Avionics last month announced TSO approval for its HeliTaws helicopter terrain warning system. Sandel said that with radio altitude and air-data computer inputs, HeliTaws will meet or exceed the performance of any current Taws for helicopters.
September 21, 2010 - 9:32am
FAA certification of the Rolls-Royce RR300-powered Robinson R66 turbine light single could come later this month.
September 16, 2010 - 11:43am
The Sikorsky X2 technology demonstrator unofficially set a new speed record for rotorcraft yesterday, as it reached 250 ktas at the company’s development flight center in West Palm Beach, Fla. At the controls was chief test pilot Kevin Bredenbeck. The 250-knot speed was the program’s main objective since launch in 2005, and was attained in level flight during a 1.1-hour sortie.
August 18, 2010 - 11:33am
The Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation (DNRC) has received five AKV cycle counter systems for its Bell UH-1 fire-fighting and utility helicopters from Dart Helicopter Services. Dart handles worldwide distribution for AKV.
