Rotor & Wing - June 2008 - norflyger.no · OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE: OLD PROBLEM, NEW SOLUTIONS Blade and Composite Repairs Farnborough Air Show Preview JUNE 2008 Ser ving the Worldwide

OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE:OLD PROBLEM, NEW SOLUTIONS

Blade and Blade and Composite Composite

RepairsRepairs

Farnborough Farnborough Air Show Air Show PreviewPreview

JUNE 2008 Serving the Worldwide Helicopter Industry rotorandwing.com

01_RW_060108_Cover_p1.indd 101_RW_060108_Cover_p1.indd 1 5/21/08 8:52:33 AM5/21/08 8:52:33 AM

http://rotorandwing.com

© 20

08 C

helto

n Flig

ht S

yste

ms.

All ri

ghts

rese

rved.

Fligh

tLogic

and V

irtua

l VFR

are t

rade

mar

ks of

Che

lton F

light

Sys

tem

s. Al

l oth

er br

and n

ames

and t

rade

mar

ks ar

e the

prop

erty

of th

eir re

spec

tive o

wne

rs. S

pecif

icatio

ns su

bject

to ch

ange

with

out n

otice

.With real-time 3D terrain, towers, and traffi c, HTAWS, Highway-In-The-Sky (HITS), and FMS in a single, integrated system, Chelton Flight Systems' #1-selling 3D Synthetic Vision EFIS gives you unprecedented fl ight command. And now, these new breakthroughs take our EFIS to an even higher level:

• Software v6.0B. Includes Expanded Hover Vector and support for WSI Weather. STC'd for Bell 206/407 and Eurocopter AS 350/355.

• ADAHRS. Unparalleled precision at less than 1.5 lbs., including remote magnetometer. Certifi ed for helicopters.

• GPS WAAS. Delivers Beta III capability at just 1 lb. Helicopter-rugged.

Chelton breakthroughs for helicopters that complement our #1 selling Synthetic Vision EFIS.

Command Taking

208.389.9959, ext. 901

www.cheltonfs.com/safety

CFS280_RtrWng_JUN.indd 1CFS280 Rt W JUN i dd 1 05•02•08 13•11•3105 02 08 13 11 31

02_RW_060108_TOC_p2-3.indd 202_RW_060108_TOC_p2-3.indd 2 5/16/08 9:23:01 AM5/16/08 9:23:01 AM

http://www.cheltonfs.com/safety

Contents

3JUNE 2008 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE

ServicesProductsTrainingPublic ServiceMilitaryCommercial Personal|Corporate

Cover: A Ventura County, Sheriff ’s Dept Bell Helicopter Super Huey during

training. Photo by Glenn Grossman. Above, the collision hazards in a

helicopter’s flight envelope are numerous. Below, a crack in a CH-46 main-

rotor blade root, unmasked by a Thermal Wave Imaging inspection.

24 Departments10 Rotorcraft Report17 Coming Events

18 People

20 Program Insider

Columns 4 Editor’s Notebook

7 Feedback

8 Meet the Contributors

22 Heard in the Hallways

46 Eye on India

48 Ask Ray Prouty

51 Advertisers’ Index

52 Public Safety Notebook

54 Eurowatch Features COVER STORY

24 ■ Can’t See ... Avoid A variety of new sensors are helping pilots detect hazards to flight. By James T. McKenna

32 ■ Staying Sharp Blade and composite repair advances aim to lower life-cycle costs. By Ernie Stephens

36 ■ Farnborough What to expect at this year’s air show. By R&W Staff

40 ■ Helicopter Training Tips for avoiding obstacles, plus news From the Field and From the Factories. By R&W Staff

32

Vol. 42 | No. 6June 2008

The editors welcome new product information and other industry news. All editorial inquiries should be directed to Rotor & Wing magazine, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850, USA; 1-301-354-1839; fax 1-301-762-8965. E-mail: [email protected]. Rotor & Wing (ISSN-1066-8098) is published monthly by Access Intelligence, 4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850, USA. Periodical postage paid at Rockville, Md. and additional mailing offices. Subscriptions: Free to qualified individuals directly involved in the helicopter industry. All other subscriptions, U.S.: one year $89; two years $178. Canada: one year $99; two years $198; Foreign: one year $129; two years $258.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Rotor & Wing, P.O. Box 3089, Northbrook, Ill. 60065-3089, USA. Change of address two to eight weeks notice requested. Send both new and old address, including mailing label to Attn: Rotor & Wing magazine, Customer Services, P.O. Box 3089, Northbrook, Ill. 60065-3089, USA or call 1-847-559-7314. E-mail: [email protected]. Canada Post PM40063731. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to: Station A, PO Box 54, Windsor, ON N9A 6J5.

©2008 by Access Intelligence, LLC. Contents may not be reproduced in any form without written permission.

CFS280_RtrWng_JUN.indd 1 05•02•08 13•11•3131

02_RW_060108_TOC_p2-3.indd 302_RW_060108_TOC_p2-3.indd 3 5/16/08 9:24:31 AM5/16/08 9:24:31 AM

mailto:[email protected]


4 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | JUNE 2008 W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M

Reader Robert Rendzio took us to task last month. Our recent Question of the Month about the impact of Silver State Helicopters’

shutdown on the U.S. industry was callous, he wrote in our May Feedback column, considering the many young victims of that outfit “whose lives are ruined.”

“Your focus needs to be on the trag-edy of the students and your insensitiv-ity to their demise and ruined lives is simply unfortunate,” Mr. Rendzio added.

What was most striking about his letter, I think, was the frustration that lay behind it. He vented that frustration at Rotor & Wing, but I’m certain we weren’t the source of it. Our question, after all, wasn’t much different from his concern about the welfare of Silver State’s victims. It was framed more broadly that Mr. Rendzio thought fitting. But Silver State’s more than 2,500 abandoned students logically were at the heart of our question.

Logic, though, doesn’t govern responses to the Silver State fiasco. Emotion does. The sudden collapse of that flight school opera-tor and the price paid by its students, finan-cially and otherwise, pose a troubling set of questions for us collectively as an industry: Could we have done more to prevent that fiasco, and can we do more now to help Silver State’s victims?

The first is one with which our individ-ual consciences must wrestle, at least those of us who had reason to question Silver State’s business approach or practices. Many people fit that bill, including those of us here at R&W. In 2004, I covered the annual Heli-Expo show for the first time as editor-in-chief. At least two industry insiders there whispered in my ear that Silver State was a shady operation that begged closer exami-nation. But investigating those rumors was eclipsed by more urgent editorial demands and stayed eclipsed right up until Feb. 3, when the company padlocked its doors and posted guards at its facilities as its owners prepared to liquidate its assets. The guards were a hint of the anger those owners knew their actions would provoke.

At Heli-Expo 2006, a representative of a New York investor group visited our booth. He and his partners were considering an investment in the helicopter industry and wanted to pick our brains. Specifically, he was interested in our view of the prospects of the training sector.

I raved. I told him I saw a strong and steady demand for pilots and for training to meet an expanding set of requirements. My enthusiasm was based on the pace of activity in every sector of the helicopter business, as well as a growing recognition throughout this industry of the need to improve the safety record of this business. Oil companies were insisting on more training for their contract f light crews, including greater use of simulators and training devices. The emergency medical sector in the United States remained under great pressure to boost its level of safety, and many operators were responding to that pressure. As the International Helicopter Safety Team made headway in its process of analyzing accident causes and recommending means of elimi-nating them, I told him, that team was likely to call for more and better training.

In short, I told this fellow from Eos Partners, helicopter training was a boom market. Unfortunately, he didn’t ask the one question he should have, which was what did I think of Silver State’s prospects in that market. For my part, I failed to include in my many volunteered opinions that Silver State was probably the last outfit in which I’d put my money. I had nothing firm to cite against the company at that time, in early 2006; but I’d rarely heard anyone compliment the company for anything other than its growth.

Eos went on later that year to plunk down $30 million for a 60 percent stake in Silver State. Its money helped Silver State expand its network of flight schools and lure thousands of students with its promises. Eos was among those left holding the bag when Silver State folded. It has said it expects to lose all of its $30 million.

That, of course, is the risk any investor runs, and there’s no reason we should feel

sympathy for the Eos partners and those like them. Silver State’s students are another matter entirely, which brings us to that sec-ond question: Should we, as an industry, do something to help them, and if so what?

Several people in the past several months have commented to me that the industry should do more to aid Silver State’s victims. Yet no major efforts are under way.

There is a shared view that an industry facing a possible growing need for pilots shouldn’t look the other way as thousands of people, committed to that career field, are cast aside. Silver State’s victims, this school of thought argues, represent a pre-cious resource we can’t afford to waste. The industry not only risks losing a large number of potential productive players by doing so, but also could end up breeding a new gen-eration of antagonists among those who are left to suffer from Silver State’s deeds.

But this is a tough industry that doesn’t expend much time on those who fail, through their own fault or not. There are some who, of Silver State’s students, think: “Tough break. Hope you land on your feet.”

If all of Silver State’s thousands of stu-dents were left holding the bag on their indi-vidual $70,000 tuition loans, that’s a collec-tive hole of nearly $200 million. Four months after the shutdown, their payments are overdue, as are mortgage, car, and insurance payments by a lot of people who no longer have the prospect of the jobs on which they were banking. Is that our problem? Are we our brothers’ keepers?

Mr. Rendzio would seem to think so, and I’d tend to agree with him. But I can’t answer the next question, which is what do we do about it? I’d suggest that only you who build and operate helicopters and control the hiring of crews can answer. Perhaps the answer is some industry-backed debt-relief program, or apprenticeships for ex-Silver State students. Industry lobbyists might collaborate in pushing for a retroactive tax credit or federal debt-forgiveness program.

Or do we leave the victims of that company to suffer alone?

Editor’s Notebook

Our Brothers’ Keepers?

By James T. McKenna

03_RW_060108_EdNote_p4-5.indd 403_RW_060108_EdNote_p4-5.indd 4 5/19/08 8:58:37 AM5/19/08 8:58:37 AM

http://WWW.ROTORANDWING.COM

The HH-71 is the only all-weather, combat-proven helicopter already flying the CSAR mission. It has over 130,000 flighthours including 10,000+ combat hours and 21,500 desert landings without incident. BERP IV advanced rotor blades furtherreduce acoustic signature, improve hover performance, and minimize brownout and whiteout. Its small footprint allowsmore landing options and faster, safer ingress. Three engines provide an unmatched margin of safety. Only the HH-71offers 360-degree field of fire with overlapping weapons coverage. No other helicopter maximizes survivability

for warfighters in peril and for the CSAR crews who rescue them. Learn more at HH71proven.com.

HH-71.THE VALUE IS OBVIOUS

WHEN YOUR LIFE IS ON THE LINE.

03_RW_060108_EdNote_p4-5.indd 503_RW_060108_EdNote_p4-5.indd 5 5/19/08 8:58:49 AM5/19/08 8:58:49 AM

http://HH71proven.com


Specialized missions require specialized radios. Flexcomm CS is the only system with coverage of every civil public safety frequency band - plus ATC and military bands. No other system comes close.

Communication Without Limits. Only from Wulfsberg.

Flexcomm CS is designed for the for the civil support mission.

www.Wulfsberg.com

EDITORIALJames T. McKenna Editor-in-Chief, [email protected] Haley Managing Editor, [email protected] de Briganti Paris Bureau ChiefClaudio Agostini Latin America Bureau ChiefBarney O’Shea Pacific Rim CorrespondentJoe West United Kingdom CorrespondentContributing Writers: Lee Benson; Ron Bower; Shannon Bower; Igor Bozinovski; James Careless; Keith Cianfrani; Steve Colby; Frank Colucci; Pat Gray; Elizaveta Kazachkova; Larry Mattiello; Ray Prouty; Simon Roper; Sohail Ekram Siddiqui; Ernie Stephens; Brian Swinney; Todd Vorenkamp; Richard Whittle.

ADVERTISING/BUSINESSPaul F. McPherson Jr. Divisional President, AI Business MediaRandy Jones Publisher, 1-972-713-9612, [email protected] Chelliah Sales and Marketing Assistant, 1-301-354-1815

Eastern United States & CanadaChris Bryan 1-972-735-9077, [email protected]

Central United States & CanadaRandy Jones 1-972-713-9612, [email protected]

Western United States & CanadaNorman Schindler 1-818-707-1133, [email protected]

International SalesJames McAuley +34 952118018, [email protected]

DESIGN/PRODUCTIONJoanne Moran Graphic DesignerTony Campana Production Manager

MARKETING & CONFERENCE SERVICESusan Cuevas Operations Manager

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENTSarah Garwood Audience Development Director, [email protected] Severine Fulfillment Director, [email protected]

LIST SALESWorldata, 1-800-331-8102

AEROSPACE GROUPPaul F. McPherson Jr. Divisional President, AI Business Media

ACCESS INTELLIGENCE, LLCDonald A. Pazour Chief Executive OfficerEd Pinedo Executive Vice President/Chief Financial OfficerMacy L. Fecto Executive Vice President, Human Resources & AdministrationMichael Kraus Vice President of Production & ManufacturingSylvia Sierra Senior Vice President of Corporate Audience DevelopmentRobert Paciorek Senior Vice President/Chief Technology Officer

Reprints The YGS Group,

[email protected]: 1-800-290-5460 (toll free within US) or 1-717-399-1900 x176

Fax: 1-717-399-8900List Sales 1-800-331-8102

Back Issues 1-847-559-7314Editorial 1-301-354-1839

Advertising 1-301-354-1815Customer Service 1-847-559-7314

For photocopy or reuse requests: 1-800-772-3350 or [email protected]

Access Intelligence, LLC4 Choke Cherry Rd., 2nd Floor

Rockville, Md. 20850 - USAPhone: 1-301-354-2000, Fax: 1-301-354-1809

E-mail: [email protected]

04_RW_060108_Feedback_p6-7.indd 604_RW_060108_Feedback_p6-7.indd 6 5/16/08 9:28:43 AM5/16/08 9:28:43 AM












http://www.Wulfsberg.com




Feedback


New and Improved?Perhaps Mrs. McKenna has a point in her reluctance to use electronic methods of navigation (“New and Improved,” January 2008, page 4).

In 1989, I was flying in a loose forma-tion of three from Deauville to Ferté Alais, France. As I was in a poorly equipped Tiger Moth, I was the back of the formation with a paper map, the leader having a Loran (the GPS of the era, but less reliable), with which he was to lead us through rather tricky Paris airspace into the Ferté Alais airfield.

As the flight progressed, it became obvi-ous to me that we were getting closer and closer to Orly, and I said so over my rather insufficient Tiger Moth radio. The leader either couldn’t hear me or trusted his Loran beyond my paper map, so I pulled out of for-mation and went on to Ferté Alais alone. Half an hour or so later, the Loran group arrived, having had a rather chastening discussion with Orly, whose airspace they had violated.

So, sometimes radio navigation can indeed be a distraction from the direct route! These days, however, I ’m as obsessed as any other pilot by the GPS and hardly get into a helicopter without one.

Georgina Hunter-JonesLondon, England

A Little Shut-EyeI just read Ernie Stephens’ column regarding sleep and the lack thereof (“Catching Some ZZZZs,” May 2008, page 60).

A few decades ago, I was the chief pilot for a large charter airline operating piston-powered Lockheed 1049 Constellations and Douglas DC-8s on passenger charters between the U.S. and the rest of the world. I made sure that my policy was well known throughout the pilot group, even though I couldn’t publish it in pilot bulletins or man-uals. During training or line checks, pilots were told that during the inactive portions of over-water flights, they should (that was “should,” not “could”) alternate up to 30-min naps if they needed to, provided there were no weather or mechanical problems.

The biggest problem? Helpful flight atten-dants offering coffee, food or conversation. It was difficult to tell a flight attendant to stay out of the cockpit because one of us was

asleep. (These were pre-terrorist times when cockpit keys were plentiful and the only ones that asked permission to enter were brand-new flight attendants). Well, times and flight attendants certainly change, but I was pleased to see a modern-day chief pilot using com-mon sense to enhance safety, even when the “regs” don’t. Keep up the good work.

Jack Selby Singapore

Having 11 years’ law enforcement experience, with the past four as a pilot, I’ve only dreamed of having a unit commander with the outlook Ernie Stephens expressed. Our chief pilot was awesome, but the fact that upper managers were not aviators made sleep issues a huge problem.

I fly EMS now and it is amazing to me that the mentality is the opposite. A lot of people disagree, but there are several very important similarities between law enforcement and EMS helicopter opera-tions. If more law enforcement programs used EMS SOPs to run their air units, sleep would not be an issue. Crew rest is para-mount in EMS.

Quite often, law enforcement aviation programs get a bad rap. I believe this is because non-aviation trained supervisors call the shots. Thanks again, Ernie, for your dedicated service and the article.

Aaron L. BrownNiceville/Fort Walton Beach, Fla.

Bring Back the CheyenneRegarding Steve Colby’s article on Pias-ecki Aircraft’s X-49A vectored-thrust ducted propeller, compound-helicopter

demonstrator, why not ask to borrow the two Lockheed AH-56 Cheyennes at Fort Rucker, Ala.?

Those two aircraft have already flown at 244 kt with a pusher prop. Surely, with the money that has been given or is being given, you could enhance what has already been developed. Those airframes don’t have a whole lot of time on them and there’s not helicopter that compares them to this day.

Their problems were solved, but the U.S. Air Force didn’t want the Army to have a hi-tech, fast, close-air-support aircraft. I can’t believe Piasecki and the Army are going after what they developed. Bring back the Cheyenne or the Sikorsky Aircraft S-67!

CW4 Thomas Anderson, U.S. Army (retired)Conroe, Texas

Progress at MDI really enjoy your articles. I had to read the interview with MD Chairman and CEO Lynn Tilton twice to make sure I got it right (“Learn-ing As You Go,” March 2007, page 20).

Lynn has come a long way since taking over MD Helicopters. She hired a lot of the wrong people, as most investors do when they are starting out. However, Lynn is on the right track to turn the company around. She just needs some folks that know what they are doing to help her reach her ambitions.

She does not have a problem listening to other people for insight into this business. She just has a reputation for listening to the wrong ones. From everything I have read about her, she is a lady that is on a quest and I hope she makes it.

Gene A. VaughnWarner Robins, Ga.

▶▶ R&W’s Question of the MonthWhat impact do you expect unmanned aircraft will have on civil helicopter operations in the next fi ve years?Let us know, and look for your and others’ responses in a future issue. You’ll fi nd contact information at the bottom of the page.

Do you have comments on the rotorcraft industry or recent articles and viewpoints we’ve published? Send them to Editor, Rotor & Wing, 4 Choke Cherry Road, Second Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850, USA, fax us at 1-301-354-1809 or e-mail us at [email protected]. Please include a city and state or province with your name and ratings. We reserve the right to edit all submitted material.

W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M

04_RW_060108_Feedback_p6-7.indd 704_RW_060108_Feedback_p6-7.indd 7 5/16/08 12:31:38 PM5/16/08 12:31:38 PM



meet the contributors


Having retired from the Los Angeles Fire Dept in 2007, LEE BENSON has formed V. Lee Benson Helicopter Consultant LLC. In addition to writ-ing for R&W, Lee in February was involved in accepting a Bell Helicop-ter 412 out of overhaul and repair and ferrying it from Olympia, Wash. to Heli-Expo in Houston.

