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FEB. 25, 2014
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Early orders could foretell Airbus Helicopters deluge
aw609 tilrotor makes long beach appearance AgustaWestland plans to start flying customer demos in one of its two AW609 prototypes during the Heli-Expo show. Daniele Romiti, AgustaWestland CEO, is a strong supporter of the tiltrotor. See Charles Alcock’s interview with Romiti on page 32.
by Rob Finfrock The manufacturer will also announce a six-frame follow-on EC175 order from Belgian aviation services provider NHV. “Having experienced the EC175’s performance firsthand, [NHV and its customers] have full confidence in the helicopter’s capability to meet NHV’s operational needs,” said NHV CEO Eric Van
BARRY AMBROSE
Airbus Helicopters will kick off opening day of Heli-Expo 2014 with a pair of major order announcements. Lease Corporation International (LCI) aviation CEO Mike Platt and executive chairman Crispin Maunder will join Airbus Helicopters president Guillaume Faury at 1 p.m. today to announce an order for EC175 and EC225 utility helicopters.
Continued on page 48 u
Success begets more success at Milestone Aviation Group
JAY MILLER
CALIFORNIA, HERE WE COME An Airbus EC145 heads westward for Heli-Expo 2014. Although impossible to tell from this perspective, this helicopter sports a particularly classy VIP interior designed by Mercedes-Benz. The twin-engine model is here in SoCal making customer demonstration flights out of Angel n Stadium in Anaheim, just a hop, skip and hover from the Anaheim Convention Center.
“We are very bullish on the rotorcraft market, and on the future,” said Milestone Aviation Group managing director Robert Dranitzke. The company placed an exclamation point on that statement on the show’s opening day, as Milestone announced its fleet has grown to 143 helicopters valued at over $2.2 billion since the company’s founding in August 2010 and it placed eight new orders for Sikorsky S-92 medium-lift helicopters, which increased the company’s total of firm orders and options for the type to 37 aircraft worth $1.2 billion. The leasing company also holds more than $3 billion in firm orders and options from rotorcraft manufacturers AgustaWestland, Airbus Helicopters and Sikorsky. Today the company also holds $450 million in unsecured borrowing capacity,
Industry
Milestones
Safety
Rotor industry revs up
AW189 gets EASA nod
FAA, industry tackle EMS accidents Air Methods expands tour ops
Air tours are doing well and the oil-andgas segment is booming, all positive signs for the future. However, the industry should be prepared to meet the legal and legislative challenges ahead, says HAI president Matt Zuccaro. Page 12
Delivery of two copies of the medium twin to launch customer Bristow are imminent, now that the European agency has certified the AgustaWestland model. The Italian manufacturer holds orders for more than 100 copies of the helicopter. Page 18
The number of helicopter EMS accidents has been on the decline, but more work remains, and the industry has been collaborating with the EMS industry to make ops safer and bring accident stats in line with other segments. Page 22
against a total revolving credit line of $800 million, thanks to what Dranitzke terms increased confidence from lenders. “We’ve spent the past three and a half years educating financiers about the attractiveness of the rotorcraft segment,” he added. “Helicopters remain a relatively niche market for lenders, but as Continued on page 48 u
‘Why
NOT Land and live?’