REBECCA CHRISTIE contributes the Program Insider page of Rotorcraft Report. Based in Washington, she formerly reported on defense for Dow Jones Newswires and special-izes in defense and economic policy. She has been published in The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times, among others.

GIOVANNI DE BRIGANTI is preparing a report on helicopter trends in Europe for our July issue. He is intrigued this month by French commandos’ recent use of a helicopter-borne sniper against modern-day pirates in Somali and Brit-ish use of the same in Iraq. He tracks the rotorcraft business for Rotor & Wing from his base in Paris.

RION HALEY joins R&W as man-aging editor. She spent more than 15 years working in film and televi-sion as a producer and scout. Before coming to us, she spent a year as managing editor of our sister publi-cation, Aviation Maintenance.

BARNEY O’SHEA helped introduce helicopters into the British Army Air Corps and assisted in setting up the Australian Army Aviation Corps. A recipient of the American Helicopter Society’s Gruppo Agusta Interna-tional Fellowship, he is a guest lectur-er at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology and other universities.

RAY PROUTY wrote R&W’s Aero-dynamics column from 1980 to 2000. During the first 12 years, three compilations were published, “Helicopter Aerodynamics,” “More Helicopter Aerodynamics” and “Even More Helicopter Aerody-namics.” His Ask Ray Prouty col-umn is a reader favorite.

ERNIE STEPHENS recently began teaching an Introduction to Rotorcraft Operations course in the Washing-ton area for Embry-Riddle Aeronauti-cal University (from which he holds a Bachelor of Science degree in technical operations management and a Master of Science degree in aeronautical science).

RICHARD WHITTLE is a regular contributor to R&W. He also writes about military affairs for The Dallas Morning News and working on a book for Simon & Schuster about the V-22 Osprey. Late last year, he visited with the U.S. Marine Corps Osprey squad-ron operating in Iraq.

05_RW_060108_MeetCon_p8-9.indd 805_RW_060108_MeetCon_p8-9.indd 8 5/20/08 3:40:07 PM5/20/08 3:40:07 PM


1For world-class

service and support, there’s only one name to know.

Sikorsky Aerospace Services

Seven Sikorsky aerospace companies

have joined forces to create a service

and support powerhouse called

Sikorsky Aerospace Services.

Together, we keep you flying with

a complete and unified solution for

your helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft.

What’s more, you can enjoy the

convenience of working with a single

provider backed by our companies’

combined 300 years of experience

and knowledge.

Sikorsky Aerospace Services. This

is one idea whose time has come.

To learn more, visit:

www.sikorsky.com

Composite Technology Inc.

Derco Aerospace Inc.

Helicopter Support Inc.

Sikorsky Aircraft Australia Ltd.

Helitech

Sikorsky Support Services Inc.

05_RW_060108_MeetCon_p8-9.indd 905_RW_060108_MeetCon_p8-9.indd 9 5/20/08 3:40:26 PM5/20/08 3:40:26 PM

http://www.sikorsky.com

>>



■ MILITARY | OBSERVATION

July 2 Review Looms Large for U.S. ARHA July 2 Pentagon review of the U.S. Army’s armed reconnaissance helicopter program has taken on greater significance following congressional cuts of the program’s proposed Fiscal 2009 funding.

Off ic ials of the Ar my and B el l Helicopter, prime contractor for the ARH-70A, spent the past year working to align support within the Army and Pentagon acquisition hierarchies and Congress. They’d made a great deal of progress until they were sandbagged, according to sever-al, by a U.S. General Accountability Office “quick-look” review in late April that called for cutting all Fiscal 2009 ARH-70A production funding.

That was based on a GAO misunder-standing of a scheduling change that trans-posed a Milestone C review, a last hurdle before production approval that was slated for this year, with a Defense Acquisi-tion Board (DAB) review set for next year, according to Col. Keith Robinson, the Army’s armed scout helicopter manager. The reorganized schedule calls for funding 10 “pre-production test articles” this year pending a successful DAB review, which is set for July 2. The 10 aircraft are intended to prove Bell’s ability to build ARH-70As and speed fielding of the aircraft.

But the GAO report again raised ques-tions about the program on the Hill.

The Senate Armed Service Committee early last month approved a defense autho-rization bill cutting Fiscal 2009 funding to 20 aircraft from the Army’s requested 28 (including the 10 test articles). “That’s not great,” one official said. “But it’s not zero.”

House authorizers, however, later pro-posed funding only 15 aircraft acquisitions this year and slashing money for advanced procurement of 23 aircraft by more than 80 percent. That, Army and Bell officials said, would threaten the reorganized program’s schedule for fielding ARH-70As and relieving war-weary Bell OH-58Ds

T h e H o u s e A r m e d S e r v i c e s C o m m i t t e e c h a i r m a n , R e p . N e i l Abercrombie (D-Hawaii), has said the panel might reconsider its ARH funding decisions after the DAB review.

The FAA and Aviation Specialties Unlimited are attempting to sort through q u e s t i o n s a b o u t t h e installation of night-vision systems that have forced operators to suspend use of those systems on more than 100 helicopters.

The turmoil centers on the adequacy of paperwork Boise, Idaho-based Aviation Specialties filed with the FAA on each installation and on the definition of an acceptable plan for correct-ing discrepancies between those documents and the configurations in use on operational aircraft.

“We were broke,” said Aviation Specialties Presi-dent Mike Atwood. “The honorable thing to do was to go out and fix it.”

Atwood said the com-pany has spent about $1 million to date fixing dis-crepancies. That includes hir ing additional qual-ity assurance people and draftsmen and retaining an FAA designated engi-neering representative to work nearly full time on the project.

The problems cropped up late last year, af ter Atwood wrote to his local congresswoman complain-ing of inconsistent treat-ment among FAA Flight Standards District Offices in processing NVG instal-lations. That triggered an FAA review of Aviation Specialities’ implementa-tion of supplemental type certificates (STC) for such

installations. The review uncovered cases in which installation configurations did not match company-submitted paperwork that the FAA had approved. That, in turn, prompted a more comprehensive review by the FAA.

FAA officials originally identified a list of 191 air-craft whose night-vision system installations were suspect. Atwood said that list included helicopters his company used for STC flight tests and a number flown by public-use operators. The list of affected aircraft has remained in flux.

Working with an inspec-tor in the FAA’s Northwest region, Atwood said, Avia-tion Specialties developed a plan for reviewing and correcting installation dis-crepancies by the end of the year. But officials higher up in the agency are push-ing for a faster resolution of the matter.

FAA officials reviewed NVG installations by other vendors, but the discrepan-cies appear to be limited to those done by Aviation Specialties.

FAA officials have not grounded aircraft whose installations are suspect. But they have told operators that the airworthiness of those aircraft is in doubt, and that the operators would be responsible for any viola-tions of federal regulations that result from their use. That has prompted opera-tors to ground the affected aircraft for NVG purposes.

Av i at ion Sp e c i a l t ies has lost its FAA Part 145 repair station certificate as a result of the problems. Atwood said FAA officials indicated initially that they would accept his surrender of the certificate, but then returned it and said they would instead perform an emergency revocation of the certificate.

FAA, Vendor, Operators Sort Through NVG Turmoil

FAA officials have been pushing for broader use of night-vision goggles to improve the safety of civil helicopter operations.

Natio

nal R

esearc

h C

oun

cil

Can

ad

a

06_RW_060108_RCR_p10-23.indd 1006_RW_060108_RCR_p10-23.indd 10 5/20/08 3:48:36 PM5/20/08 3:48:36 PM



Rotorcraft Report


■ TRAINING

FAA Extends “Robinson SFAR” On Training ‘Til Mid-2009 The U.S. FAA has extended the special federal rule prescribing training requirements for instructors and operators of Robinson Helicopters’ R22s and R44s.

Known as the “Robinson SFAR,” Special Federal Aviation Regulation 73 took effect in 1995 to address safety concerns about the operation of those aircraft by inexperienced pilots. It imposes training requirements beyond the general ones stipulated in FAR Part 61. SFAR 73 has been credited with eliminating accidents and improving the safety records of both aircraft.

The rule requires special awareness training covering energy management, mast bumping, low rotor rpm/blade stall, low-g hazards and rotor rpm decay. It also restricts pilots in command of the R22 or R44 to those with at least 200 hr in helicopters, with at least 50 of them in the respective aircraft, and at least 10 hr dual instruction in that aircraft. It also requires an annual flight review in the aircraft.

But the rule expired March 31, 2008. Robinson has in the past asked the FAA to impose the training requirements through adoption of an airworthiness directive (AD). But agency officials say ADs are intended to correct airframe, engine or systems problems, not training or flight-operations issues. The FAA extended SFAR 73 to June 30, 2009 after a review of 100 R22 accidents between 2005 and 2008 revealed none involving mast bumping, low rotor rpm or low-g conditions.

“The FAA believes that the training has been effective,” read the official decision extending the rule.

“We feel safety is priority number one,” said Kurt Robinson, Robinson vice president. “Accidents have been reduced since the SFAR was implemented.” The company would like an additional review to determine if the SFAR is still necessary, especially for the more stable R44.—Ernie Stephens contributed to this report

■ PRODUCTS | AIRFRAMES

Sikorsky Reports First X2 Run With Main Rotors Installed Sikorsky Aircraft reports it successfully ran its X2 Technology Demonstrator with its coaxial main rotors installed for the first time on May 13.

That ground-run test marks a milestone for the program, which aims to field an aircraft that cruises at 250 kt with low vibra-tion while retaining a traditional helicopter’s capabilities. Sikorsky engineers had planned about 10 hr of “bare-head” runs, without the main-rotor blades installed, and were about halfway through them when the aircraft was brought to Heli-Expo in Houston at the end of February.

The test program calls for about 65 hr of run time with the main rotors on the X2 demonstrator, followed by about 10 hr with no changes to its flight-control or integrated-power system software before the aircraft could be cleared for its first flight.

The ground tests are being conducted at Sikorsky’s rapid-prototyp-ing center at its Schweizer Aircraft subsidiary in Horseheads, N.Y.

■ PUBLIC SERVICE

Massive Disasters Highlight Need for Helicopters, AgainMassive disasters last month in Asia have once again thrown the spotlight on the unique capabilities of the helicopter in emergency relief operations.

Unfortunately, in one case, rescue workers were forced to only imagine the aid helicopters could bring to their efforts. At press time, the government of Myanmar (formerly Burma) was still blocking most international efforts to bring in aid and resources.

The Irrawaddy Delta, in the central part of that country, was devastated May 2 by Cyclone Nargis, a Category 3 storm that tore through that region with winds in excess of 100 kt (190 kph) driving a storm surge of 15 ft. Relief agencies estimated more than 2.5 million people were severely affected by the storm. At press time, the death toll could exceed 100,000, with more than 56,000 people missing.

As governments and relief agencies around the world stood by to fly aid into Myanmar and then to the affected regions, the international community condemned the country’s military-run government for blocking that aid. On May 14, the European Union warned Myanmar’s military leaders that they could be committing “a crime against humanity” by blocking aid to cyclone survivors. Helicopters were clearly critical to the delivery of that aid. The World Food Program, for instance, reported that it was delivering supplies by road using 30 local trucks but “most bridges in the Irrawaddy region are generally only able to bear a 5-ton truck and heavy vehicles will quickly render many roads impass-able.” The group was looking at using lighter trucks and boats to deliver aid, but said “there is a need for more helicopter support to reach people in more remote parts of the delta not accessible by boat or road.” Its preference, it added, “would be to use helicopters, given muddy and moist conditions on the ground.”

That storm was followed May 12 by a major earthquake in the Aba Prefecture of China’s Sichuan Province. The quake, which measured 7.9 on the Richter scale, was estimated to have killed 50,000, injured more than 26,000 and trapped 40,000 more under rubble as of this writing.

SFAR 73 specifies training and currency for pilots of the R44, as well as Robinson’s R22.

Ro

bin

so

n H

elic

op

ter

Co




Rotorcraft Report

To hear the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency tell it, the financial troubles of very-light-jet manufacturer Adam Aircraft came at a good time for its Heliplane R&D project.

Adam’s fixed-wing, twin-jet A700 was the baseline for that project, which aims to develop a rotorcraft capable of flying at 350 kt, flying an unrefueled range of 1,000 nm and carrying a pay-load of 1,000 lb. But Adam shut the doors of its factory at Englewood, Colo.’s Centennial Airport on Feb. 11 and filed for liquidation under U.S. Bankruptcy Court rules. It has since been bought by a group that includes Russian investors.

Adam’s collapse came as Heliplane project officials were concluding that they were better off working with a newly designed airframe instead of a modified one, according to a top Darpa executive. That confluence led to the project hiring Scaled Composites, the Mojave, Calif.-based company founded by famed aircraft designer Burt Rutan, to build its baseline aircraft. The latest in Rutan’s series of spectacular projects is a part-nership with airline and entertainment entrepreneur Richard Bran-son to build a fleet of vehicles to carry tourists into space.

Heliplane, a multi-year, $40-million, four-phase program, is led by Salt Lake City-based autogiro maker Groen Brothers Aviation and includes engine maker Williams International, Georgia Institute of Technology and researchers from Washington University in St. Louis, Pennsylvania State University and the University of Maryland. Heliplane has received support from NASA’s Ames Research Center and the U.S. Army’s Aero-Flight Dynamics Directorate there.

■ MILITARY | TRAINING

Royal New Zealand Air ForceTo Replace Bell 47s With A109sThe Royal New Zealand Air Force has picked AgustaWestland’s A109 to replace its fleet of Korean War-era Bell Helicopter Sioux trainers and light utility helicopters.

The acquisition includes a simulator for training on the A109LUH (NZ), a variant of the militarized A109 AgustaWestland also has sold to Malaysia, Sweden and South Africa. The deal is valued at $106 million (€68.5 million).

“The contract for five A109LUH (NZ) and a simulator will see RNZAF rotary-wing training capabilities become world-class,” the chief of the air force, Air Vice-Marshal Graham Lintott, said in a prepared statement.

The new aircraft will support air force training of crews for the eight NH Industries NH90s it is ordered in 2006 to replace its Bell UH-1 Iroquois fleet. In addition, Defence Minister Phil Goff told Parliament, the A109s “can be used for counterter-rorism, search and rescue, deployment of forces, and disaster relief.” The aircraft “flies twice as fast for twice the distance” as the Sioux, a version of Bell’s Model 47, or H-13, Goff said. It also can carry under-slung loads of up to 1,100 lb (500 kg).

New Zealand was looking for something more economical and more suitable for EMS work in small areas, with a lower downdraft for the smaller and water operations in emergency situations. The A109s are to enter service in 2011 and will operate from RNZAF Base Ohakea, about 55 nm (100 km) northeast of Wellington on New Zealand’s North Island. The Royal Australian Navy in March selected the A109 Power to train for crews transitioning from the Eurocopter AS350 to the Sikorsky H-3 Sea King.—Barney O’Shea

■ MILITARY | UTILITY

Canada Eyes Quick Buy Of Chinooks for Afghan OpsAs it lingers over finalizing an order for 16 Chinooks, Canada is turning to the United States to quickly deliver six of the Boeing transports to support its deployment of troops to NATO coalition operations in Afghanistan.

The U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency on Apr. 21 notified Congress of the possible sale of six CH-47Ds to Canada. It val-ued the aircraft and associated equipment and services at $375 million if all options are exercised. “Canada needs these helicopters to enhance its capabilities in the Global War on Terrorism,” the agency said. Having Chinooks in the same configuration as U.S. ones “would greatly con-tribute to Canada’s military capability by making it a more sustainable coalition force.”

The proposed Foreign Military Sale transaction would include M240H machine guns, 30 AN/AVS-6/7(V)1 night-vision imaging sys-tems, and Honeywell T-55-GA-714A engines (including two spares), as well as mission, communications/navigation and ground-support equipment, spare and repair parts, special tools and test equipment, publications and technical data and contractor support.

Canada in 2006 picked Boeing to provide 16 CH-47s without a full-scale competition because, it said, the company was the only vendor that could meet its requirements “in a timely manner.” Canada wanted the helicopters as soon as possible. But it has yet to finalize a contract for the $5 billion acquisition, which also includes 20 years of support for the aircraft. Those Chinooks are expected to enter service in 2011.

The first cadre of Canadian Chinook already is training with the U.S. Army. The six Chinooks are expected to be ready for operations in Afghanistan within six months.

■ MILITARY

Darpa Seeks Rutan’s Help With 350-Kt Groen Heliplane

Burt Rutan’s latest spectacular project is Virgin Galactic, a partnership with entrepreneur Richard Branson to fly tourists into space. His Scaled Composites is helping develop Darpa’s Heliplane.

Scale

d C

om

po

sites




Rotorcraft Report



Enstrom Delivers Three480Bs to MexicoEnstrom Helicopter Corp has delivered three new turbine 480Bs to its newest international dealer, Aerolineas Ejecutivas S.A. de C.V. in Mexico, and a customer of that dealer there.

Aerolineas Ejecutivas plans to use a 480B as a demon-strator and in commercial operations, Enstrom said. The other two are going to the firm’s first Enstrom customer, the state of Guerrero on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast. There they are to be used for law enforcement missions; both are equipped with Spectrolab SX-16 searchlights, Northern Airborne Technology public-address systems, Garmin GNS 530 GPS/COM and Bose headsets. Enstrom provided two Mexican pilots with transition training.

All three aircraft were flown from Enstrom’s Menom-inee, Mich. factory to Toluca, Mexico, close to Mexico City, putting the aircraft through the paces of extreme altitude and temperature ranges. There are a number of 480B sales pending around the world.


MD to Stay in Mesa, At Least for AwhileMD Helicopters last month reached a deal with Mesa, Ariz. to continue operating from the city-owned Falcon Field Airport. But the manufacturer is still looking elsewhere for a bigger home, at least according to published reports.

Officials of the helicopter maker and the city signed a new, f ive-year lease on MD’s production facility at Falcon Field on May 13. MD had threatened to move after the city raised its rent on the 30-acre site. MD Chairman and CEO Lynn Tilton had said she was looking for a larger site that could accommodate MD, the Heritage Aviation completions shop in Grand Prairie, Texas (which she owns through her New York distressed-debt investment company Patriarch Partners) and a very light jet manufacturer she said she planned to buy.

MD has been negotiating with airports in Arizona, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. Apparently it still is.

The Herald Democrat newspaper of Sherman, Texas said Tilton told it on May 13 that she still wants to find a 100-acre site to expand MD’s operations and that she should decide on the location of that expansion within “the next few weeks.” North Texas Regional Airport in nearby Denison, Texas is one site under consid-eration. Others include Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport south of Falcon Field, Shreveport, La. Regional Airport and Will Rogers World Airport in Oklahoma City.

The Herald Democrat quoted Tilton as saying, “We renewed the lease [in Mesa] so we wouldn’t have to move rapidly.” Any move would require MD to obtain a new production certificate from the FAA approving its manufacturing activities.

This Enstrom 480B Guardian is equipped for law enforcement operations and destined for Mexico’s state of Guerrero, marking the 480’s entry into that country’s market.

Jackie

Kam

ps

Rotorcraft Report



http://www.aerometals.aero



Rotorcraft Report

■ COMMERCIAL

AgustaWestland, Alitalica Plan Helicopter Hub At Rome AirportThe two companies are planning to establish what they say is the first helicopter hub in Italy at Rome’s Urbe Airport and to have that hub achieve operational readiness in 2009.

According AgustaWestland, the project’s invest-ment is worth about €3.2 million ($5 million). The companies plan to set up a 22,000-sq-ft mainte-nance hangar and will offer a hospitality facility of more than 3,200 sq ft. The facility also is to include about a 2,600-sq-ft office building for the management of passenger transport and corporate helicopter services.

Representatives from AgustaWestland and Alitalica together with aviation sector dignitaries attended a ceremony for the signing of the companies’ agree-ment at Circolo Canottieri Aniene in Rome late April.

AgustaWestland and Alitalica, by joining their expertise in the helicopter field, will collaborate in marketing AgustaWestland helicopters and developing the VIP/corporate helicopter market in Rome and southern Italy.

In a related development, AgustaWestland recently opened a new business headquar-ters in Japan. Earlier this year, it opened a headquarters for regional business development in Turkey. The new Japanese facility is intended to help the company provide better service to its growing number of Asian clients.

■ COMMERCIAL | UTILITY

Erickson Wins$310M Contract From Italy

Erickson Air-Crane Inc has through its affiliated company European Air-Crane S.p.A. signed an 8.5-year aircraft lease contract with the Italian civil protection department.

Erickson is the manufacturer and world-wide operator of the S-64 Aircrane.

Erickson valued the contract at more than $300 million (€194 million) and said it is the largest aircraft lease in the history of the company. European Air-Crane CEO Gian Franco Blower and his team signed the contract with officials of the department.

The pact ensures the continued avail-ability of the four S-64Fs already in Italy for fire suppression, civil protection, and disaster relief work throughout the main-land and islands of Italy.

All of Erickson’s flight operations, parts tracking and MRO support will come from the company’s headquarters in Cen-tral Point, Ore.

Erickson Air-Crane has leased its S-64s to the Italian department since 1999. Its first Helitanker was based on the island of Sardinia. Since then, the department has increased the integration of the Helitanker in its firefighting fleet, culminating in this recent contract for four S-64F Helicopters through 2016.

A department official called the Heli-tankers “a great addition to our firefighting and disaster relief capability.”

Italy ’s civil protection department has used the Aircrane Incident Response Systems capabilities in a variety of disas-ter relief/emergency response missions. Recently, European Air-Crane employed the S-64 to construct volcanic blast shel-ters at 3,000 ft above the Mediterranean Sea on the volcanic island of Stromboli.

Since the certification of the 2,650-gal tank system in 1992, the Erickson Air-Crane S-64 Helitanker has performed as an integral part of the U.S. Forest Service aerial firefighting fleet and is used world-wide to fight fires.

AgustaWestland CEO Giuseppe Orsi (left) with Alitalica’s Giovanni Malagò at the signing.

Co

urt

esy o

f A

gu

sta

Westlan

d

■ COMMERCIAL | AIR TAXI

Denmark’s Atlantic Airways Takes AW139Atlantic Airways Ltd of Denmark’s Faroe Islands has taken delivery of an AgustaWestland AW139. The helicopter is configured for 12-15 seat layouts for both public passenger transport and offshore-support operations.

As the national airline of the Faroe Islands established in 1987, Atlantic Air-ways is based at Vagar Airport and operates domestic as well as international scheduled and charter services through its mixed fixed-/rotary-wing f leet. Sched-uled transport services link the Faroe Islands, halfway between Iceland and Nor-way, to various destinations in Northern Europe, including major cities in Ice-land, Denmark , Nor way, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Atlantic Air ways also flies search and rescue missions.

In addition to offshore transport, the AW139 can be used for EMS/SAR, executive/VIP transport, law enforcement and utility roles. The helicopter has achieved a great success becoming the best selling medium twin in the world. More than 90 different customers in more than 30 countries have ordered in excess of 330 of the helicopter.

■ COMMERCIAL

FAA Funding Bill Stalls in CongressPartisan bickering seems to have put the kibosh on FAA funding for the near future. The Senate failed to force a vote on the bill that would reauthorize multibillion-dollar funding for the FAA, which is key to overhauling the aging and overburdened U.S. air traffic control system.

President Bush put a funding overhaul for FAA on the table in 2007 to pay for the new air-traf-fic control system, which could cost $8–10 billion during the next 10 years. The House passed a reauthorization bill last year, but the Senate bill stalled because of debates on how to pay for it.

For weeks, senators were arguing about how the FAA bill will be funded, with Demo-crats trying to fill it with amendments that were non-aviation related, such as a $1.6 billion allocation for New York City transit projects.. Those amendments outraged Republicans, who, in the end, prevented a floor vote. Meanwhile, air traffic congestion continues.

The bill may still have wings, but it’s not likely to fly this year. FAA funding expires June 30 and the Senate would have to pass a bill that would be reconciled with the House’s FAA legislation and then Congress would have to send President Bush something he would sign. It’s more likely that Congress will extend the FAA’s current funding until a new plan can be drawn up, and agreed upon, next year.

Co

urt

esy R

em

y M

ich

elin






Rotorcraft Report

■ PRODUCTS

Canada Proposes Making 406 MHz ELTs MandatoryUHF emergenc y locator transmitters (ELTs) transmitting at 406 MHz have been in use for years.

In 2003, Transport Canada proposed amending its rules to bring operators in compliance with Interna-tional Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) operating rules on ELTs.

The ICAO policy was that as of January 2005, all ELTs should have the capability to operate at 406 MHz and 121.5 MHz simultaneously.

At the same time, Transport Canada proposed the introduction of a requirement that Canadian aircraft used in international air transport services should be equipped with 406 MHz ELTs.

Transport Canada did not mandate the use of 406 MHz ELTs for domestic operations. But, on Feb. 1, 2009, the Cospas-Sarsat satellite monitoring of the frequency 121.5 MHz is going to be discontinued.

According to the Web site of Cospas-Sarsat, the international satellite system for search and rescue, “With a 121.5/243 MHz beacon, only one alert out of every 50 alerts is a genuine distress situation. This has a significant effect on the resources of search and rescue (SAR) services.

“With 406 MHz beacons,” the organization said, “false alerts have been considerably reduced (about one alert in 17 is genuine).”

When these ELTs are properly registered, alerts from them “can normally be resolved with a telephone call to the beacon owner using the encoded beacon identification. Con-sequently, real alerts can receive the attention they deserve.”

Older VHF ELTs will not be acceptable under the new requirements. Transport Canada anticipates the compliance window for changing equipment to be two years from the date of the final rule, but is subject to certain caveats.

Coincidently, Kitchener Aero said it had been appointed as the Eastern Canada service center and distributor for the Artex line of ELTs. Artex is a leader in the manufacture of UHF ELT systems, and its products are in use in all segments of aviation, from light general aviation to heavy air transport.

■ COMMERCIAL | EMS

FAA Issues Guidance on EMS Operational Control CentersThe FAA has issued a new advisory circular offering guidance to EMS helicopter operators in setting up operational control centers and implementing enhanced operational control procedures.

AC 120-96, which went into effect May 5, covers EMS operations under Federal Aviation Regulation Part 135. It offers a model for setting up an operational control center, a checklist for auditing the operation of such centers, and recommended areas of training.

The advisory circular was drafted with a great deal of input from the National Assn of Air-medical Communications Specialists, which offered the FAA suggestions on the training required for personnel in an operations control center to provide support of EMS operations. It fulfills the FAA’s commitment that it would not require the use of certificated aircraft dispatchers in Part 135 EMS operations; such dispatchers, who share operational responsibility of a flight with the pilot in command, are required for Part 121 operations.

The advisory circular is the latest development in an FAA review of operational control issues that started in the wake of a February 2005 corporate jet crash in Teterboro, N.J. The investigation of that crash revealed operational control was not executed by the FAA certificate holder.

■ MILITARY | UTILITY

USMC: Deployment Justifies V-22 Commitment

The V-22 Osprey’s first operational deployment is justifying the confidence U.S, Marine Corps leaders have placed in that tilt-rotor troop transport, a top Marine general said.

The deputy Marine commandant for avia-tion, Gen. George Trautman, appeared at a May 2 Pentagon briefing with members of the first squadron to deploy with the Bell Helicop-ter/Boeing Osprey, Marine Medium Tilt-rotor Sqdn 263 or VMM-263. That unit in April ended a seven-month deployment to Iraq. A second squadron, VMM-162, began operating 12 Ospreys left by VMM-263 at Al Asad Air Base, about 85 nm (160 km) northwest of Bagh-dad, in late April.

VMM-263’s commander, Lt. Col. Paul Rock, said his squadron flew 2,500 sorties in Iraq and used each Osprey about 62 hr a month, much better than the pre-deployment goal of 50 hr. The readiness rate was about 70 percent, “more than sufficient to meet our tasks.”

Osprey pilots reported only two instances of being fired on, once by small arms, once by rocket. No battle damage was suffered. Rock said the V-22’s ability to exit landing zones and gain altitude quickly also may have contributed to the lack of hostile fire incidents.

Missions flown included raids delivering infantry looking for insurgents and “Aeroscout” operations, armed aerial patrols flown by a mix of V-22s, helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.

The squadron’s Ospreys required 9.5 main-tenance hours per flight hour in Iraq. Trautman said that compared to 24 per flight hour for the Boeing CH-46E the V-22 is replacing. The squadron’s mechanics were backed up by 14 field-service representatives from Bell and Boe-ing. Rolls-Royce, maker of the Osprey’s 6,150-shp AE1107C turboshaft engines, sent a field service representative to Al Asad, too.

Iraq’s sand proved less damaging to the high-flying V-22’s rotors and engines than it has been to those of helicopters operating over the desert, but it caused problems with the Osprey’s slip rings, which distribute electricity to its rotor heads and power its blade-fold mechanism and vibration sensors. —Richard Whittle

A VMM-263 Osprey at Al Asad Air Base in Iraq.

Co

urt

esy A

rtex A

ircra

ft S

up

plie

sThe C406-2HM ELT is a standard 406 MHz ELT for higher-end commercial aircraft.

U.S

. D

efe

nse D

ep

t.




Rotorcraft Report


Rotorcraft Report

June 10-12—ITEC 2008, Stockholm, Sweden. Contact: Phone: 44 (0) 20-8910-7817; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.itec.co.uk.

June 16-20—Eurosatory 2008, Paris. Contact: Phone: 33 (0) 1 4414-5810; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.eurosatory.com.

June 16-19—CBAA Convention, Toronto. Contact: Phone: 1-613-236-5611, ext. 230; E-mail: [email protected] ; Web: www.cbaa.ca.

July 12-13—Royal International Air Tattoo (RIAT), RAF Fairford, United Kingdom. Web: www.airtattoo.com/airtattoo/.

July 14-20—Farnborough International Air Show, Farnborough, United Kingdom. General Inquiries: 44 (0)12-5253-2800; Web: [email protected].

July 16-19—2008 Airborne Law Enforcement Assn 38th Annual Conference and Exposition, George R. Brown Convention Center, Houston. Contact: Phone: 1-301-631-2406; Fax: 1-301-631-2466; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.alea.org.

July 22-24—International Powered Lift Conference, Royal Aeronautical Society, London. Contact: Phone: 44 (0) 20-7670-4345; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.sae.org/events/iplc.

July 28-Aug. 3—EAA Airventure 2008, Oshkosh, Wis. Contact: Web: www.airventure.org.

Aug. 13-18 —13th FAI World Helicopter Championship, Eisenach-Kindel, Thurngen, Germany. Sponsored by the German Helicopter Club. Contact: Konrad Geisller: Phone: 49-8191-64230; Fax: 49-8191-64230; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.deutscher-hubschrauberclub.de.

Sept. 16-19—European Rotorcraft Forum, Arena & Convention Centre, Liverpool, United Kingdom. Contact: Phone: 44 (0) 20-7670-4343; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.aerosociety.com/erf34.

Sept. 18—Search & Rescue Summit and Helicopter Heroism Awards, Presented by Rotor & Wing, Sheraton-Reston, Va. Contact: Jenn Heinold; Phone: 301-354-1813; E-mail:[email protected]; Web: www.SearchandRescueSummit.com.

Sept. 20-22—130th National Guard Assn of the United States General Conference, Baltimore. Contact: Phone: 1-202-789-0031; Fax: 1-202-682-9358; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.ngaus.org.

Sept. 22-24—The Royal Aeronautical Society and AHS International Rotorcraft Handling Qualities International Conference and Workshop, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom. Contact: E-mail: [email protected].

Oct. 6-8—National Business Aviation Assn 61st Annual Meeting and Convention, Orange County Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. Contact: Phone: 1-202-783-9000; Fax: 1-202-862-5552; E-mail: [email protected];Web: www.nbaa.org.

Oct. 6-8—Assn of the United States Army Annual Meeting and Exposition, Washington Convention Center, Washington. Contact: Phone: 1-800-336-4570; Web: www.ausa.org.

Oct. 28-30—Helicopter Military Operations Technology (HELMOT XIII), Fort Magruder, Williamsburg, Va. Contact: Phone: 1-757-896-1100; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.ahs-hrs-org.

Nov. 4-6—Rotorcraft Handling Qualities Conference, The University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom. Contact: Phone: 44 (0) 20-7670-4349; E-mail: [email protected]; Web: www.aerosociety.com/conference.

com

ing

even

ts



http://www.itec.co.uk

http://www.eurosatory.com


http://www.cbaa.ca

http://www.airtattoo.com/airtattoo/


http://www.alea.org


http://www.sae.org/events/iplc

http://www.airventure.org


http://www.deutscher-hubschrauberclub.de


http://www.aerosociety.com/erf34


http://www.ngaus.org



http://www.nbaa.org

http://www.ausa.org



http://www.aerosociety.com/conference





http://www.searchandrescuesummit.com

http://www.searchandrescuesummit.com





http://www.simplexmfg.com


Rotorcraft Report

Rolls -Royce appointe d Ken Roberts as president, helicopter engines. Roberts, based in Indianapolis, will be responsible for the global leadership of the company’s helicopter engine business.

John C. Sorensen was appointed vice president and treasurer at Kaman Corp, reporting to Exec-utive Vice President and CFO Robert M. Garneau. Sorensen’s responsibilities will include oversight of the treasury department, banking relationships, capi-tal market transactions and investment administration of pension assets.

The board of directors of EADS

appointed Pierre de Bausset, as corporate secretary. In his new function, de Bausset reports to EADS CEO Louis Gallois. Prior to this position, de Bausset was head of investor relations of EADS. He began his career in 1985 with Banque Indosuez in Beijing. De Bausset holds an MBA degree from INSEAD and a master’s degree in Chinese.

Vector Aerospace Corp has appointed Declan O’Shea to the position of president and CEO. O’Shea has had a distinguished 30-year career in the aerospace industry, and in the maintenance, repair and over-haul sector specifically. He comes to Vector from SR Technics, most recently as execu-tive vice president sales, marketing and business integration, heading SR Technics’ sales activities around the globe.

Precision Aviation Group appointed

Renee Skinner, CPA, vice president of accounting and finance and CFO of its oper-ating subsidiaries. Skinner has more than 20 years of financial experience in the aviation industry. Prior to

joining Precision Aviation, she was the vice president and controller for World Airways in Peachtree City. Ga.

T h e R o l l s - R o y c e A u t h o r i z e d M a i n t e -nance Center Council has elected 30-year industry veteran Tom Roche, vice president of helicopter programs for Standard Aero, as chairman of the council for a two-year term.

PEOPLE

■ PUBLIC SERVICE | POLICE

Edmonton Okays Purchase Of Second Police EC120The city of Edmonton, Alberta has authorized the purchase of a second helicopter for its police department. Already dubbed Air 2 by Police Chief Mike Boyd, the $1.6 million Eurocopter EC120 will provide much needed relief for the high-time EC120 already serving the city.

Inspector Neil Dubord reported that the Air 1 flew 1,150 hr in 2007, which he claimed was more than any similar police helicopter in the world. Total time on the

airframe is so high, it spends more time down for maintenance than ever before, leaving the city without an airborne patrol platform.

“We can’t continue to sustain this,” Dubord told the city commission. He said that by 2011, Air 1 will need to be grounded for about three months while major inspection work is done. At its current rate of use, he said, it could face retirement by 2017. Buying a second helicopter as soon as possible would give city police something to fly when the older aircraft is down for maintenance, and provide additional support when both are operational.

According to police department statistics, less than 2 percent of vehicle pursuits that include the helicopter end in a collision, and nearly every one results in apprehension of a suspect. The city said it put a $150,000 deposit on the new helicopter and looks for delivery late next year.

■ PUBLIC SERVICE |

NYC Heliport Hosts Safety DrillNew York City’s East 34 Street Metroport hosted an Apr. 26 drill to exchange information on how rescue professionals can work safely around EMS helicopters.

Roughly 150 heliport and rescue work-ers joined in the drill. An Atlantic Ambu-lance Services Eurocopter EC135 and a New Jersey State Police Sikorsky Aircraft S-76—both configured for EMS opera-tions—were available for attendees to inspect. Their flight crews explained the proper way to load patients, extract occu-pants after an accident and how to “safe” the engines and electrical systems should the pilot become incapacitated in a crash.

New York is known for its congested helicopter environment, making it a com-mon area for helicopter crashes. In recent years, several have occurred near or at Manhattan’s three riverfront heliports. In July 2007, a sightseeing helicopter went down in the Hudson River. All eight onboard survived with minor injuries, but the accident highlighted the need to keep flight crews, heliport employees and res-cue workers up to date on safety issues.

A Fire Dept. of New York fireboat was at the drill and put a diver in the East River to play the role of a passenger from a downed aircraft. Fireboat crewmembers let heliport personnel practice tossing a flotation device to the “victim” and pulling him to safety.

The drill was dedicated to the Paul Smith, a long-time New York news heli-copter pilot who was killed in an October 2007 traffic accident.

■ PUBLIC SERVICE | POLICE

Houston PD to Increase Helicopter FleetThe Houston Police Dept. has received approval to increase its airborne patrol fleet from six helicopters to 13, with the first ones scheduled to arrive sometime next month.

The department has four MD Helicopters MD-500Es and two Schweizer Aircraft 333s for patrol and three Schweizer 300s for training. It already has one MD-500E on order, and is to order one a month for eight months starting in November. All five Schweizers are to be sold due to their high time. They would be replaced by two new 300Cs next month, plus one in September. The 300Cs will serve as trainers. The fleet upgrade and expansion is projected to cost $18.3 million payable over 15 years, and includes the latest in airborne law enforcement search, illumination and communications equipment.

“It’s near miraculous,” said Capt. Tom Runyan, who will soon takeover command of the aviation operation. The purchase “is the boldest move I’ve seen from a mayor since the 1970s, as it relates to helicopter patrol service. It’s a significant boost in capabilities.” Hous-ton Mayor Bill White has committed to restoring police air mobility. —Ernie Stephens

Courtesy Kim Woogar



AT $20 A POUND, FRESH LOBSTER CAN’T WAIT.ESPECIALLY FOR ITS FLIGHT.Pratt & Whitney Canada engines don’t waste time. And for Susi Pudjiastuti’s growing fish and seafood-trading business, delivering on time is an essential ingredient. With a fleet of 12 Pratt & Whitney Canada powered aircraft to transport her fresh catch across Southeast Asia, dependability is of the essence. Susi’s clients depend on freshness. And the success of her business depends on our support.

WWW.PWC.CA/SUSI-19


http://www.pwc.ca/SUSI-19


San Francisco-based URS Corp will train helicopter pilots for the U.S. Army and the Air Force under a five-year contract that could be worth up to $240 million. URS won the contract through its EG&G division, which has been training helicopter pilots for the military since 1989. Training takes place at Fort Rucker, Ala.