HAI president Matt Zuccaro asked his constituents a commonsense question that is at the core of the organization’s new safety program, Land & Live: “We land on mountaintops, buildings, ships, oil platforms....so, why don’t we land the helicopter when an accident chain begins? What is that?” It turns out that helicopter pilots and their support staff are, in general, programmed to complete missions. “There’s almost a psychological block to landing short of the mission profile, not reaching the original destination,” explained Zuccaro. “But that’s
EMS operations On the heels of its recent acquisition spree, the U.S.’s largest helicopter EMS operator is building its heli-tourism division and adding jet ambulances. It is also exporting its business model beyond the U.S. Page 16
Continued on page 48 u
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Heli sims becoming key tools for training by Thierry Dubois and Mark Huber The civil helicopter industry is, at last, taking advantage of simulators in pilot training decades after the fixed-wing aircraft industry began to do so. Simulators are proliferating around the world and, after having been concentrated in the medium-twin segment, now also include light turbine singles. The emergence of rotorcraft simulators in recent years was prompted by a combination of factors: technology, cost, insurance and a realization that the industry must improve a poor safety record. Simulators can be operated by a helicopter operator, a helicopter manufacturer or a dedicated training organization. In the first category, one can find Albertville, France-based SAF, which bought an Airbus Helicopters EC135 full flight simulator (FFS) from Thales. The company uses it for its own pilots and also offers it to third parties. SAF also illustrates the
advent of light-single simulators, as the EC135 sim is soon to be joined, in the same training facility, by a Thales-operated AS350 Ecureuil/AStar simulator. In the second category, Airbus Helicopters operates an AS365N3 Dauphin simulator in Singapore. Finally, FlightSafety International (Booth No. 5902) provides simulator training on all Sikorsky S-76 models and the S-92 as well as other types, such as the AW139 and EC135. Training provider and simulator manufacturer CAE also offers helicopter simulator training. Software and hardware technology for simulators has progressed significantly to the point where they can now cope with the complex flight dynamics of a helicopter, said Patrick Bourreau, CEO of simulator training specialist Helisim. The company is an Airbus Helicopters joint subsidiary with CAE claims its NH90 simulator is the first of its kind in the industry.
A pilot undergoes training in one of FlightSafety’s Bell 430 simulators.
Thales and defense consulting firm DCI. The first civil level-D (the highest level of realism) simulator at Helisim, an AS332 Super Puma, began operating in 2002. Simulators now fly with the same flight control aerodynamic modeling as the helicopters they replicate. Increasingly, wide graphics displays offer much better resolution, and FFS are thus becoming more and more realistic. Improved verisimilitude of FFS is only one of the trends in simulator technology. The second is in the flight
navigation procedure trainer (FNPT) and flight training device (FTD) segment. FNPTs and FTDs enjoy improved fidelity, too, at a much lower and ever-decreasing cost, thanks to advances in technology. In fact, the general trend for simulator acquisition prices is downward, according to Bourreau. This favorably impacts the operating cost. One simulator hour costs between 25 and 50 percent of one real flight hour, which makes using simulators attractive, in addition to the safety benefits such training offers. Another factor is the cost of insurance. “We do have incentives,” Jean-Baptiste Saintagne, deputy director of SAAM Verspieren Group, told AIN. Verspieren executives started talking to Airbus Helicopters Training Services (AHTS; at the time, Eurocopter Training Services) about the use of simulators in 2009, he recalled. The interaction resulted in a partnership for recurrent training signed in 2010. “If the customer trains with AHTS, a less expensive insurance premium will partially offset the expense in training,” Saintagne said. Accidents tend to be caused by simple errors, he emphasized. This is why he deems simulators, and also FNPTs, so Continued on page 50 u
FlightSafety’s Vital 1100 visual system is nightvision goggle qualified.
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FlightSafety Upgrades Heli Sim Graphics FlightSafety International (Booth No. 5902) is upgrading its helicopter simulator graphics with its new Vital 1100 visual system and already has qualified it in several level-D units and for use in other advanced training devices. FlightSafety says the new system has five times the computing power of its Vital X predecessor and significantly enhances training by providing realistic mission-specific imagery with improved scene content and greater levels of detail. Vital 1100 can process hundreds of millions of scene elements per second and simultaneously present them with environmental effects, such as physics-based weather models of rain, snow and hail that develop and react as they do in the real world. The system also includes dynamic shadowing and enhanced shading effects. Vital 1100’s increased resolution uses 20 million pixels to create a horizontal 200-degree field of view, improving target recognition and identification and scene resolution with high-definition microtexture and improving resolution at virtually any position or altitude, including hover/landing maneuvering. The first Vital 1100-equipped simulator to receive level-D qualification from EASA was FlightSafety’s Sikorsky S-92, located in Stavanger, Norway. The first simulators that feature the Vital 1100 to be qualified to level-D and approved by the FAA include FlightSafety’s AgustaWestland AW139 and Sikorsky S-92 simulators in Lafayette, La., and a night-vision-goggle-qualified Airbus Helicopters EC135 simulator in Dallas, Texas. –M.H.