Raytheon, Portsmouth, R.I., is being award-ed a $60-million contract for the procurement of 14 AN/AQS airborne low frequency sonar for the MH-60R helicopter for the Navy.

Sikorsky Aircraft was awarded a $30.4-million contract for conversion of nine U.S. Army UH-60M Black Hawks into unique

aircraft configuration for the Bahrain Defense Force, and for training, technical publications, integrated logistics support, field service representative, warranty and ferry flight tech-nical shipping support.

Bell Boeing Tilt-Rotor Team, Amarillo, Texas, is being awarded a $19-million contract for spare components of the CV-22 aircraft. Work will be performed in Hurst, Texas.

AAI Corp., Hunt Valley, Md., was awarded a $45.4 million firm, fixed-price contract by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Com-mand, Redstone Arsenal, Ala ., for two Shadow unmanned aerial vehicle systems and associ-

ated support equipment. Work will be per-formed in Hunt Valley, Md., and is expected to be completed by May 15, 2010.

Honeywell International of Phoenix, Ariz., has been awarded a firm, fixed-price, indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity con-tract by the U.S. Special Operations Command for engine and maintenance support for the T55-GA-714A engines and components used on Boeing MH-47Gs. The work will primarily be performed at Greer, S.C., and is expected to be completed by 2013. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This contract was a sole-source award.

CONTRACTS

>>

▶▶ PROGRAM UPDATES

Attack—Boeing plans to fl y its Block 3 AH-64D Apache Longbow on July 9, under an accelerated schedule sought by the U.S. Army. Th e new Apache, developed with money rolled over from the cancelled RAH-66 Comanche program, includes new software upgrades and modernized weapon systems, such as a new fi re-control radar and extended-range mis-siles. Also, Boeing engineers are showing off Apache’s new networking abilities as part of the Joint Expeditionary Force Experiment 2008.Heavy Lift— Th e U.S. Navy and Sikorsky Aircraft are adjusting the center of gravity for the CH-53K, the U.S. Marine Corps’ next-gen-eration heavy-lift helicopter. A January review found the c.g. shifted aft with fuel burn in some mission profi les.Utility— Boeing’s Philadelphia plant resumed production of H-47 May 15. Th e Chinook line had been shut down May 13 after the discovery of damage to two CH-47Fs that appeared to have been deliberate. Th e U.S. Defense Con-tract Management Agency, the U.S. Army and Boeing continue to investigate the damage. No other aircraft were found to be damaged.Utility— Th e U.S. Navy halted the operational evaluation of the AQS-20 sonar because of reli-ability problems with the cable winch system aboard the Lockheed Martin/Sikorsky Aircraft MH-60S Seahawk. Th e OpEval, which began March 18, was halted Apr. 18.VIP—Press reports in India indicated Agus-taWestland’s AW101 was in line for selection by the Indian Air Force as its new VIP transport. Th e service intends to acquire 12 aircraft. Th e AW101 is vying with Sikorsky Aircraft’s S-92.VIP—In April, the U.S. Navy’s VH-71 presiden-tial helicopter program conducted initial fl ight

testing with Lockheed Martin displays on one if its test aircraft. “Results of the testing were positive, with no signifi cant issues noted,” the company said, adding that the test aircraft is on track for delivery to the Navy.VIP— Th e U.S. Navy expects to issue request for proposals this month for Increment 2 of the VH-71 U.S. presidential helicopter. Th e

contractor team led by Lockheed Martin Systems Integration in Owego, N.Y. has been under a stop-work order on Increment 2 while the aircraft, a variant of team member AgustaWestland’s AW101, was redesigned and the program schedule reorganized. Th e goal is to award a new Increment 2 contract in Febru-ary 2009.—By Rebecca Christie

Four Rotors Afloat?A four-engine cargo plane that can land on a ship? Might happen, if Bell Helicopter and Boeing keep progressing on their development of the Quad Tilt-Rotor (shown at right).

Project Manager Alan Ewing said the indus-trial team is moving toward a prototype that can carry roughly 100,000 lb of fuel and cargo, in hopes of winning the Pentagon’s competition for a new joint heavy-lift aircraft.

Like its smaller cousin, the V-22 Osprey, the Quad Tilt-Rotor would be able to take off like a helicopter and fly like a plane. Like the Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules airlifter, it would have four propellers and a lot of room for cargo. But unlike the C-130, it is designed to fly from the deck of an aircraft carrier. Ewing said the idea isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds.

“You think about an F-14,” he said. “Its takeoff weight is about 68,000 lb. You put three of those in our parking spot, there’s a QTR.”

The Bell-Boeing team has been testing Quad Tilt-Rotor designs and trying to figure out the “sweet spot” size for the aircraft. Ewing said the testing turned up some technical challenges, but no showstoppers. The design is based on the Osprey, but it’s almost half again as big.

As currently envisioned, the Quad Tilt-Rotor would be able to carry about 27 tons of cargo on a 250 nm roundtrip at 4,000 ft on a 95F day. Cruise speed would be about 275 kt, and the cargo bay would hold eight standard U.S. Air Force pallets, with room for another on the ramp. Ewing said it’s being designed with the Army’s Future Combat Systems combat vehicle family in mind. That means a big plane. If it gets built, the Quad Tilt-Rotor would have 50-55-ft-dia rotor blades, compared to the Osprey’s 38-ft-dia blades.

The Quad Tilt-Rotor was one of three proposals in line for a follow-on research contract under the U.S. Army-led Joint Heavy Lift program, but that has been eclipsed by the Joint The-ater Future Lift program. That program is looking initially at an aircraft concept that could pro-vide intra-theater lift for the U.S. Army, Marines, and Navy but also serve as a replacement for the Air Force’s fleet of C-130s and Boeing C-17s. Army and Air Force officials are just beginning concept definition of the Joint Theater Future Lift aircraft, and the program is not expected to start before Fiscal 2015—By Rebecca Christie



Sometimes, words do become reality. Rolls-Royce started the

development of the RR300 engine in 2006 and then launched the

affordable new turbine powerplant at Heli-Expo 2007. To take the

RR300 from vision to engine to certification in under two years, we

started with a lightweight and compact design, added smooth and

powerful turbine performance, and backed it with the proven

heritage and reputation of the Rolls-Royce name. All at a low cost

so you can afford to make reliable turbine power a reality. But don’t

wait – the new RR300 is already turning heads and gaining fans.

Make it part of your new reality. Trusted to deliver excellence.

www.rolls-royce.com

How Rolls-Royce transformed words into reality.


http://www.rolls-royce.com


Heard in the HallwaysRotorcraft Rotorcraft ReportReport

Is the C.G. Shifting for Rotorcraft R&D in the U.S.?That was a question on the minds of U.S. attendees at last month’s American Helicopter Society International annual gathering in Montreal.

What provoked the question? The U.S. Navy’s launch of a rotorcraft center of excellence, based at NAS Patuxent River, Md. It is headed by the Naval Air Systems’ Douglas Isleib (see the VH-71 item), who is one of just two full-time employees assigned to it. He billed the role of the center, called for by the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) panel recommendations for streamlining U.S. defense operations, as identifying common requirements for rotorcraft systems, soup to nuts, and coordinating efforts to satisfy them. He added that there is no reason that its efforts should not cover the needs and efforts of services other than the Navy and Marine Corps.

But others see the new center as a bid for control of military rotorcraft R&D funding. The former Marine deputy commandant for aviation, Gen. Michael Hough, for instance, said at AHS in Montreal that the center should take the lead in securing and steering science and technology funding for rotorcraft efforts. While the BRAC also called for establishing a rotorcraft center of excellence under the Army at Fort Rucker, Ala., Hough said “you don’t need two.”

The move has some in Army aviation worried that the center of gravity for U.S. rotorcraft research could shift to the Navy. Several factors feed that concern.

Top advocates of Army aviation are retiring, among them Gen. Richard Cody (Army vice chief of staff ), Brig. Gen. Stephen Mundt (director of aviation on the Army staff ), Brig. Gen. Virgil Packett (com-mander of Fort Rucker and the Aviation Warfighting Center there) and Paul Bogosian (program executive for Army aviation). Add to that the fact that the Army has been starving rotorcraft research. Last year, for example, it went along with NASA’s move to cut from three to two the number of university R&D centers they fund.

That may not have been a wise move. The losing school was the Univers i ty of Mar yl and. The le ader of the maj or i ty D emo-crats in the U.S. House of Representatives is Steny Hoyer. A key funder of research efforts in the Senate for years has been Barbara Mikulski. Both Hoyer and Mikulski are from Maryland, and both have voiced support for the Navy center.

A Bad Year for U.S. Safety2008 is already a bad year for aviation safety in the United States.

That may strike readers as a strange statement. The traditional measure of safe-ty, certainly in the public mind, is accidents, and this year has not been exceptionally bad. Helicopter accidents continue at what appears to be a steady rate, but there have been no headline-grabbing airline crashes in the United States.

The damage that this year has brought, however, is to the underpinnings of the safety efforts that made the past several years among the safest ever for fixed-wing operations and have inspired the helicopter industry toward a similar achievement. The underpinnings at risk are the increasing and highly effective

collaborative initiatives of FAA inspectors and aircraft operators

The utter failure of FAA oversight of main-tenance at Southwest Airlines has wrought much of that damage. The decision of chief agency inspectors of that airline to allow Southwest to operate hundreds of flights in violation of airworthiness directives and attack other inspectors who challenged their actions is widely viewed as a despicable set of acts. But all FAA inspectors are being painted with that brush, prompting many of them to seek cover behind strict interpretations of Federal Avia-tion Regulations and pull back from any effort to work closely with operators to identify and fix safety problems. The flaw in this approach is that the FAA has never been effective in advancing safety by playing traffic cop.

The other danger l ies in a court chal lenge of av iat ion safety act ion programs in the wake of a 2005 regional jet crash in Kentucky. Those programs are built on the assumption that air-men, operators and regulators can most effectively find and fix safety problems if a transgressor can come forward with details of the problem without fear of losing his or her livelihood. Such programs are widespread in airline operations, and the EMS operator STAT MedEvac and Era Helicopters have recently brought them into the helicopter world. They, too, have proven highly effective in advancing safety. They could be scuttled if partici-pants fear their confidential dealings may one day have to be revealed in court.

Heads Roll, Gently, on VH-71

It rarely happens that a military acquisition incurs major delays and cost overruns without some heads rolling. And so heads have rolled in the VH-71 program.

The next-generation U.S. presidential helicopter pro-gram, launched with a 2005 contract award, is one year behind schedule and has seen its total costs jump about 75 percent. The U.S. Navy-run program has just undergone a major restructuring that includes all-new dynamics for the aircraft. Part of the deal for Pentagon, White House, and congressional approval of the restructuring was the reas-signment of the program heads for the Naval Air Systems Command and the prime contractor, Lockheed Martin Systems Integration.

NavAir’s Douglas Isleib, was succeeded by Capt. Donald Gaddis, who previously headed the Navy’s highly successful F/A-18 Strike Fighter program. Lockheed’s PM, Michelle Evans, has moved on and Jeff Bantle, who ran that company’s now-successful Navy MH-60 Sierra and Romeo program, took the helm of the presidential program. Bantle, before joining Lockheed, served as a flight director for NASA’s space shuttle program. That role, in which he was the man on the ground in charge of space shuttle missions, prepared him for managing high-profile, high-risk projects in which schedule was critical and sud-den, complex problems were common.

It wasn’t a bloodletting. Isleib has been reassigned to head Navy efforts to open a rotorcraft center of excel-lence at NAS Patuxent River, Md.




http://aviall.com

24 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | JUNE 2008 W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M2008 W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O

PRODUCTS | AVIONICS

By James T. McKenna

I t is the difference between a slice of pie and a half an onion.You can picture the risk of hitting a stationary obstacle with a fixed-wing aircraft as

a slice of pie. The airplane is the apex of the slice. The sides of the slice are the lateral limits of the airplane’s flight path, or the distance to either side that it can deviate from

its heading. Any obstacle that sticks up within those limits is a potential collision threat. How wide the slice is depends on the aircraft’s speed. A fast-moving airplane has a narrow

band of potential threats; it will fly past an obstacle off to the side before it can hit it. But a slow-mover will take longer to pass an obstacle, so the slice that represents its collision-threat enve-lope is wider. The depth of the pie depends on how quickly the airplane can climb or descend.

A helicopter, as we all know, can fly very slow. It can hover at zero airspeed. It can move straight up and down. So its collision-threat envelope doesn’t fit in a pie slice. It looks more like an onion cut in two.


07_RW_060108_ObAvoid_p24-31.indd24 2407_RW_060108_ObAvoid_p24-31.indd24 24 5/21/08 11:20:12 AM5/21/08 11:20:12 AM


25JUNE 2008 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINEW W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M

Avionics manufacturers are fielding a variety of sensor packages

to help helicopter pilots better detect hazards to flight.

Obstacle Avoidance





PRODUCTS | AVIONICS

Avionics manufacturers are fine-tuning the protection their products offer heli-copter crews against collisions with ter-rain and other objects.

Chelton Flight Systems’ electronic flight instrumentation system (EFIS) has become a popular option for heli-copter operators seeking greater situ-ational awareness and navigation capa-bilities. The EFIS’s integrated suite, with its primary and multi-function displays, includes such capabilities as real-time depiction of terrain in 3D and Chelton’s highway-in-the-sky, as well as an air data and attitude heading reference system (ADAHRS), integrated Global Positioning System/Wide Area Augmentation System (GPS-WAAS), traffic integration and a helicopter terrain awareness and warning system (HTAWS). Chelton is now offering its 6.0B software upgrade to incorporate Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast System (ADS-B) signals.

Chelton also is refining the terrain database for its TAWS by incorporating advanced surface imagery collected by NASA. The space agency’s shuttle Endeavor in 2000 flew an 11-day mission using radar to collect “the most complete high-resolution, digital topographic data-base of Earth” according to Gordon Pratt, vice president of business development for Chelton parent Cobham Avionics & Surveillance. This data will allow the TAWS to achieve terrain resolution of 6 arc seconds, or about 0.1 mi, in most of the world. Currently, terrain outside the United States is resolved at 30 arc sec-onds, or 0.5 mi. “That will permit 25 times greater resolution,” he said, since the length and width of a square measure of terrain each would be five times finer.

Chelton also is offering Jeppesen’s obstruction database to all foreign cus-tomers. Chelton EFIS users have the ability to load their own obstacles into the TAWS database, an advantage useful when flying around cell phone tow-ers and other obstructions lower than the 200 ft minimum required to be reported to the U.S. FAA and Federal Communications Commission.

Honeywell ’s Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System (EGPWS) Model

Mark 22 offers a number of capabilities beyond those spelled out in the minimum operational performance standards defined by the recent RTCA Special Committee 212. The FAA is consider-ing adopting those stan-dards. The Mark 22 unit, in addition to warning a pilot of approaching terrain as defined by its database, offers modes that warn of an exces-sive descent rate, a descent after takeoff and a failure to lower landing gear on approach, according to Yasuo Ishihara, the Honeywell engineer who tailored that company’s EGPWS for use on helicopters. Customers can program the system for altitude callouts off the radio altimeter. It also can warn of excessive bank angle or pitch-up or an impending tail strike.

Sagem Avionics has long offered its Terrain and Obstacle Protection System (TOPS), which was developed for the Cirrus SR-20 light, fixed-wing general aviation aircraft.

TOPS is part and parcel of Sagem’s integrated cockpit display systems (ICDSs), a set of “glass cockpits” that replace analog display suites. The ICDS displays—Models ICDS-6, ICDS-8 or ICDS-10—are interchangeable and may be installed in portrait or landscape orienta-tions. Sagem Avionics’ open architecture design allows equipment interchange-ability throughout the life of the system.

TOPS displays terrain hazards on the multi-function display in two forms: a protection zone that is the width of an air-way on an aeronautical chart and extends 30 nm or so ahead of the aircraft, and a profile view that divides terrain ahead of the aircraft in 2 nm blocks. The protection zone and profile view update dynamically with the movement of the aircraft.

When terrain or an obstacle extends into the aircraft’s flight path, TOPS turns the color of the block in which it sits red to indicate the hazard to the pilot. A key advantage of the system, said Sagem’s Jack Sheehan, is that the system shows

terrain on the MFD plan view in what he called unambiguous colors.

Some TAWS show terrain hazards in red, the same color weather radar use to depict severe rain or turbulence. TOPS color scheme permits weather radar to be laid over its terrain display, he said.

Other vendors continue to work on options for warning flight crews of terrain and obstruction hazards.

The Italian company Selex Communi-cations is fielding the Laser Obstacle and Avoidance Monitoring (LOAM) system on AgustaWestland AW101s operated as search and rescue (SAR) aircraft by the Danish air force. Lockheed Martin also has weighed using the system on its AW101-based bid for the U.S. Air Force’s Combat SAR-X competition. Like AgustaWestland, Selex is owned by Finmeccanica.

LOAM is a second-generation, eye-safe laser system. Usable in day and night conditions, the system is designed to both warn the crew of possible colli-sion with wires (down to a diameter of 5 mm), pylons and other obstacles and to cue the crew with an escape-avoidance maneuver. One version uses a simplified, dedicated display that shows the flight time to the obstacle and up/down and left/right arrows to indicate the recom-mended avoidance path.

Selex officials said a laser detector is preferable to a radar one because the laser requires less reflected energy from an object to detect its presence. This enables the LOAM system to detect wires at angles of incidence to the aircraft much lower than 90 deg.

Building a Better Collision Shield


Ch

elto

n F

ligh

t S

yste

ms

Chelton is updating its terrain awareness and warning system with high-resolution topographic data from NASA’s space shuttle.



see them now

With obstruction detection technologies from Honeywell.

Honeywell is leading the development of advanced safety solutions for helicopters. Our obstruction detection technologies bring the flying environment into sharp focus, enabling pilots to quickly identify wires, cables and other obstacles to safe operations.

Honeywell sees a safer future. And we’re investing in new technologies to make it happen.

For more information, visit www.honeywell.com/helicoptersFor a fleet evaluation, call Doug Kult at 602-231-1238


http://www.honeywell.com/helicopters


PRODUCTS | AVIONICS

Many helicopter operators have been under pressure in recent years to reduce their risk of collisions with terrain, obstacles and other aircraft. Some, particularly in emergency medical services and law enforcement, have proactively installed terrain awareness and warn-ing systems on their helicopters ahead of any regulatory require-ment to do so. As a result, some of those installed systems designed for fixed-wing aircraft created another potential problem.

Because such systems are designed to protect fixed-wing aircraft in cruise flight, they trigger frequent false warnings in the helicop-ters in which they are installed.

That is especially true when the helicopter is flying low, when the risk of collision can be highest. This leads pilots to mute the TAWS’ warnings or simply turn off the system. “You end up getting to the point where you just turn the damn thing off,” said a senior pilot in a police helicopter unit.

The problem is that this conditions the pilot to ignore the TAWS’ warning and creates the risk that a pilot will collide with an obstacle even when the system is issuing a genuine warning.

“If you mute it, you’re degrading its effectiveness to do what it’s designed to do,” said Gary Campbell, director of operations for Canandaigua, N.Y.-based EMS Air Services. Campbell served as an operator representative on the FAA-chartered committee convened by the advisory group RTCA to develop technical standards for helicopter TAWS. He also represented the National EMS Pilots Assn on the committee.