4 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
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Robinson to stay lean & mean to provide quality and value
Robinson Helicopter’s newest, the turbine-single R66, was recently certified in Canada and Russia.
by Mark Huber CEO Kurt Robinson said he is focusSafety continues to be a major focus ing on keeping his family’s helicopter for the company. “For years now we have company “lean and mean to provide a had a strong focus on proper training and good product at a competitive price” proper flying,” he said, “and I think that to bring value to its customers. “We’re message is finally starting to come across going to keep our pencils sharpened,” he to a lot of people who, in general, take told AIN. Robinson Helicopter posted flying a lot more seriously now than they another strong year in 2013, produc- did 20 years ago. Look at the Heli-Expo ing 523 helicopters, up from 517 in 2012 calendar: the Safety Challenge and all the and a long climb from the 2010 rate of classes that are being offered on safety. the tank it replaces. However, the new 162. As was the case in 2012, the pis- There really is an emphasis. You can feel tanks increase allowable useful load ton-powered R44 continues to be the top it. You can sense it. And it translates into with full fuel and add three pounds seller, with 289 produced in 2013; but the fewer accidents.” Kurt Robinson is a to the allowable amount of installed $839,000 turbine-single R66, with 192 member of the International Helicopter optional equipment. delivered last year, remains the company Safety Team (IHST). Perhaps because of Improving Safety cash cow. And R66 sales are destined to their extensive use as trainers and ownerRobinson is currently installing the increase now that the model has received flown aircraft, Robinson R22s and R44s certification approval in more countries, have the highest rates of accidents–88 bladders as part of factory overhauls on notably Canada and Russia. percent–caused by pilot error among the R22 and including them in field overThe company exports 70 percent of introductory helicopter models, accord- haul kits. Kurt Robinson said the company is working with its supplier to increase the its production, and Robinson said 2013 ing to the NTSB. would have been stronger if not for the To make accidents more survivable, rate of fuel bladder production. Customappreciation of the U.S. dollar against Robinson now builds its R44 and R22 ers with main and auxiliary tanks installed some currencies. “The dollar got stron- models with fuel bladder tanks and has need to order the bladder kit from Robger and not all the economies issued service bulletins for their inson and follow the instructions. The kit includes the main and auxiliary bladder around the world did as well retrofits in all existing models. as people hoped they would,” Robinson Helicopter began tanks, hardware and hoses. Robinson cauhe said. This has caused a sales installing fuel bladders in new tioned that the retrofit “requires substansoftening in markets that had production R22 helicopters tial sheet metal work” and could take up been strong for the company, in early 2013, beginning with to 40 man-hours of labor, excluding paint. including in South Africa, serial number 4622. The blad- The kit normally sells for $15,740, but where the rand is at a fiveders replace the standard alu- Robinson has discounted it to $6,400 and year low and has fallen 30 perminum main and auxiliary is making an $800 rebate available after cent against the dollar since tanks and make the helicopter each field installation upon receipt of air2012. Exports to Brazil are also more fire-resistant in the event craft serial number, Robinson invoice down, mainly due to currency of an accident by reducing the number for the kit and a copy of the logexchange issues. During 2013, Robinson Helicopter CEO likelihood of post-impact fuel book page showing date of installation the U.S. dollar surged 21 per- Kurt Robinson leaks. Robinson issued Ser- and mechanic’s signature. Additional norcent over the Japanese yen, 15 vice Bulletin SB-109 (Jan. 8, mal discounts do not apply. Owners of percent versus the Indian rupee, 14 percent 2014) requiring retrofit installation of fuel R22s without auxiliary tanks must conagainst the Australian dollar and 7 percent bladders in all R22s through S/N 4620 tact Robinson directly for assistance. Robinson’s move on the R22 comes compared to the Canadian dollar. Against “as soon as practical” but no later than the worldwide ICE mixed currency index, the next 2,200-hour overhaul or 12-year in the wake of it offering a