Heeding the Warnings

Co

urt

esy o

f G

arm

in

Garmin’s products offer a low-cost TAWS-like solution.

U.S. FAA officials in charge of obstacle lighting and marking regulations are weighing a proposal to adopt a Norwegian company’s low-powered radar system as an acceptable means of marking powerlines as aviation hazards.

The Oslo-based OCAS company’s Obstacle Collision Avoidance System has been under evaluation in the United States and Canada for several years. It has won enthusiastic support from power companies, including the U.S. utilities Louisville Gas and Electric of Kentucky and the Tennessee Valley Authority. The utilities see the OCAS system as a lower-cost option to install-ing and maintaining aviation beacons on their powerline stanchions.

OCAS takes a different approach to obstacle avoidance: it proposes a sys-tem mounted on the ground. That approach appeals to helicopter operators because it eliminates adding the cost, weight and maintenance requirements of installing detection and warning systems on their aircraft.

The OCAS system installs low-power, L-band radar units, of about 1 w, on powerline stanchions or cell-phone towers. When the radar detects aircraft on a collision course with the stanchion or tower, or the powerlines running between stanchions, the system activates ground lights to illuminate the obstruction (using existing obstacle-avoidance lighting). At the same time, the system broadcasts a low-power aural warning on all aeronautical VHF frequencies.

The OCAS system was developed jointly as a Norwegian national effort by Statnett SF, Norway’s largest utility owner; the Civil Aviation Administration of Norway; and the Royal Norwegian Air Force. In addition to warning approaching aircraft, OCAS, logs by radar tracks, the movement of aircraft near customers’ facilities. These logs include speed, heading and altitude.

OCAS also has been tested collaboratively in Norway by the Norwegian CAA and the Norwegian Post and Telecommunication Authority.

An Offboard Solution

Co

urt

esy o

f O

CA

S

OCAS uses low-power, L-band radar units on the ground to detect aircraft approaching powerlines.




Obstacle Avoidance


“ It l ike hal f an onion,” sa id Roy Fox , c h i e f o f f l i g h t s a f e t y a t B e l l Helicopter. “ We need to protect the entire hemisphere under the helicopter from obstacles.”

That’s a daunting problem. Unlike a fixed-wing aircraft, “you can’t expect a helicopter to perform to predicted gradients,” said Bob Brooks of Sagem Avionics. While a great deal of success has been achieved in reducing fixed-wing accidents involving controlled f light into terrain (CFIT) with terrain awareness and warning systems (TAWS), “all the angular work that went into that is not of any value with helicopters.”

Safety experts like Fox, regulators like the FAA’s Dave Downey, accident inves-tigation officials like Steve Chealander of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, helicopter operators, and avionics manufacturers agree that it is a problem that can’t fundamentally be solved with black boxes. Avoiding colli-sions with obstacles, they say, hinges on sound decision-making by pilots.

“Pilots are notorious for saying, ‘I can handle it,’” said Chealander, one of five

presidentially appointed members of the NTSB, a former U.S. Air Force F-4 and F-16 pilot, and an American Airlines cap-tain and flight safety manager. “But you have to ask yourself why you would want to get into a situation in the first place.”

The threat of collisions is as com-mon as it is complex. It aff licts pilots day and night, in visual and instrument conditions, in civil and militar y air-craft and regardless of pilot experience. Accident investigators regularly probe crashes in which a pilot hit a mountain slope within a 100 ft of the ridgeline. Fox recalls a recent accident in which a helicopter was approaching an offshore helideck. As the aircraft crossed over the deck’s edge, the pilot said he felt a bump. He got out to find his tail rotor and tail rotor gearbox on the deck. U.S. Air Force Col. Pete Mapes, a senior safety analyst for the deputy U.S. under secretary of defense for readiness, noted that the B oeing AH-64 Apache and the B ell OH-58D Kiowa Warrior share “a unique accident modality.” When one of those aircraft is “in the battle position with zero-percent illumination, going up and

down in a clearing, folks lose situational awareness and they go back and catch the tail rotor.”

The industry is tackling the threat by taking a slice out of the problem, no pun intended.

CFIT constitutes the biggest slice of the collision-threat pie. It is the lead-ing cause of accidents involving pilot procedures, and has been for at least seven years. A task force set up by the advisory group RTCA at the request of the FAA this year completed drafting technical specifications for TAWS tai-lored for helicopters. That sets the stage for the FAA to issue technical standard orders for such systems. TAWS has been around for years in the fixed-wing world, pioneered by Honeywell and its Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System. That has contributed to signifi-cant reductions in fixed-wing accidents. Adapting such systems to helicopters are likely to produce similar benefits.

But TAWS are intended to protect helicopters in cruise flight, and as such are a big first step in creating that half-onion like shield. Much work remains to address collision threats that helicop-ters face flying in places no fixed-wing aircraft can go.

A chief concern of operators seeking col-lision-avoidance solutions is they do not want to install systems that lure their pilots to keep their eyes inside the cockpit.

Safe Flight Instrument Corp aims to address that concern. The White Plains, N.Y.-based avionics manufacturer doesn’t rely primarily on displays to alert pilots of impending encounters with powerlines. It relies on the pilot’s ears.

The company’s Powerline Detection System, which is approved for installation in the complete range of Bell Helicopter 206s and Eurocopter’s AS355, is designed to sense the electromagnetic field emitted by live powerlines.

When it detects that, the system generates an unmistak able, Geiger counter-like ticking in the pilot’s head-set. The ticking increases in intensity as the aircraft gets nearer to the lines. A red warning light also illuminates on the instrument panel.

Using the Senses

Safe Flight’s Powerline Detection System “tells” pilots of nearby hazards.



PRODUCTS | AVIONICS

The drive for improved technological protection against collision hazards comes as operators have less and less of an appetite for adding new boxes to their aircraft.

Few pilots or aircraft owners have spare real estate on instrument panels for added displays or indicators. Fewer still want the extra weight, maintenance and life-cycle costs of new avionics. Consequently, avion-ics vendors are spending more time and money in developing integrated solutions to instrument and display needs.

These factors already are driving prod-ucts in the field.

Chelton Flight Systems’ electronic flight instrumentation combines multiple capa-bilities in a single display.

Sagem Avionics in the past year has launched its Integrated Cockpit Display Sys-tems products, which have the same goal.

Further upstream, both AgustaWest-land and Bell Helicopters have decided in recent years that, to meet their customers’ demands for simplified and lower-cost avionics, they would have to control the architecture that governs the interface of black boxes on their aircraft. Bell’s BasiX open architecture for its new Model 429 light twin, and its decision to design the aircraft’s brain, the digital acquisition unit, are cases in point.

Much of the momentum toward inte-grated systems comes from the growing use of enhanced and synthetic vision systems.

Elbit ’s Kollsman Inc is offering its General Aviation Vision System (GAViS) for helicopter applications. The system, developed to improve situation aware-ness by extending the pilot’s forward vision at night and in low-visibility condi-tions, can be fed to any video-capable display, according to Ed Popek of Kolls-man. GAViS is designed to be mounted like an aircraft antenna, the company said, without need for extra equipment such as windows and fairings, lowering total cost of ownership.

GAViS uses one line-replaceable unit drawing 28 v DC. It supplies standard RS170 analog video for display in the cockpit.

The Kollsman Night Window enhanced vision system consists of an 8-12 micron forward-looking infrared (flir) sensor with

an integrated IR win-dow and an optional electronics process-ing/power supply box for added inter-face flexibility. It is designed to display an IR image on a head-down display or head-up display.

CMC Elec tron-ics is f ielding its SureSight M-Series e n h a n c e d v i s i o n system for helicop-ters. Last year, Edwards and Associates installed it on an AgustaWestland AW139 for a corporate customer.

The sensor is designed to help crews fly safely in darkness, smoke, smog and other poor visibility conditions. The M-Series sen-sor weighs 2.2 lb and measures 2.4X2.5X6 in. It also is in a single line-replaceable unit.

As with many things rotorcraft, the drive for greater and more integrated detection and display capabilities comes from the military. Mounting losses of aircraft and personnel to brownout crashes in Iraq and Afghanistan have rotorcraft leaders search-ing for a solution to that major threat.

This has the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency undertaking an R&D effort to solve the brownout problem. It has contracted with Sikorsky Aircraft to integrate and test a new landing system for helicopters that promises safer flying in brownouts.

Known as Sandblaster, it seeks to replace the visual cues lost during brownout by giv-ing helicopter pilots an accurate synthetic depiction of the outside world. The system would integrate various new technologies, including 94 GHz radar, detailed topo-graphical and obstacle data and synthetic-vision displays, to create this depiction. It also would integrate advanced flight con-trols to stabilize the approach profile and reduce pilot work load, assisting the pilot in landing safely.

Sandblaster would enable the pilot to “see” through the cloud and guide the heli-copter to a preset landing point.

Sikorsky’s team includes Honeywell, which was selected to develop and

integrate synthetic-vision technology, and Sierra Nevada, which is designing and inte-grating the 94 GHz radar.

Under the terms of a $6.9-million, 18-month contract, Honeywell will design and demonstrate a synthetic vision system for the UH-60 Black Hawk cockpit that enhanc-es situational awareness and reduces the workload for pilots operating aircraft in degraded visual environments.

“Taking-off and landing in arid des-ert terrain during brownouts can lead to obscured vision, disorientation and accidents,” said Vicki Panhuise, Honeywell Defense and Space’s vice president of com-mercial and military helicopters. “This tech-nology development program addresses vital warfighter needs to help ensure safer helicopter missions.”

BAE Systems also proposes to develop a brownout solution for military operators. It has tapped Mercury Computer Systems, Inc to provide a synthetic vision display for its proposed system. Mercury’s VistaNav synthetic vision technology would serve as the basis of the system.

Rockwell Collins and Optical Air Data Systems also have teamed to offer a brown-out solution called LandSafe.

LandSafe was developed through an exclusive licensing agreement between the two companies and incorporates commercial-off-the-shelf fiber optic laser technology to “sense through” particulate matter such as dust, snow, rain, smoke or fog while providing altitude, groundspeed and airspeed information to the flight crew. It is being evaluated by the U.S. Marine Corps for the CH-53E.

Putting the Solutions Together

W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O MROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | JUNE 200830

Co

urt

esy o

f H

on

eyw

ell

Honeywell’s synthetic-vision system is intended to integrate data from numerous sensors in an integrated display.



searchrescue Summit

Register Today!Early Bird Discount Expires

July 31!

Register for the Search and Rescue Summit 2008 at: www.SearchandRescueSummit.com

Register now to join your fellow rotorcraft professionals for a full-day conference dedicated to Search and Rescue operations in a multiple-agency, multiple-aircraft environment.

Spend the day with your counterparts across other agencies and operations who have faced significant SAR Ops challenges and glean priceless insight from those lessons learned.

Thursday, September 18, 2008Sheraton – Reston, Virginia

Your conference registration includes a seat at the luncheon honoring the 41st Annual Helicopter Heroism Award winners and access to the SAR Go/No Go Decision Webinar.

HELICOPTER HEROISM A W A R D S

and

presented by:

13826

13969 RW SAR R i t d i dd 1 05/07/2008 2 53 58 PM


http://www.SearchandRescueSummit.com


Manufacturers are honing rotor blade

and structural performance with improved

designs and more composites, and repair

shops are keeping pace.

By Ernie Stephens


SERVICES | OVERHAUL AND REPAIR

Staying Sharp

Think hard. Is there any part of a helicopter that’s more important than the rotor blades? Even if the fuel is gone and the engines quit,

it’s those big, spinning planks that will get you back to Earth in one piece when nearly everything else fails.

Rotor blades, by necessity, have to be strong, but light. They have to bend, but not too far. They have to twist, but not too much. Ever since the birth of the first helicopter prototypes, engineers have searched for the perfect mix of qualities. In time they found

08_RW_050108_BladeComp_p32-35.in32 3208_RW_050108_BladeComp_p32-35.in32 32 5/20/08 3:58:28 PM5/20/08 3:58:28 PM



what they sought: the composite rotor blade, a mainstay of rotary-wing flight to this day.

Composite blades—or any composite components, for that matter—are built from a composition of two or more materials working together to form a more capable component. Composite manufacturers bond various textiles and metals together for just that purpose, especially for rotor blades.

Glass fiber is a popular material from which to make rotor blades, primar-ily because of its ability to bend and twist throughout a controlled range of movement. Steel, aluminum and titanium are common blade skins, because they are strong, offer less aerodynamic friction, and can maintain lift-friendly shapes without corroding as quickly as exposed glass fiber. The materials are pres-sure- and heat-bonded into one component using super-strong epoxies, then coated with special paint designed to seal the entire struc-ture from the elements.

In spite of their strength and flexibility, rotor blades can still suffer from fatigue, mis-treatment or foreign object damage that can make them unsafe. This means they must be submitted to inspections by qualified mainte-nance personnel, and sometimes repaired by specially trained technicians.

Short of a routine or scheduled inspec-tion, the first notification a pilot gets that a blade has a problem is a vibration felt through the cyclic. When a blade is damaged, it strug-gles to do what it should be doing, resulting in a noticeable thump down the control path. When that happens, it’s time to call a mainte-nance professional.

Upon notification of a blade-related vibration problem, the mechanic will usu-ally perform a series of in-house tests pre-scribed by the manufacturer to determine the nature of the problem. Regardless of the cause of the damage, maintenance manuals include general guidelines on how much damage to a rotor blade is acceptable, how much requires repair, and how much makes the blade unsafe to ever use again.

Composite rotor blades create particular problems. “Metal blades are simple sheet metal work,” said Jeff Range, director of sales for Composite Technology, Inc. They can be repaired by cutting out a deformed section, inserting a new piece, securing it and sand-ing it down to conform with the rest of the component.

Composites are another matter. They are more complex than metal components. Each separate, carefully designed material must effectively do its individual job and work with the material to which it is mated.

When repairing a composite blade is deemed feasible, there are several companies dotting the globe that will inspect, diagnose, repair and return to service nearly any rotor blade in existence. They all employ a variety of tests and repair techniques, from the surpris-ingly simple to the technologically complex.

When a blade first arrives at a composite repair facility, technicians review the accom-panying paperwork, checking to see what kind of work is needed.

If the blade is in for a routine, sched-uled inspection, the technician will send it through a battery of tests prescribed by the manufacturer. If the blade is in because

it needs repair, the technician will review the notes made by the mechanic who sent the blade, then set about confirming the suspected problem.

Whether an inspection or a repair is the task at hand, composite blade technicians begin by looking closely at every inch of the blade, checking it for obvious deformities. They then perform a tap test across the sur-face using a small metal hammer to detect any unusual reverberation, a tip-off that debonding—a condition where something is no longer in proper contact with something else—has occurred.

After the initial review of documentation, visual examination and tap testing, it’s on to other diagnostic techniques designed to pin-point trouble spots.

“We do all kinds of non-destructive test-ing,” said Dana Kerrick, vice president of


Blades Blades and Composites

CTI technicians carefully examine each rotor blade to locate and assess damaged areas.

Sections of aluminum skin are removed to expose damaged areas of composite materials.

Co

urt

esy o

f E

rnie

Ste

ph

en

sC

ourt

esy o

f E

rnie

Ste

phens





SERVICES | OVERHAUL AND REPAIR

International Aviation Composites of Fort Worth, Texas. One non-destructive testing (NDT) technique is ultrasonic inspection, or ultrasound, which he was eager to describe.

A properly calibrated machine “tests the thickness of the skin to ensure that is has not been sanded too thin,” said Kerrick. Sanding occurs when abrasive substances such as sand, dirt and even rain—the most common abrasive substance in an aircraft’s world—scour away at the blade’s surface, an action that can result in debonding.

The results of the ultrasound test appear on an oscilloscope-like screen for interpreta-tion. The location of an abnormal fluctuation marks the point of the damage, even if it can’t be seen with the naked eye.

Rotor Blades Inc (RBI) also uses a wide variety of NDT techniques to find problem spots in composite rotor blades. A sister com-pany of Bell Helicopter’s completions center Edwards Associates, RBI is especially adept at working on tail rotor blades from Bell’s 430, 222 and 206 models.

Eddy-current testing is a common diag-nostic procedure RBI uses on any number of the 2,000 blades it inspects annually at its headquarters in Broussard, La. (just outside Lafayette), its RBI Hawker Ltd partner-ship with Hawker Pacific in Dubai and its Rotor Blades Ltd facility in Warminster, United Kingdom. (It plans to open a facility in Calgary, Alberta later this year.)

Eddy-current “can detect minute defects

up to one-eighth of an inch in depth in metal-lic material,” said Troy Penny, RBI’s director of operations. “It takes a couple of hours to inspect a set of tail rotor blades.”

Penny explained that the device’s probe emits an electrical current around its tip. That current fluctuates or eddies as it passes over a crack, causing an analog meter to jump and an audible alarm to sound. Eddy-current test-ing equipment is expensive—anywhere from $10,000 to $15,000 a unit—but takes much of the guesswork out of crack detection.

Another diagnostic procedure popu-lar among blade repair stations is fluores-cent penetrant testing (FPT). Rotor-Tech International in Stockton, Calif. is an autho-rized blade repair station for nearly every helicopter blade. It does a lot of S-61 and H-3 rotor blades, which require FPT as part of their Sikorsky Aircraft-prescribed inspections.

“You spray a penetrant onto the blade,” explained Mike Rojas, Rotor-Tech’s director of maintenance. “It sits for 5-10 minutes, then it’s wiped off. Then you spray the devel-oper on.” If a crack is present, said Rojas, the developer will seep into the crack, where it will react with the penetrant that escaped the surface wipe-down. The reacting chemicals will glow under fluorescent light, clearly iden-tifying the crack. “We use it a lot,” he said.

As with most blade repair companies, the people at Composite Technology, Inc uses thermal imaging at its headquarters in Grand Prairie, Texas, as well as its locations in Singapore, Brazil, England, Canada and its sister operation, Helitech Industries, in Brisbane, Australia. Composite Technology is a Sikorsky Aerospace Services subsidiary.

“Rain will wear that resin down to the fiber material and it will wick that water into the layers” of glass fiber, said Composite Technology Vice President Jeff Range. “That causes delamination.”

Delamination occurs when the layers of fibers separate from one another, weakening the composite and, therefore, the entire blade.

The thermal imager reads heat signa-tures the same way forward-looking infra-red—a type of thermal imager—does when used by a soldier on a battlefield at night.

“Whenever we aim that camera, you’ll see a darker image indicating where the water is.” explained Range, who said the company uses it on blades from all manu-facturers, not just Sikorsky’s.

Life-Cycle Costs a Key Design Concern for BERP 4AgustaWestland’s design, development and production of its new BERP 4 main rotor blades have pushed the boundaries of the practical use of composite materials in helicopter components. AgustaWestland’s efforts are only the latest in that regard, the development and fielding of the NH90 transport helicopter still being the most notable. A product of the partnership of AgustaWestland, Eurocopter and Stork Fokker Aerospace, the NH90 airframe is made entirely of composites. But the BERP 4 effort is noteworthy, too.

The British Experimental Rotor Program had seven goals for the fourth-generation blades: reduced initial and life-cycle costs, reduced rotor vibration at high and low speeds, improved hover and forward flight performance, improved damage tolerance, increased erosion resistance and reduced signatures. Achieving the first two concerning costs required rethinking how rotor blades are produced and maintained throughout their service lives, which drove a number of innovations that AgustaWestland officials say will filter down to blades for all their helicopters. One example? AgustaWestland developed removable blade caps to simplify repair of damage when blade tips strike objects.