similar program for the larger R44 (SB-78B, Dec. the dollar posted a modest 0.5-percent inspection. gain. However, the dollar continued to The bladder tanks have a 3.8-gallon 20, 2010), a discounted retrofit progive modest ground versus the euro, Brit- smaller fuel capacity–that translates gram that expired last April. The FAA ish pound and Chinese yuan. into 25 minutes less flight time–than issued a related Special Airworthiness While new helicopter sales were relatively flat in 2013 compared to 2012, revenues from product support and service continue to grow. “When the great recession hit in 2008, we really did rely a lot more on customer support and service revenues from the existing fleet in the field,” Robinson said. “It is a very steady growth in revenue. The older we get, the higher revenue percentage it is and it is a very important part of our growth.” “We’ve been very happy with the R66” in terms of its reliability, Robinson said. “When you first put a new aircraft out there, especially in extreme humidity, temperature or erosive environments–places that no amount of testing at the factory can duplicate–you are going to run into some things. We have 450 R66s out there and we have been pleasantly surprised at how well they have been handling their A trio of Robinson R44s is ready for delivery at Robinson’s Torrance, Calif. factory. The company delivered 289 R44s during 2013, making it the top seller, although the turbine-powered R66 is rapid catching up. new environments.”
6 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
Information Bulletin–SW-13-11–on Dec. 26, 2012, and the NTSB, noting fuel tank breaches in several R44 crashes and resultant post-crash fires, is recommending the agency to mandate installation of bladder tanks in R44s (A-14-001, Jan. 15, 2014). The NTSB noted that several R44 crashes would have been survivable had the occupants not succumbed to “thermal injuries” triggered by breaches in the aircraft’s aluminum fuel tanks. “The crashworthiness of the R44 is excellent,” Robinson said. Robinson, who has worked at the company for almost 30 years, officially took it over from his father and founder Frank in August 2010. He doesn’t think he has made many changes, but has intensified the company’s focus in key areas. “We came in with a lot of challenges. Getting a whole new aircraft into production [the R66], getting the right people for it and getting them in place. That has been the focus for the last two or three years. And some people needed to get comfortable with the fact that Frank retired. We have a great organization with all the employees here, our dealers and authorized customer service centers around the world.” Robinson said that the company has nothing exotic in the works, such as a larger and rumored R88 or fitting the R22 with a small APU turbine for main engine power, or turning one into a drone. Rather, he said, the company continues to work on gaining R66 certification in more countries; expanding its market share in areas such as law enforcement; simplifying the maintenance for, and bringing glass instrument panel solutions to, the company’s entire product line; promoting the testing and development of unleaded fuels for its piston-powered helicopters; and expanding its 1,250-employee Torrance, Calif. plant if needed as opposed to pursuing outsourcing. “We are growing. I don’t look at that as change; I look at that as evolving,” he said. “We have our hands pretty full.” While Robinson said he is “pretty happy” with the situation in Torrance, he remains critical of the skills deficiencies in the local workforce and said the company thoroughly trains all new recruits and is working with area community colleges and A&P schools to produce better qualified job candidates. “We do a tremendous amount of in-house training. It’s harder and harder to find people with the skills we need, such as welding or basic electrical knowledge,” he said. o
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Work progresses on new MD 902 cockpit by Matt Thurber Helicopter manufacturers aren’t immune to the pressure to update their machines with
modern avionics, and last year MD Helicopters and Universal Avionics Systems unveiled a new
NextGen flight deck mockup for the MD 902 Explorer. The new avionics replace aging Bendix/ King EFIS 40 cathode-ray-tube displays with high-resolution 10.4-inch Universal LCDs in landscape orientation. The benefit of the new displays is that they offer pilots all the modern amenities, such as synthetic vision, electronic charts, moving An integrated Universal Avionics flight deck will modernize the MD Helicopters MD 902 Explorer.