The largely composite BERP 4 blades are entering service this year on AW101s operated by the U.K. Royal Air Force. The test AW101 that achieved certification of the BERP 4 blades is shown below. AW101s fitted with BERP 4 blades have also been flown at weights up to 36,376 lb (16,500 kg)—4,189 lb (1,900 kg) more than the normal Merlin gross weight.

The AgustaWestland AW101 uses composite blades, plus a new swept tip design to increase efficiency.

Co

urt

esy o

f A

gusta

Westland




Blades Blades and Composites

With moisture being a serious enemy of composite rotor blades, one company decided to be proactive in preventing water seepage into one particular brand of rotor blades: those for Robinson Helicopter aircraft.

According to Jonny Quest, the technical director for Airwolf Aero-space in Middlefield, Ohio, a few Rob-inson operators began complaining that their stainless steel main rotor blades were delaminating due to water seepage into the blades’ core. (The delamination also occurs when the blade’s the internal aluminum tip cap corrodes.) But while other manufac-turers allow debonding to be repaired, Robinson requires blades damaged in that way to be replaced. With the price of new R22 and R44 blades run-ning in the neighborhood of $26,000 and $40,000 a set, respectively, that problem can be an expensive one. Airwolf came up with a supplemental type certificate (STC) to prevent delamination. It uses a kit that consists of spe-cially developed polymer tape that seals blades from the elements.

Airwolf Aerospace has won FAA and European Aviation Safety Authority approval for the tape’s installation on R22s and R44s. The FAA also recognizes the tape installation as an alternative means of compliance with Airworthiness Directive 2007-26-12, which

targets the Robinson blade delamination problem. Use of the tape eliminates the need for daily preflight visual checks of the blades that are otherwise required by the AD.

Quest added that the Army uses the same system on its helicopters stationed in the Middle East, which resulted in blade lives jumping from 20 to 200 flight hours.

Robinson Helicopter’s position is that delamination is not a problem if operators follow the maintenance manual’s require-ment to ensure that all blade surfaces remain completely painted, thus sealing out moisture.

Quest counters that Airwolf ’s tape kits, which sell for $1,200 for the R22 and $2,500 for the R44, are more cost-effective than repainting a blade when sections become exposed through regular wear and tear.

Vendors are pushing the state of the art in composites inspec-tion and repair. Thermal Wave Imaging of Ferndale, Mich., for instance, has worked with the U.S. Navy to develop a portable ther-mal inspection system for detect-ing subsurface flaws in metal and composite structures. According to the company, its ThermoScope system uses a unique approach to processing infrared image data to detect delamination, corrosion

and small amounts of fluid infiltration “that were previously undetectable by thermal inspection methods.” The system has been used on components for U.S. Marine Corps Bell/Boeing V-22s and Boeing CH-46s and U.S. Army Boeing AH-64s and CH-47s and Sikorsky UH-60s. (A CH-46 main rotor blade root crack is shown in the Thermo-Scope image on page 32.)

In the end, whether the issue is trying to detect, repair or prevent problems, rotor blades take very good care of people. It’s very impor-tant that we take good care of them, too.

www.devoreaviation.com

EC-145Tel-Tail

&Clam Shell Door

Lighting KitR-44

Tel-TailForward FacingFuselage Flood

Lighting Kits

New LED Kits commingEC-120EC-130

A109 series

DEVORE LIGHTSAW-139

Tel-Tail, Forward Facing, Main Rotor Disc Lighting Kits

A ThermoScope image includes bright areas that indicate disbonding of a patch repair.

Co

urt

esy o

f T

herm

al W

ave Im

ag

ing




http://www.devoreaviation.com


PRODUCTS

The 60th anniversary show brings some things old, many things new.FARNBOROUGHIn its 60th anniversary year, the

Farnborough Air Show will have visitors reminiscing of the old and embracing the new.

This year’s biennial show coincides with two other significant anniversaries: the 100th anniversary of the first officially recorded powered, heavier-than-air flight in the United Kingdom and the start of the Berlin Airlift.

The week-long event that begins July 14 brings a number of new elements.

Bell/Agusta Aerospace has reserved a spot in the flying demonstration line-up for its BA609 civil tilt-rotor, according to the show’s organizers. Bell plans to exhibit its new light twin Model 429, which will be shown in an emergency medical service configuration. Sikorsky Aircraft plans to bring the militarized version of its S-92, the H-92, to Farnborough to kick off a worldwide tour of that aircraft. Eurocopter will be pre-senting the 7-9-ton EC175 it is developing

with Aviation Industries of China 2 (AVIC 2) for the offshore-support and other mar-kets and highlighting the EC725, which it is proposing for the U.K. Search and Rescue Harmonization (SAR-H) program.

This year’s show will see a number of improvements in exhibition facilities, the centerpiece of which is Farnborough’s new Crystal Palace, a four-story, glass-enclosed facility that this year will be home to Thales and Kallman Worldwide.

In what could be the most important development for all exhibitors and visitors at Farnborough—and in what may be a nod to those clamoring about global warming—the show’s organizers are upgrading the air condi-tioning in all of the exhibition halls.

The last show was held during a stifling heat wave. July 2006 was, up to that point, the hottest July and the hottest month on record in the United Kingdom. July 19, the midpoint of Farnborough’s trade days in 2006, set the

record for the U.K.’s hottest July day; the high was 97.3F (36.5C) at Wisley, just south of Woking about 14 mi (23 km) east of Farn-borough on the train line back to London. Air conditioning quit numerous times in the exhibit halls, and electricity supplied was inadequate for air conditioning to overcome the heat in some chalets. (Show organizers also are boosting the electrical-power grid throughout the show site as part of what they say is a $1.95-million (£1-million) investment in infrastructure.)

The air show is organized by Farnborough International Ltd, a subsidiary of the U.K.’s aerospace trade association the Society of British Aerospace Companies.

The organizers say this year’s event is on schedule to be the biggest Farnborough Air Show ever in the exhibition’s history, both in terms of exhibition space used and the num-ber of exhibitors present. Exhibition sales have been at record levels, they said, with the final

R&W Staff

09_RW_060108_FarnPre08_p36-39.in36 3609_RW_060108_FarnPre08_p36-39.in36 36 5/20/08 4:07:52 PM5/20/08 4:07:52 PM



figure running 20 percent higher than for the show in 2006. The total number of exhibitors is expected to be more than 1,500, or roughly 5 percent higher than the last show.

According to organizers, Russian com-panies have show great interest in exhibit-ing at the show. The Russian industry is going through a major consolidation and reorganization under Vertolety Rossii (Helicopters of Russia).

They also said the contingent of exhibitors from China has increased threefold since the 2006 show. Countries scheduled to exhibit for the first time include Colombia and Bahrain, and others, such as India and the helicopter exhibits of Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd., are returning with bigger presences than at previ-ous shows, the organizers said.

Reflecting the growing importance of this new class of aircraft, this year’s show will include a greater unmanned aerial systems presence in the enhanced Assn for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International Pavilion.

Demand for space in the exhibition halls has been unprecedented, according to the organizers. As an example of that, they have had to extend Hall 4 for the first time ever to accommodate the exhibitors wishing to display there.

In another first, Farnborough Interna-tional is offering exhibitors and trade visitors an online service for booking appointments during the show. The service is designed to allow visitors to search Farnborough’s exhibi-tors list for companies of interest and file requests via the Internet to meet representa-tives of those companies. The service was set to go live on the Farnborough Web site (www.farnborough.com ) last month.

To celebrate 60 years of the air show at Farnborough, the flying demonstrations of exhibited aircraft on Friday, July 19 will be supplemented by historic aircraft and iconic aircraft from Farnboroughs of the past. Orga-nizers expect a highlight of this will be the flight of the Avro Vulcan, making its first Farn-borough appearance following its restoration.

Show organizers also are extending the flying demonstrations on the public days, July 19-20. These planned 4.5-hr displays are

to include key aircraft from the preceding trade days and a parade of historic aircraft that include 14 types that flew at Farnborough at the inaugural show and notable aircraft from the subsequent six decades.

The flying displays are to be opened each day by the Shooting Stars, an Italian women’s parachute team performing for the Italian company Aero Sekur, which makes helicopter fuel cells and floats, among other products.

The celebration of the Farnborough and Berlin Airlift anniversaries will, among other things, highlight the ties between the British and American aviation communities. So, too, will the commemoration of the centennial of powered, heavier-than-air U.K. flight. That flight, whose anniversary is Oct. 16, was flown by an American cowboy and Wild West showman. Samuel Cody (not to be confused with showman Buffalo Bill Cody) was a pro-ponent of kites as flight vehicles who teamed up with Col. John Capper, then superinten-dent of the Balloon Factory. They developed British Army Aeroplane No. 1, in which Cody made that first flight, which covered 1,390 ft before the aircraft crashed. With a new air-craft, Cody went on to win the Michelin Cup in 1910 and the 1912 British Military Trials.

As for rotorc r af t p ar t ic ip at ion, Bell/Agusta executives are assessing whether modifications to their prototype BA609s based on flight test results and the current schedule of flight tests in the U.S. and Italy will permit one of the prototypes to be brought to the show. The civil tilt-rotor performed at the Paris Air Show last year, and Bell Helicopter and Boeing flew demonstrations of the mili-tary tilt-rotor V-22 at the last Farnborough.

Bell will be exhibiting at a new chalet at Farnborough, built in front of the chalet it shared with other Textron companies at the 2006 show. According to Bell, it is designed to give guests inside an excellent view of the show outside while they relax in a comfort-able, air-conditioned environment. It again will be joined by Textron’s Cessna, E-Z-Go golf cart manufacturer and Textron Systems.

Bell’s exhibit will feature the EMS-config-ured 429, the type targeted for certification this year, as well as other Bell aircraft. It plans various update briefings on both its commercial and military helicopter programs, including one on the V-22 and its ongoing combat deployment in Iraq with the U.S. Marine Corps. Bell will be explaining its decision to end production of the Model 206B3, 427, 430 and 210 and focus

Air Air Shows

Courtesy of Bristow Group

Sikorsky Aircraft will be highlighting the S-92 and its success in the offshore and search and rescue sectors, and launching a worldwide tour of its military variant, the H-92.


For updates on Farnborough activities and exhibitors, visit www.rotorandwing.com.WEB


http://www.rotorandwing.com


http://www.farnborough.com

http://www.farnborough.com


commercial production on the 407, 412 and 429. It also will be discussing with customers its plans for a new medium twin.

Sikorsky will be at Farnborough along with the United Technologies divisions Pratt & Whitney and Hamilton Sundstrand. It will be displaying a full range of products informa-tion from its commercial product, featuring the S-76, the S-92 that is proving successful in offshore support and other markets and the lighter products of its Schweizer Aircraft sub-sidiary. Sikorsky also will be highlighting its military products, particularly the U.S. Army’s latest Black Hawk, the UH-60M, as well as the International Black Hawk.

Sikorsky will update Farnborough visi-tors on its development efforts, including the high-speed X2 Technology Demonstrator.

“With the X2, we’re trying to prove that technology is now feasible for helicopters to fly at 250 kt with the hover effectiveness of the helicopter,” said Bruce McKinney, vice president of Sikorsky Europe. “None of the other hybrid or tilt-rotor aircraft have the hover efficiency. Once we’ve demonstrated

the technology we’ll be looking to orders.” Sikorsky also is expected to brief on the

CH-53K replacement for the U.S. Marines’ CH-53E heavy lifter, the status of the S-76D, the introduction of the S-92 to search and res-cue operations in the United Kingdom with CHC Helicopter and the U.S. Navy’s MH-60R that is scheduled to make its first deployment early next year.

But the focus of Sikorsky’s Farnborough visit is to introduce the H-92. The manufac-turer has been discussing this military variant of the S-92 since it launched that program in the early 1990s, and has proposed several versions for military competitions, including

the Canadian Maritime Helicopter program (which is running behind schedule). Like most helicopter makers, Sikorsky sees most opportunities for military sales as lying out-side the United States. A marketing focus on the military potential of the S-92 is aimed at helping it win those opportunities.

“Our plan is to bring an H-92 to Farn-borough that’s in a SAR configuration,” said McKinney. “This is a prototype used in previous demonstrations and will be showing the military capabilities of the -92 product line.” After Farnborough, the H-92 will go, “on a worldwide tour that includes stops throughout Europe, with a focus on

Co

urt

esy o

f C

HC

Helic

op

ter

CHC has introduced the AgustaWestland AW139 and Sikorsky S-92 to U.K. SAR service.

For over 40 years, the Helicopter Heroism Award has recognized the most dramatic displays of courage and heroism involving helicopters. This year’s award ceremony will honor the heroism exhibited throughout the various rotorcraft communities with multiple Above and Beyond the Call Awards to be presented to deserving helicopter crews and individuals.

August 1, 2008 is the nominations deadline Go to www.SearchandRescueSummit.com for forms and information

HELICOPTER HEROISM A W A R D S

FOR THESUBMIT YOUR NOMINATIONS TODAY

www.SearchandRescueSummit.com

Awards will be given in the following operational sectors:

Public ServiceMilitaryCommercial/Corporate/Private

Winners will be selected by a panel of prestigious individuals in the helicopter industry. They will be announced at the Helicopter Heroism Award Luncheon during the 2008 Search and Rescue Summit on September 18 in Reston, VA.

Look for the award feature story and announcement in your October issue of Rotor & Wing.

13965

PRODUCTS






Label Label Feature

www.heliparts.com ● www.heliparts.cawww.heliparts.com ● www.heliparts.ca“Others sell parts, WE SELL SUPPORT”

● Exclusive Provider of ISMRO™● More Than 50,000 Line Items Instock For Sale Or Exchange● 21 Sales Professionals Handing Day-To-Day Operations● More Than 50,000 Square Feet in Two Locations — Atlanta & Vancouver● MRO Capability On Over 8,000 Different Items ● 1,000+ Linear Feet Of Benches W/ Over 650 Pieces Of Test Equipment ● Distributor For 16 Different Manufacurers ● Aircraft Supported Include Agusta, Bell, Eurocopter, MD & Sikorsky

ISMRO

Atlanta (404) 768-9090 Fax: (404) 768-9006Vancouver (604) 542-8820 Fax: (604) 542-8829

upportednventory

aintenance

epair &verhaul

Central and Eastern Europe, and will go to several stops in Egypt and Asia for demos, and Mid-East.”

Sikorsky executives plan to work with customers through the rest of the year working with potential customers to devel-op specification sets for the H-92, McKin-ney said. “The desire to demo the aircraft is higher than the amount of time we have.”

Saudi Arabia’s Interior Ministry is one customer that has ordered militarized ver-sions of the S-92 for border-protection and other missions. Canada’s CH-148 Cyclone version includes a folding main-rotor blade and a folding tail to permit its storage in hangars onboard Canadian ships and mission equipment that includes antisub-marine or anti-surface warfare systems, as well as a deck-capture system to support shipboard landings.

Eurocopter will be updating attendees on the EC175, which it is developing on a 50-50 basis with AVIC 2’s Harbin Aircraft Manufacturing Corp. The aircraft features a five-bladed Spheriflex main rotor and three-

bladed tail rotor, a four-axis, duplex autopilot and five flat-panel displays in the cockpit. Its first flight is set for next year.

Eurocopter also will be featuring the EC725. It is promoting that aircraft for the U.K.’s SAR-H requirement and for search and rescue and combat SAR (CSAR) missions internationally. The French air force is flying CSAR missions with the EC725 in Afghani-stan and Lebanon.

NHIndustries, the partnership of Eurocopter, AgustaWestland and Stork Aero-space, will have its own chalet and will be exhibiting a Tactical Transport Helicopter variant of the NH90, which is being to deliv-ered to the first of 14 nations to order. Nine-teen of the 507 ordered have been delivered to five customers. Like Sikorsky, Eurocopter is targeting the international military market at Farnborough.

AgustaWestland also will have much to talk about, including upgrades to its A119 Koala and work to gain certification of an 882-lb. (400-kg) increase in the AW139’s max gross weight of 14,991 lb (6,800 kg).

With Sikorsky, it also will be able to dis-cuss CHC’s introduction of its aircraft into the high-profile SAR market in the United Kingdom. CHC beat out Bristow Group in the first phase of the U.K. SAR-H initiative, a five-year contract from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency to provide SAR ser-vices offshore and supplement the capabili-ties of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force. Bristow had provided those services for more than 20 years.

Under the contract, CHC provides SAR services from four bases around the country: Sumburgh in the Shetlands, Stornoway in the Western Isles, and Lee-on-Solent and Port-land on the south coast of England.

The £100-million ($197-million) con-tract has been an ongoing program of transi-tion from the previous service and involves the introduction of new-technology aircraft. Two new Sikorsky S-92s are now fully opera-tion operational from both Stornoway and Sumburgh. The service at Lee-on-Solent and Portland relies on AW139s, which are to be fully operational this summer.


Air Air Shows


http://www.heliparts.com

http://www.heliparts.ca



Know What You Don’t KnowDon’t rely on black boxes to save you from collisions with terrain or

obstacles, safety experts say. Rather, maintain a healthy curiosity

about what might lie on your route that can kill you.

By R&W Staff

Safety experts are fascinated by helicopter collisions with terrain, water and obstacles.

They study these types of acci-dents continually. In the past four years, groups of accidents involving what is called controlled flight into terrain (CFIT) alone have been the subject of studies by the FAA, the National Transportation Safety Board, the International Helicopter Safety Team, the International Assn of Oil and Gas Pro-ducers’ aviation subcommittee and the U.S. aviation standards advisory group RTCA.

Their findings have spurred develop-ment and testing of advanced avionics and other systems to alert pi lots to collision hazards. But the experts who performed those studies generally agree that no black box inside a helicopter or warning system is a substitute for a pilot who stays keenly aware of the environ-ment in which he or she flies and makes sound judgments about how safe it is to keep flying in that environment.

“A terrain awareness and warning system or a powerline detection sys-

tem or any avionics is just a tool for a pilot ,” said Dave Downey, manager of the FAA’s Rotorcraft Directorate. Also co-chairman of the International Helicopter Safety Team, Downey served as a flight test pilot for the FAA and the U.S. Army, including a tour as chief test pilot for the Army Aviation Airworthi-ness Qualification Test Directorate at Edwards AFB, Calif. He also is a gradu-ate of the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School.

He and other experts offered several tips to help pilots new and old maintain that situational awareness and lay the foundation for sound decision-making. The need for them is urgent.

In offshore operations, for instance, about half of the 151 accidents that occurred in the decade ending in 2004 involved pilot procedural errors, accord-ing to the oil and gas producers’ group. Of that half, 30 percent alone involved controlle d f l ight into terrain/water (CFITW), and 24 percent involved strik-ing obstacles (with 21 percent striking a helideck). The 151 accidents included

55 fatal ones that claimed 213 lives.According to Greg Wyght, vice presi-

dent of safety and quality for C HC Helicopter Cor p, C FIT is the No. 1 cause of helicopter accidents and has been so for seven years. It is a threat that doesn’t discriminate.

“The CFIT risk is actually ever y-where,” said Yasuo Ishihara, the Hon-eywell engineer who tailored that com-pany ’s Enhance d Ground Proximity Warning System for use on helicopters. “It occurs day and night, in VFR and IFR flight, in flat terrain and mountains, and it occurs regardless of the experience level of the pilot.”

Take, for example, the Jan. 10, 2005 crash of an emergency medical service Eurocopter EC135P2 in the Potomac River just south of Washington. The commercial pilot of the LifeNet VFR positioning flight was southbound over the Potomac, crossing over a major, l ighte d br idge at ab out 200 f t msl , when air traffic control called traffic. The pilot acknowledged the traffic in

10_RW_060108_HTWirStrik_px.indd 4010_RW_060108_HTWirStrik_px.indd 40 5/20/08 4:09:57 PM5/20/08 4:09:57 PM



TRAINING

sight. It was about 2311 local time on a moonless night . The N TSB said the helicopter then started a gradual, right, descending turn that continued for 14 sec until it struck the water. The pilot and f light paramedic were killed; the flight nurse survived.

Other professional pilots familiar with the route “described the area near the accident site as a ‘black void’ because the shoreline there lacked physical light-ing,” said the NTSB. Some said “f lying that route at night was like flying into instrument meteorological conditions.”

All of the experts with which Rotor & Wing spoke to stressed the need for a good reconnaissance of the route you

will fly. That includes reviewing charts and notices to airmen, and talking about the route with pilots familiar with it . Don’t just look for hazards, they said. Look for landmarks that will tip you off that you are approaching the hazard.

T h a t i s e s p e c i a l l y t r u e i f y o u intend to fly below 500 ft agl, said Bob Feerst, president of Utilities/Aviation Specialists, a Crown Point, Ind. con-sulting firm that has trained more than 15,000 pilots around the world on flying at that altitude around power lines.

“You have to understand the dynam-ics of f lying in that environment,” he said, adding that he teaches a set of 12 different “awarenesses” that a pilot

must maint ain to f ly safely in that environment. For one thing, he said, w i res may b e ne arly imp oss ib le to see. When copper wires oxidize, for instance, they acquire a green coating just r ight for blending in to a tre e-covered background.

The priority before flying below 500 ft, the experts said, is to ask yourself why you are doing that in the first place.

“There’s no good reason to be f ly-ing that low unless you’re on a job that requires it,” said Gary Campbell, director of operations for EMS Air Services of Canandaigua, N.Y. “If you’re scud-running for no good reason, you’ve already made the decision to have an accident.”


10_RW_060108_HTWirStrik_px.indd 4110_RW_060108_HTWirStrik_px.indd 41 5/20/08 4:10:14 PM5/20/08 4:10:14 PM


from the fi eld

42 W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M

Compiled by R&W Staff

▶ California Lawyers Sue to Block Loan Collections Against Silver State Students

▶ Frasca Delivers Bell 206B FTDs to Iraq

Frasca International has delivered two flight training devices (FTDs) for the Bell Helicopter Model 206B for the U.S. Air Force to use in training Iraqi air force pilots.

These FTDs delivered to Kirkuk Air Base, about 145 nm (270 km) north of Bagh-dad, are part of an August 2007 order for nine to be used for training pilots for both rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft. The order includes the Bell 206 units, two Bell UH-1 FTDs, three for the Cessna 172 and two for the Cessna Caravan. The pair of UH-1 units

and a Caravan FTD are slated for delivery within the next few months.

All nine FTDs will include Frasca’s Tru-Vision 220 visual display system, which uses a 220X70 deg curved screen to offer students a seamless field of view for greater realism and fidelity.

“It is hard to imagine how we trained without the Frasca simulators,” said Lt. Col. Mark Bennett, commander of the Air Force’s 52nd Expeditionary Flying Training Sqdn. “The visuals are outstanding and the

simulators show exactly how we are train-ing the Iraqi air force’s future pilots.”

The contract is a result of a Foreign Military Sales transaction in which the U.S. Army's Program Executive Officer for Simulation, Training and Instrumenta-tion procured multiple FTDs for the Iraqi Air Force Flight Training Program. The devices will be used for a large portion of the flight instruction.

The Iraqi military forces have not had a flight training school since 2003.

A California law firm is suing a U.S. bank to block it from collecting payments on tuition loans to students of the failed train-ing giant Silver State Helicopters.

The Feb. 3 collapse of North Las Vegas, Nev.-based Silver State left more than 2,500 aspiring helicopter pilots holding $70,000 loans taken to pay for training at the com-pany’s more than 30 training locations throughout the United States.

Most had to pay the tuition up front

but had not completed their training when Silver State shut its doors. The company’s assets are being liquidated in U.S. Bank-ruptcy Court. The students stand almost no chance of recovering their payments to the school through that process. They are clas-sified under bankruptcy law as unsecured creditors, a group that stands nearly last in the line of people to be reimbursed through the liquidation.

Now a San Francisco law firm, Pinnacle

Law Group, has filed suit against Cleveland-based KeyBank seeking to bar it from col-lecting on loans to Silver State’s California students who couldn’t complete their train-ing because of the shutdown. The law firm is asking the state Superior Court in Oak-land, Calif. declare the case a class-action suit covering all Silver State students.

A Salt Lake City law firm, Harward & Associates, has said it would file a class-action lawsuit against Silver State.

ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | JUNE 2008

11_RW_060108_HTField_p42-43.inddT42 T4211_RW_060108_HTField_p42-43.inddT42 T42 5/20/08 4:14:04 PM5/20/08 4:14:04 PM



▶ Does Your Future Lie In a Private Navy?

Where lies the next big opportunity for helicopter jobs? Perhaps it lies at sea—and we don’t mean on offshore oil and gas rigs.

Owners of yachts, and a new category of them called megayachts, are adding helipads to their vessels. Some megayachts have two helipads. But the schools that train crewmembers and captains of such vessels don’t offer flight training (though some do offer training for aspiring flight attendants for the luxury rides).

To fill the gap, the French aviation con-sulting firm Heli Riviera has opened up a unit in the United States to train yacht crews on the safety aspects of helicopter shipboard operations. Based in Fort Lau-derdale, Fla., Heli Riviera USA has hired a retired U.K. Royal Navy pilot, James Frean, to develop the operation.

Frean said the company has more heli-pads installed on seagoing luxury vessels, with some having pads on their bows and sterns. “It’s a market that’s growing," he said. "People need to start taking more interest in the safety aspects.”

Heli Riviera, which works with yachts on a consulting basis to design safe heli-pads, recruit aviation crews and pick out the right aircraft, also offers several safety classes designed for working with onboard helicopters.

Frean said until insurance companies or national coast guard agencies set regu-lations for safety in this area, no yacht- and helicopter-specific training is required. There is a proposed regulation under con-sideration by the U.K. Maritime and Coast Guard Agency.


11_RW_060108_HTField_p42-43.inddT43 T4311_RW_060108_HTField_p42-43.inddT43 T43 5/20/08 4:14:24 PM5/20/08 4:14:24 PM


http://www.robinsonheli.com

44 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | JUNE 2008

Compiled by R&W Stafffrom the factories

▶ Bell Offers Students Sallie Mae FinancingBell Helicopter is offering its training students the ability to obtain U.S. Sallie Mae financing for their training.

Students at Bell’s Helicopter Training Academy at Alliance Airport north of Dallas can secure a Career Training Loan from SLM Financial, a Sallie Mae compa-ny. SLM has been providing loan products for students, consumers, and businesses for nearly 10 years.

The Career Training Loan is a private, credit-based student loan for flight training schools and other continuing education programs. To be eligible the customer must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and have an established credit history. The insti-tution you are attending must be licensed or accredited by the department of education in the states in which they do business.

Customers interested in the SLM Financial Sallie Mae loan should contact the Bell Helicopter Training Academy for its school code and instructions on how to apply on line. For more information on SLM Financial, call 1-888-272-5543 .

Sallie Mae is the leading U.S. provider of student loans and has helped millions of Americans finance their higher education. In addition, Sallie Mae offers comprehensive information and resources to assist students, parents, and guidance professionals with the financial aid process.

Sallie Mae owns or manages student loans for nearly 10 million customers, administers more than $18 billion in college savings accounts for one million customers through its UPromise subsidiary and employs about 12,000 indi-viduals at offices nationwide.

▶ France, EurocopterTarget School for IndiaEurocopter, together with the gov-ernment of France, plans to set up a flight training school in India, according to published reports.

India’s The Economic Times quoted France’s transport minister last month as saying government officials are in the process of finalizing plans with the manufacturer, which is headquartered in Marignane, France.

"There is a huge shortage of heli-copter pilots in India,” Dominique Bussereau, French minister of state for transport, said, according to the newspaper. “We have started a dia-logue for setting up a training school for such pilots.” Bussereau visited India May 12-13.

India’s government earlier this year adopted policies allowing for-eign investors to own 100 percent of the stock in helicopter operators in that nation, including flight schools. Foreign investors had been limited to 49 percent stakes. India also has elimi-nated the import taxes on simulators.

According to some reports, India has about 175 helicopters and fewer than 300 pilots. The number of heli-copters is expected to rise by 100 air-craft a year through 2013.


12_RW_060108_HTFac_px.indd T4412_RW_060108_HTFac_px.indd T44 5/20/08 4:17:51 PM5/20/08 4:17:51 PM


http://www.helinetwork.com


▶ HAI's "Free Membership" Offer Aimed In Part at Helping Silver State VictimsThe Helicopter Assn International's recent decision to change its rules to offer complementary, one-year memberships to flight students is aimed in part at helping former students of Silver State Helicopters and keeping the interest of those people in rotorcraft careers.

The trade group in late April said any person taking helicopter flight lessons is eligible for the year's free membership. That category was specifically defined as any student who is currently taking flight training, is enrolled in a flight-training program "or has been enrolled within the past 12 months from date of applica-tion" to cover aspiring pilots whose training was interrupted when Silver State shut the doors of its 30-plus flight schools in the United States on Feb. 3.

"We want to do what we can to keep their interest in helicopter careers and make the training and job-search benefits of HAI available to them," said Matt Zuccaro, president of the trade group, of the students.

The offer also covers students in maintenance technician or aviation dis-patcher courses. Current members who are students can apply for the free offer when they next renew their membership.

• Reduce Operating

Costs

• Maximize Profits

• Optimize Fleet Use

• FAA Approved

Maximize Pilot Trainingwith the Most Advanced Helicopter Simulation Available.

T h e C o m p r e h e n s i v e S o u r c e f o r H e l i c o p t e r S i m u l a t i o n

Contact us for more information: [email protected] www.frasca.com

Helicopter Simulators for All Aircraft Types

• Consistent All-Weather

Training

• Mission-Specific Training

• IFR & VFR Emergencies

▶ Partners Weigh SpotFor AW139 SimulatorTraining service partners AgustaWestland and CAE are debating whether to install their second AW139 simulator at the for-mer’s Philadelphia plant or the latter’s N.J. training center.

The companies have installed FAA- and European Joint Aviation Authorities-cer-tificated Level D simulators for the AW139 and the A109E Power at their Rotorsim joint venture in Sesto Calende, Italy. The simula-tors are built by Montreal-based CAE.

AgustaWestland has lagged in offer-ing simulator training, which has par-ticularly irked U.S corporate customers and offshore operators, who are pushing for more sim training for their crews. It opened Rotorsim in 2006 in part to address those concerns, but U.S. operators have remained without a simulator.

The Italian manufacturer has been expanding its operation at North Philadelphia Airport, where it assembles the A119 and the AW139. CAE early last year opened its North East Training Center near the Morristown, N.J. air-port, moving a Level D simulator for the Sikorsky Aircraft S-76 there from its center at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. It chose New Jersey in large part because it was “most convenient to our customers," many of whom are corporate helicopter operators in the Northeast United States, said Jeff Roberts, CAE’s group president for innovation and civil training and services.

The question with which the partners are wrestling is whether the AW139 simulator is better placed at a site set up to support simulators and their use in training or one where customers are picking up their aircraft.


12_RW_060108_HTFac_px.indd T4512_RW_060108_HTFac_px.indd T45 5/20/08 4:19:09 PM5/20/08 4:19:09 PM



http://www.frasca.com

46 ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE | JUNE 2008

Eye On India More Demand, More Scrutiny

International safety advocates are encouraged by news that the rotor-craft industry in India is undertak-ing independent, third-party safety

audits of helicopter operators. The news comes via the Rotary Wing

Society of India in a message to leaders of the International Helicopter Safety Team. Indian industry has undertaken an effort that parallels that international group’s initiative, which aims to cut helicopter accident rates around the world 80 per-cent by 2016. India was the site of the first regional conference of that international team, which was held in June 2006 in New Delhi and was sponsored by The Rotary Wing Society.

“It doesn’t matter how good the audits are right now,” said one leader of the inter-national team. “It’s an important first step in the process of enhancing safety that the industry in India is taking.”

Word of the audits comes as India’s av i at i o n re g u l ato r, th e D i re c to r ate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), had said it would appoint independent parties to audit the activities of flight schools in the country. That followed findings that a flight school in Baramati was issuing falsi-fied test results to pilot trainees.

The intention is for auditors to con-duct six inspections a year. In addition to verifying f light schools’ compliance with aviation regulations, the auditors are charged with suggesting ways of improv-ing the oversight and performance of those schools.

The rising demand for pilots in India has provoked a rapid increase in the num-ber of flight schools there.

Some projections say India would need 300 more helicopter pilots a year through

2013. To help meet such demand, the government recently decided to permit 100 percent ownership of flight schools by foreign entities. (It also is allowing 100 percent foreign ownership of helicopter operators, which likely would further increase demand for pilots.) The gov-ernment of France last month said it is working on setting up a flight academy in India in partnership with Eurocopter. Bell Helicopter also is among many others con-sidering such a move.

The concern is that , in this high-demand, increasingly competitive setting, some flight schools are falsifying records to show that students have received more instruction in the air than they actually have flown and issuing them certificates on that basis. That would put pilots in the cockpit who have not meet regulatory standards for serving as pilot in command of an aircraft.

Signs of growth in the Indian market appear regularly.

The government now is considering selling small stakes in state-owned com-panies, reportedly including Pawan Hans Helicopters. This national helicopter com-pany reports it has a fleet of 37 helicop-ters—17 Eurocopter AS365Ns and nine AS365N3, three Bell 206L4s and four Bell 407s, two Russian-built Mi-172s.

The consulting firm Ernst & Young is projecting that India’s demand for private air services to grow 50 percent a year, driv-en by rising car ownership there and poor investment in road infrastructure.

Along those lines, India’s pioneer of low-cost air travel, Air Deccan, plans to start a helicopter shuttle service to Bangalore’s new Bengaluru International Airport, which was slated to open last

month. The service’s fare, equivalent to $100 (€65), is intended to lure travelers who otherwise face a three-hr drive to the airport from most business parks in Bangalore, which is called India’s Sili-con Valley.

JB Aviation is planning scheduled helicopter service in southern India. The company is awaiting DGCA approval to start service to Kodaikanal, about 55 nm (100 km) southeast of its headquarters city of Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu state, to Madurai, about 95 nm to the southeast, and Ooty about 25 nm to the northwest. It has acquired land in Ooty for a heliport and plans to lease helicopters from Pawan Hans for the service.

JB Aviation said it is marketing the services in part to meet demand from corporate customers, such as Nokia and Vodafone, seeking more efficient trans-portation options in the region.

Global Vectra Helicorp Ltd has opened a new maintenance hangar at Juhu Airport in north Mumbai. The offshore support operator has India’s largest fleet of Bell 412s and has introduced Eurocopter ’s EC155B1 in offshore missions there.

The $2.75 million (€1.76) facility will “provide excellent support facilities for our growing helicopter fleet,” said Global Vectra’s CEO, Allan Brown.

The company has approvals for over-hauling 42-deg and 90-deg gearboxes and swashplate and tail-rotor assemblies for the 412. It also can perform 2,500-hr spe-cial inspections of the 412’s power train components, overhaul those components, and repair mechanical, electrical, avionics and structural items on that helicopter.

A second phase of construction will add a four-story office building to the facility.

COMMERCIAL


13_RW_030108_IonIndia_p46-47.ind46 4613_RW_030108_IonIndia_p46-47.ind46 46 5/20/08 3:55:26 PM5/20/08 3:55:26 PM


www.helitecheurope.com

14-16 October 2008Airport Cascais

ESTORILPortugal

TM

Helitech is the international helicopterexhibition for the rotary industry

To book an exhibitionstand or for more

information pleasecontact Sue Bradshaw

T: +44 (0) 208 439 8886E: [email protected]

Organised By: Patrons:

13_RW_030108_IonIndia_p46-47.ind47 4713_RW_030108_IonIndia_p46-47.ind47 47 5/20/08 3:55:39 PM5/20/08 3:55:39 PM


http://www.helitecheurope.com


By Ray Prouty

Settling With Power, Redefi ned

The recent letter from CW4 Steven Kersting reminded me that the term “settling with power” is some what misleading (“ VR S

vs. Settling With Power, February 2008, page 7). Power has little to do with the phenomenon.

As I discussed in the July 2007 issue, in a vertical descent, tip vortices are being gen-erated that self-activate themselves to go down at a speed that is determined by the rotor disc loading. At some descent speed, the helicopter is coming down at the same speed as the tip vortices and so the rotor gets entangled with them. It is now in the vortex ring state.

Not only does the local environment become chaotic, making the thrust fluctu-ate, but the average thrust decreases. This is due to the surrounding tip vortices induc-ing some of the wake to make a U-turn and come back down through the rotor, as shown in the photo (at right) taken from one frame of a smoke movie. At a constant pitch, this reduces the angles of attack on the blade elements.

The magnitude of the loss is shown on the plot of thrust versus rate of verti-cal descent. This is based on model tests conducted on a “long track” where the air stands still and the model moves through it , unlike a wind tunnel in which the model stands still while air moves past it. (The results are the same.) Although the test results were presented in coefficient form, I have converted them to represent a helicopter that hovers at 4,000 lb with a collective pitch of 12 deg.

The effects on the plot have also been observed in a wind tunnel test simulating vertical descent by using a remote control

on collective pitch to hold thrust con-stant as the tunnel speed was increased. Initially, the required pitch went down, but at the speed for the vortex ring, it had to be increased.

As the rate of descent slowly increases from hover, the pilot must initially reduce the collective to maintain thrust equal to weight. If, in this initial phase, the rate inadvertently increases, the thrust increases and the helicopter returns to the

rate it had before the disturbance. Thus, we can say that initially the thrust is stable with descent rate. For this helicopter, that characteristic changes above 500 fpm as it enters the vortex ring state. Beyond this point, if there is an inadvertent increase in the rate, the thrust decreases and the helicopter comes down even faster. Thus, it is unstable. If the pilot just hangs on, the helicopter will all by itself increase its rate of descent until it reaches a region of

PRODUCTS | AIRFRAMES

Ray P

routy

14_RW_060108_Prouty_p48-51.indd 4814_RW_060108_Prouty_p48-51.indd 48 5/19/08 9:01:26 AM5/19/08 9:01:26 AM


Parachutes

advertising sales repsEastern U.S./Canada

Chris Bryan4500 Westgrove, Suite 315

Addison, TX 75001Tel: 972-735-9077; Fax: 972 713-0621

[email protected]

Central U.S./CanadaRandy Jones, Publisher

4500 Westgrove, Suite 315Addison, TX 75001Tel: 972-713-9612; Fax: 972 713-0621

[email protected]

Western U.S./CanadaNorman S. Schindler

5236 Colodny Road, Suite 108Agoura Hills, CA 91301

Tel: 818-707-1133; Fax: 818-707-2313

[email protected]

InternationalJames McAuley

Cortijo LoCota, 42, Casa Las FloresSanta Rosalia,

29551 Campanillas Malaga, SpainTel/Fax: +34 952 118018

[email protected]

Helmets

ANVIS 6 HELICOPTER HELMETS (Kevlar helmets and

spares including: HGU models). NOMEX coveralls, jackets,

gloves, etc. factory new, in stock. Sage green and desert

tan. GOVERNMENT SALES, INC., 30 Atlantic St., Hartford,

CT 06103, Tel: (860) 247-7787, Fax: (860) 586-8020.