Helicopter Avionics. Better decisions deliver better outcomes. Maximum safety? Operational efficiency? A comprehensive range of mission, tactical functions and equipment
maps, systems synoptics, video and mission display, engine instruments and rotor data. The new Universal cockpit is for both new MD 902s and will also be offered as a retrofit. MD Helicopters engineers conceived of the modern panel for the MD 902 in 2007, according to Chris Nehls, MD Helicopters vice president of engineering. Last year the two companies formalized the program, announcing it at Heli-Expo 2013. “It’s been a long time in terms of planning,” he said, “but we’re there now.” The MD program is Universal’s first full flight deck for a helicopter.
Increasing payload?
Intuitive and interactive civil and military core avionics place all functions at the pilot’s fingertips
An integrated approach that saves equipment, wiring and consequently weight while offering wider functional capability
Cost savings?
Critical support?
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A global service network delivering advanced supply chain solutions and maintenance
NextGen Cockpit
The reason for upgrading the 902’s cockpit is because the existing avionics were becoming obsolescent, unable to display or handle new capabilities needed in NextGen-capable cockpits, Nehls said. There is also the problem of repairing CRT-based displays, for which parts are increasingly hard to find. “The cockpit is one area that hasn’t been modernized in some time,” he said. “The Universal system ended up being probably the best solution for the MD 902, from the standpoint of complexity and capability.” The MD 902’s flight control system, the Bendix/King KFC 900, will be retained and integrated with the Universal avionics. The Universal system will be available as a base two-display system with two data-acquisition units; a third display (the copilot’s primary flight display) will be optional. The pilot’s PFD not only replaces the attitude director indicator and horizontal situation indicator, but it will also display primary engine/system parameters such as the free turbine and rotor speed, torque and EGT. Secondary engine indications will be displayed on the multifunction display’s EICAS section. A Mid-Continent Instruments & Avionics MD302 standby attitude module provides backup flight instrumentation. For radios and nav functionality, options include dual
Flying a helicopter relies on critical systems and split-second decision making. This is why Thales offers the most advanced solution to constantly reduce pilot workload and increase safety so that full attention can be given to the success of the mission. TopDeck®, by Thales, is a state-of-the-art, integrated, modular avionics suite designed for both civil and military helicopters. Icube-S is the conceptual platform behind the strength of TopDeck® and ensures that the suite is Intuitive, Interactive, Integrated and Safe. Combine this with our world-leading range of Training & Simulation solutions and our service and support anywhere, anytime and you have the best value, most advanced cockpit technology ever developed, flying now. Thales helps key decision makers master complexity and make timely decisions for better outcomes. To learn more, scan the QR code or visit thalesgroup.com HeliAvionics_English_C32992.050_264x199_25Feb_AINConfNews_v1.indd 1
8 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
12/02/2014 13:13
Continued on page 54 u
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At FlightSafety International, we center everything we do on helping our Customers operate their helicopters to the highest level of safety while providing the outstanding service they expect and deserve. We continually invest in new programs and a growing international network of locations to meet current and future Customers’ requirements. Safety Starts With the Best Training Our outstanding instructors provide helicopter operators the highest quality, most comprehensive professional training available. We offer courses developed by our training experts with one overriding goal – to enhance safety. Each course leverages today’s most advanced and innovative training systems for instruction that’s effective, relevant and clearly presented. Safety Drives Our Training Technology We design and build Level D helicopter simulators and other advanced training devices to complement, support and reinforce safety in our training. They replicate the flying characteristics of the aircraft represented – including a full range of environmental conditions such as whiteouts and brownouts – and are qualified to the highest standards by aviation authorities worldwide. Safety Extends to More Aircraft at More Locations We deliver unsurpassed simulation-based and mission-specific training for AgustaWestland, Airbus, Bell and Sikorsky helicopters. Training includes inadvertent instrument meteorological conditions, night vision goggle and other helicopter-specific scenarios. FlightSafety. Our name is our mission.
Please contact Scott Fera, Senior Vice President, Marketing • 718.565.4774 sales@flightsafety.com • flightsafety.com • A Berkshire Hathaway company
Honeywell forecasts stable civil market
HONEYWELL’S outlook FOR TURBINE-POWERED, CIVIL HELICOPTERS
by Bill Carey Helicopter manufacturers will deliver between 4,800 and 5,500 new turbine-powered civilian models in the next five years, Honeywell (Booth No. 6502) predicts in its annual market forecast. It expects that medium twin-engine helicopters will increase their share of the overall market, driven by new models such as the AgustaWestland AW189 medium and Bell 525 Relentless super medium twins. “It looks like a good place to be right now,” Charles Park, Honeywell’s market analyst, told AIN. “What the operators told us was that for the most part, far more operators plan on increasing their flight activity than those who reported they were going to cut back on flight operations. The actual usage of the platforms should increase as well.” Honeywell surveyed 1,000 flight departments that operate 2,800 turbine-powered as well as some piston-powered
helicopters in compiling the forecast, its 16th. Park said the company also assessed the demand from large fleet operators like PHI, Bristow Helicopters and Air Methods, which could not respond to the survey in the format Honeywell used. Based on operators’ expectations, Honeywell projects the industry will deliver 1,000 or more helicopters annually over the rolling forecast period, in line with what it predicted last year. The numbers reflect an ongoing recovery from the postrecessionary period of 2010, when deliveries bottomed out at around 750 helicopters. “We would call it stable demand at a pretty high level,” Park said. Latin America remains the largest market for helicopter replacement and addition rates, with 32 percent of respondents planning purchases within the next five years, according to
Honeywell predicts that 1,000-plus civil helicopters will be delivered annually.
Honeywell. Purchase plans in Brazil, an important part of that market, remain steady. “This is a country with a large number of turbine-powered helicopters and a diversity of needs for those kinds of helicopters as well as an acceptance of the use of helicopters in many roles,” Park said. The next largest regional markets in terms of helicopter purchase plans are: the Middle East and Africa (25 percent); Asia Pacific (24 percent);
Europe (19 percent); and North America (11 percent). As a class, intermediate and medium twin-engine helicopters are poised to expand as a share of the total market, helped by orders from large fleet operators. PHI is the launch customer for Bell’s 525 Relentless. Bristow is the launch customer for the AgustaWestland AW189, unveiled at the Paris Air Show in 2011. Honeywell ranks intermediate and medium twins second to light single-engine
helicopters in terms of expected purchases at 33 percent over the forecast period. Light single- and twin-engine helicopters together account for 66 percent of expected purchases. In terms of how operators will use helicopters, Park noted “a slight pull-back” in corporate transport, which represents 31 percent of all applications. Usage rates for law enforcement, oil and gas, emergency medical services, search and rescue and general utility will remain steady. o
New Pratt turboshafts on approach for approval
R. RANDALL PADFIELD
by Charles Alcock
Heavy lifter gets a lift AgustaWestland’s AW189 arrived at the Anaheim Convention Center on the back of a flatbed truck on Saturday. Company technicians used a cherry picker to attach the crane's hook, along with an array of chains and straps, to the 189’s main rotor hub. After the crane safely lifted the 17,600-pound (mgw) helicopter to the ground, the techs chocked the wheels and then n disconnected the crane’s hook from the helicopter’s main rotor hub.