Catalogue on website: www.aviationhelmets.com

HELIPORT LIGHTING FAA-approved equipment, Perimeter

and touchdown lighting, beacons, windsocks, etc. Free

Catalog. MANAIRCO, INC., P.O. Box 111H, Mansfield, OH

44901. www.manairco.com (419) 524 - 2121

Heliport Lighting Instruction/Training

Build valuable Bell 206 Flight Time for $155/hr. Join us

here in sunny southern California to fly the “Traffic Watch”.

You log PIC time and get acquainted with the Jet Ranger.

Call Bill at 714-334-0027 or [email protected]\

Favored recruitment site for Rotary Wing pilots. Contract & Salaried positions

A pilot's job search made easy!Favored recruitment site for Rotary Wing pilots. Contract & Salaried positions

A pilot's job search made easy!

Marketp

lace

Ground Handling

[email protected]

W W W. R O T O R A N D W I N G . C O M 49JUNE 2008 | ROTOR & WING MAGAZINE



http://www.manairco.com






http://www.aviationhelmets.com

http://[email protected]


http://www.kamatics.com

http://www.pilotcrew.com

http://www.switlik.com

http://www.westernheliserv.com


Ask Ray Prouty

stability above 1,500 fpm on its way toward vertical autorotation. Even if, while in the unstable region, the pilot increases collec-tive, he will only get a transient increase in thrust that will do him little good since the lines for higher collectives are also unstable. Down he comes!

In a wind tunnel or on a long track, it is possible to acquire steady test data in the unstable region because the model can-not respond to changes of thrust. That is not true in the flight of an actual helicop-ter. The instability makes it impossible to acquire steady data in the vortex ring state. The pilot would be moving his col-

lective up and down in a vain chase of any steady condition at which to take data.

What about power?As you can see, power did not enter

into this discussion. It does come in, as a secondary consideration, in those wind tunnel tests where the thrust is held constant with collective. In the steady conditions for vortex ring, the downward inflow shown in the smoke-movie photo simulates a rate of climb and consequently the power required goes up. In flight, since no steady point can be obtained, this effect would generally not be observable.

So our vocabular y should change. Instead of “power settling,” I would rather refer to the phenomenon as “thrust instabil-ity.” This situation involving the vortex ring state should not be confused with that other “power settling” condition illustrated by flying to the top of a mountain in forward flight but finding there isn’t enough engine power to hover and so settling as the rotor rpm drifts into the red zone. I would call this “running out of power” and so we have elimi-nated “power settling” from our vocabulary.

Besides vertical descent, the problem also occurs in low-speed forward flight, which will be discussed next time.

If you have questions for Ray Prouty, send them to [email protected] or Rotor & Wing, 4 Choke Cherry Road, 2nd Floor, Rockville, Md. 20850 USA.

Thrust Changes in Vertical Desent

14

12

10

8

6000

5000

4000

3000

2000

1000

0

Collective Pitch

Rotor Thrust

Rate of Descent, fpm

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 3000 3500 4000

PRODUCTS | AIRFRAMES





advertiser index13 ....................Aerometals .................................................................................... www.aerometals.aero

5.......................Agusta Westland/Lockheed Martin .............................................www.hh71proven.com

56 ....................American Eurocopter ............................................................... www.eurocopterusa.com

23 ....................Aviall........................................................................................................ www.aviall.com

51 ....................Bower Helicopter ......................................www.bowerhelicopter.com or 512-345-1292

2.......................Chelton Flight Systems ............................................................. www.cheltonfs.com/heli

49 ....................Chopper Spotter ................................................................................. www.jbk.rotor.com

35 ....................DeVore Aviation........................................................................www.devoreaviation.com

45 ....................Frasca International ............................................................................... www.frasca.com

44 ....................Heli Network ................................................................................www.helinetwork.com

27 ....................Honeywell .......................................................................................www.honeywell.com

15 ....................Kaman Aerospace ......................................................................... www.kamanaero.com

49 ....................Kamatics ............................................................................................ www.kamatics.com

49 ....................PilotCrew.com ...................................................................................www.pilotcrew.com

19 ....................Pratt & Whitney Canada................................................................................www.pwc.ca

39 ....................Precision Heliparts ......................................................www.precisionaviationgroup.com

47 ....................Reed Exibitions ..................................................................................www.reedexpo.com

43 ....................Robinson Helicopter .................................................................... www.robinsonheli.com

21 ....................Rolls Royce .....................................................www.rolls-royce.com/defence_aerospace

9.......................Sikorsky ............................................................................................... www.sikorsky.com

17 ....................Simplex ........................................................................................ www.simplexmfg.com

55 ....................Standard Aero ............................................................................ www.standardaero.com

49 ....................Switlik ...................................................................................................www.switlik.com

49 ....................Western Heliserv ....................................... www.westernheliserv.com or 480-985-6919

6.......................Wulfsberg Electronics ...................................................................... www.Wulfsberg.com

Page# .... Advertiser ........................... Website or Phone Number Page# ....Advertiser ........................ Website or Phone Number


http://www.aerometals.aero

http://www.hh71proven.com

http://www.eurocopterusa.com

http://www.aviall.com

http://www.bowerhelicopter.com

http://www.cheltonfs.com/heli

http://www.jbk.rotor.com

http://www.devoreaviation.com

http://www.frasca.com

http://www.helinetwork.com

http://www.honeywell.com

http://www.kamanaero.com

http://www.kamatics.com

http://www.pilotcrew.com

http://www.pwc.ca

http://www.precisionaviationgroup.com

http://www.reedexpo.com

http://www.robinsonheli.com

http://www.rolls-royce.com/defence_aerospace

http://www.sikorsky.com

http://www.simplexmfg.com

http://www.standardaero.com

http://www.switlik.com

http://www.westernheliserv.com

http://www.Wulfsberg.com


http://www.bowerhelicopter.com



PUBLIC SERVICE

Hello, fellow rotorheads. I must start this article by mentioning the recent Heli-Expo, held in February in Houston. Shannon

Bower (another frequent contributor to Rotor & Wing) and I had the great pleasure of arriving in Houston via a Bell Helicopter 412 from Seattle with our trusty mechanic Jim Ring. I also must comment on the industry buzz. My first helicopter flight was 40 years ago and I have never seen the helicopter industry more dynamic than it is today. Out-side of shortages of good people and prod-ucts to sell, from the CEOs of major compa-nies and mid-level aftermarket companies to pilots and mechanics, everyone I spoke with was brimming with optimism.

Last time I wrote about helicopter acquisi-tion, I indicated that this column would have some thoughts on liability and intellectual property. Years ago, when Alaska Helicopters bought the Hiller UH-12E, intellectual prop-erty issues weren’t high on its list of concerns.

The UH-12E’s entire option package was one VHF radio. Today, most helicopters used for public safety have an array of specialized equipment: a forward-looking infrared sensor (FLIR), Nightsuns, moving maps, medical inte-riors, etc. The need for this equipment entails multiple modifications to achieve the final con-figuration of the mission-ready helicopter.

So, where does the engineering data for these modifications come from? Here is my point. In the past, it seemed reasonable to think that the original equipment manufac-turer (OEM) would provide the engineering data necessary to configure the helicopter to accomplish its pre-acknowledged mission. In fact, my previous employer bought a used heli-

copter from the factory in 1988. This model had never before been used with a fixed-water drop tank. The cost to the agency to acquire the engineering data necessary to mount the tanks was included as part of the sale. Neither the factory nor the agency ever considered it any other way. Today, the regulations are tougher and the OEM would incur a greater cost. I doubt the OEM would absorb this cost.

Unfortunately, the trend is toward the OEMs charging a great deal of money for engineering data. I think that a project man-ager should be able to mitigate that cost. This may be possible if the project manager states to the OEM rep, from day one, what modifi-cations your aircraft will need. As long as the engineering data would encompass modifica-tions that have been previously installed on the same model helicopter, you should start from the position that this engineering data will be delivered with the aircraft as part of the base price of the helicopter.

Needless to say, if you are mounting a 600-lb radiation detection device on the outside of the aircraft (yes, somebody is trying to make such a thing) your program is going to incur a substantial cost. The unacceptable example of this trend is an OEM that is currently charg-ing $80,000 for the data package to install a hoist on one of its helicopters. This par-ticular model helicopter has had many hoists installed by various operators. I am not talking about a first-article, unique application. The OEM is basically Xeroxing a 50-page package and supplying this to your completion house for $80,000. These are the kind of charges that a project manager should be able to negotiate.

So how do you mitigate the risk of the OEM charging for intellectual property? You

must be proactive and have a well-defined requirement for engineering data as part of the sales contract. Only by working in con-cert with your completion house can you do this. Furthermore, it requires your agency to define the modifications needed to complete the mission package very early in the acquisi-tion process. But I will reiterate that if this is a one-off modification, do not be surprised if the OEM’s position is that your agency will need to pay this cost.

The other area of changing practices that needs to be consider is liability. In this instance, it’s the practice of indemnification. The risk to your project is as follows: You paid attention to the intellectual properties issue and you have appropriate language in your contract that spells out the data package you and your completion house will receive from the OEM; who will pay for the data and the amount to be paid. You need to take this one step further and get a separate letter of agreement between the completion house and the OEM. This letter will define who is liable if the data is faulty ver-sus incorrectly applied. Common sense should prevail and the completion house needs to accept the responsibility of liability if it receives good data from the OEM and, through mis-application of the data, an accident or loss of some nature is incurred. But here is the prob-lem: in some instances, the OEMs have taken the position that the completion house should indemnify the OEM from damages even if the data provided by the OEM was found to be faulty. Any responsible completion house that plans on being in business for the long-term is not going to sign this letter. Again, an issue that you need to resolve before your agency signs the sales agreement.

Paying the Price

By Lee Benson

Lee Benson recently retired as senior pilot for the Los Angeles County Fire Dept. In his 40-year flying career, Lee accumulated 14,000 hr of helicopter flight time, divided among the Vietnam war, commercial operations, and the fire department. You can reach him at [email protected].

16_RW_060108_PubServ_p52-53.indd52 5216_RW_060108_PubServ_p52-53.indd52 52 5/20/08 11:58:40 AM5/20/08 11:58:40 AM



inComing Up

in

Coming Upin

The Economy and Helicopters—In this special report, we update you on what the rapidly changing developments in the U.S. and global economies, particularly in the financing seg-ments of them, mean for your business of operating, manufactur-ing and supporting helicopters. We’ll look at the impact on buying and financing new and old helicopters, and the commercial rotor-craft market’s various segments, from air tours to VIP transport.

Helicopter Trends in Europe—We hone in on the latest trends in the business, regulation and develop-ment of helicopter operations in Europe, from mature and developing markets and public perception issues to European efforts to advance rotorcraft technology.

Law Enforcement Around the World—As the Airborne Law Enforcement Assn convenes its annual gathering in the United States, we review the state of law enforcement in the air around the world. This report will include updates on the state of funding for these efforts, evolv-ing threats, the latest technology, and the impact of unmanned aircraft on these operations.

Taking the Night—We offer you an inside look at how the Royal Netherlands Air Force Apache crews train at night in the Netherlands to ready themselves for combat missions in Afghanistan in support of NATO and the United Nations-mandated International Security Assistance Force there.

August 2008:

July 2008:

Bonus Distribution: Farnborough Air Show, July 14-20, the United Kingdom; the Airborne Law Enforcement Assn 38th Annual Conference and Exposition, July 16-19, Houston, Texas.

The Next Generation of Rotorcraft—Updates on Bell’s 429 and its New Medium Twin, Bell/Agusta’s BA609, Eurocopter’s EC175, Robinson Helicopter’s R66, Schweizer’s 434, Sikorsky’s S-76D and X2, and initiatives in the works at AgustaWestland, Enstrom and MD Helicopters. This issue will look beyond these advancements to examine how manufacturers will fulfill future market requirements.

Completing the Completion Process—We examine the challenges of a successful aircraft modifica-tion project, focusing on recent completions of helicopters for

corporate, emergency medical service and law enforcement cus-tomers. We’ll offer tips on how to ensure a successful completion.

Helicopter Training—This bimonthly special section will next focus on accidents common to instructional flights. We will review the training courses and services offered in the market at all levels—from entry level to advanced and specialized programs for specific missions and aircraft. We also will review the latest news and products available from simulation vendors, from software and desktop training devices all the way up to full-motion simulators.


17_RW_060108_ComingUp_p53.indd 5317_RW_060108_ComingUp_p53.indd 53 5/20/08 12:02:24 PM5/20/08 12:02:24 PM



By Giovanni de Briganti

Heli-Snipers Prove Effective

PARIS —Since the French first fitted SS-11 wire-guided missiles to an Alouette 2 and invented the anti-tank helicopter, all sorts

of weapons have been fitted to rotary-winged aircraft to increase the range of their combat capabilities.

Helicopters have been armed with forward-firing automatic weapons of calibers up to the 30 mm cannon, various kinds of guided missiles (using wire, laser or command to line-of-sight guidance) and unguided rock-ets. To aim and guide these weapons, heli-copters have been fitted with various sensor packs, including laser range-finders and desig-nators, day/night sights, and TV and thermal cameras, all with sophisticated gyro-stabiliza-tion devices intended to ensure accuracy. All of this adds up to hundreds of pounds of extra weight, but cost and performance penalties have been judged to be worth it because of the firepower they bring to the party.

Firepower is imperative to hold off hundreds of enemy tanks, and desirable for interdiction or close-support missions on a conventional battlefield. However, it can add up to overkill when fighting against today’s enemy, the terrorist/insurgent who appears briefly to carry out a hostile act before fading back into the general population.

Faced with this challenging enemy, the British and French armies have developed a low-tech but effective weapon that combines the helicopter’s incompa-rable mobility with surgical accuracy, all at rock-bottom costs: the heli-sniper.

French naval commandos in Somalia gave the most recent demonstration of this little-known weapon in mid-April, when they inter-cepted a gang of local pirates that had hijacked and ransomed a French-registered cruise ship. While driving off in a pickup truck with the ransom, the hijackers were stopped by a

large-caliber round fired by a sniper aboard a French navy Eurocopter Panther. The bullet cracked the engine block, immobilizing the pickup on a desert track. Then, in a scene to warm the hearts of old-timers, French navy Alouette 3s (40+ years old) flying from the helicopter carrier Jeanne d’Arc (45+ years old) swept in and flew the captured pirates to a brig aboard the air-defense destroyer Jean Bart. Not quite “Apocalypse Now,” of course, but it must have scared those pirates out of their wits all the same.

This was a very effective and inexpensive operation, with no loss of blood, thanks to the use of surgical firepower at the right time and in the right place. No B-52 strikes, no artillery and no collateral deaths.

Also in April, the British Defence Minis-try for the first time revealed that the Royal Air Force Regiment has begun deploying teams of heli-snipers against Iraqi militias around Basra, in southern Iraq. They have been deployed for force protection of Lynx immediate response teams, according to the RAF, and scrambled to evacuate casualties, provide fire support, rapidly clear routes for convoys and counter “militia preparing crude explosive devices.”

The heli-snipers fly on AgustaWestland Merlins and Lynx, are armed with high-powered rifles equipped with laser-mark-ing devices, and “have already proved effective in combat,” said the RAF, although it provided no details. In addition to a range of thermal imagers, the sniper teams have been issued laser target designators, range finders and a suite of VHF radios for air-to-ground communications. Each RAF Regi-ment field squadron has a section of sniper-qualified riflemen who provide the surveil-lance and target acquisition capability.

These hel i-snipers go through a nine-week training course, the RAF said,

“covering all the essential elements of snip-ing and surveillance, including specialist marksmanship skills such as angular shoot-ing and advanced correction for wind.

“As this is a new skill to all the lads, we had to conduct a number of range sessions aboard the helicopters to see the effects on our shooting,” said one RAF Regiment sniper in a quote cleared by the service. “Now, after a little practice, all of the lads are confident at engaging targets on the move from a helicopter.”

It is something of a paradox that two European armies have opted to take such a low-key, low-tech approach to confronting the low-tech terrorist threat that has managed to challenge, if not defeat, high-tech Western armies. The advantages of the heli-sniper concept are as numerous as they are obvious. But best of all, they do not kill civilian bystanders if they miss their intended target.

Given the number of helicopters in Iraq, and the number of snipers already deployed there by the U.S. Army, Marine Corps and allied forces, arming those helicopters with snipers firing high-powered rifles somehow seems a more appropriate and more effec-tive answer than those tried up to now, which are mostly based on overwhelming, if not indiscriminate, firepower.

Surely, if the Pentagon can afford to spend $22 billion to buy 22,500 Mine-Resistant Ambush-Protected (MRAP) vehicles to protect troops from roadside bombs, it can afford to deploy a few dozen heli-snipers to take out the bomb-makers before they strike.

In any case, given its low cost, the availability of the necessary resources in theater, and the failure of other tactics, the heli-sniper concept at least deserves a thorough evaluation.

MILITARY | ATTACK

18_RW_060108_Eurowatch_p54-56.in54 5418_RW_060108_Eurowatch_p54-56.in54 54 5/19/08 9:03:41 AM5/19/08 9:03:41 AM


Standard Aero has changed. We recently joined forces with Landmark Aviation’s MRO services—adding to our manpower, resources and global capabilities. It’s exciting to consider the possibilities in combining our two long-established companies. But in the meantime, you can count on us to keep setting the standard in helicopter engine maintenance. To fi nd out more about the new Standard Aero, and what we can do for you, visit our website at standardaero.com.

>>

>

>

>>

>>

>

>

>>

>>

>

>

>>

50

40

30

20

90

80

70

60

10

00

THE STANDARD in helicopter engine repair is changing.


http://standardaero.com

http://www.standardaero.com

thin

kin

g w

ithout

limits

Scie

ntis

ts s

urve

ying

Ant

arct

ica.

Oce

anol

ogis

ts r

esea

rchi

ng s

ealif

e. M

ariti

me

auth

oriti

es tr

acki

ng o

ilspi

lls. F

iref

ight

ers

cont

rolli

ngbu

shfir

es.

All o

f the

m r

ely

on E

uroc

opte

r he

licop

ters

as

esse

ntia

l equ

ipm

ent.

Quie

t, sa

fe a

nd d

epen

dabl

e. E

quip

ped

with

adv

ance

d se

nsor

s.Co

uple

d wi

th lo

wer

fuel

con

sum

ptio

n an

d re

duce

d ga

s an

d pa

rtic

le e

mis

sion

s. W

hen

you

thin

k en

viro

nmen

tal c

onse

rvat

ion,

thin

k wi

thou

tlim

its.

When it

com

es t

o p

rote

cting t

he e

nvir

onm

ent,

no o

ther h

elic

opte

rs g

o f

urth

er.

euro

copt

er.c

om


http://www.eurocopter.com

Rotor & Wing - June 2008 - norflyger.no · OBSTACLE AVOIDANCE: OLD PROBLEM, NEW SOLUTIONS Blade and Composite Repairs Farnborough Air Show Preview JUNE 2008 Ser ving the Worldwide

Documents