10 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
Busy times for helicopter manufacturers bringing new rotorcraft to market are keeping engine maker Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) busy as well. Among the new turboshafts approaching certification is its PW210A engine for AgustaWestland’s new AW169 twin. At the same time, the PT6C-67E is powering the service entry of the new Airbus Helicopters EC175. Meanwhile, the PW206B3 turboshaft is close to completing approval for the EC135P3 single being developed by Airbus Helicopters (formerly Eurocopter). The airframer has also turned to P&WC to provide the PW210E engine for the new X4, which is due to replace the ubiquitous AS365/EC155 Dauphin models starting in 2017. P&WC is also playing a key part in the tiltrotor revolution, with its PT6C67A engines selected to power the AW609 model that AgustaWestland plans to get certified in 2017. The hybrid aircraft promises to combine the speed of a fixed-wing aircraft with the versatility of a rotorcraft. “Given our traditional strength in the [helicopter] segment, augmented by our success in leveraging our existing models with new derivatives that
boast better fuel consumption and better hot and high performance, we believe the future is very bright,” said P&WC marketing vice president Richard Dussault. P&WC is marking a quarter century of its PW200 turboshaft family. The first flight was achieved in October 1988 when a PW205B powered the Bo105LS developed by Germany’s Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm (now part of Airbus Helicopters). The 620- to 735-shp PW200 series has since emerged as a mainstay engine choice for light twin helicopters and is well suited to roles such as utility, emergency medical, offshore, corporate, paramilitary and law enforcement. This year also marks the 30th anniversary of the PT6B-36. The PW200 features an electronic engine control with full hydromechanical backup. Its simple design based on just three major rotating components makes the maintenance workload easier for the operator. According to the manufacturer, its low specific fuel consumption, lightweight materials and compact architecture further enhance its impressive thermodynamic performance. o
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Zuccaro: Rotor industry ‘very up’ by James Wynbrandt Befitting the vertical lift that members of the Helicopter Association International (HAI) provide to the world, on the eve of Heli-Expo 2014, association president Matt Zuccaro pronounced the state of the industry “very up.” “Air tours are doing well, corporate operations have re-established themselves and offshore oil and gas work is very busy right now, so it’s a pretty positive picture,” Zuccaro said. Nonetheless, the industry faces challenges including a potential shortage of pilots and mechanics. “The younger generation has so many options,” said Zuccaro. “We’re starting a
MATT THURBER
Although the helicopter industry is doing well, it continues to face a number of challenges, according to Matt Zucarro, HAI president.
sales and marketing campaign to show them being a pilot or a mechanic is a good career path.” But the economic barriers to entry can be high. “The average [student helicopter pilot] gets a rating up to a CFI, which allows him to make money, but that costs about $80,000,” he said. “We’re trying to do everything we can to improve that scenario.” Of more immediate concern are “unwarranted” regulations being driven by political grandstanding that may actually impinge on safety, Zuccaro said. “It’s at the point right now where regulations mandating [helicopter] routes
and altitudes have become the forum of elected officials. They’re not even asking the FAA anymore; they’re telling them, ‘We want you to put in regulations on routes and altitudes’ based on [constituents’] complaints. We respect people’s concerns. We have a Fly Neighborly program, working with the community and FAA and stakeholders. [But] legislators are making regulatory decisions without any study of what the realignment would mean. It’s not being done for safety or for airspace efficiency. It’s being done for a small group of people who have gotten the ears of elected officials.” The recent FAA rule changes for Part 135 and Part 91 helicopter operations are also a concern. Meanwhile, the industry and HAI retain their focus on safety independent of regulatory mandates, Zuccaro said. “We’ve been requesting for years the FAA include night vision goggles in the HEMS [helicopter emergency medical services] rules, but they didn’t do that,” said Zuccaro.” What’s better for HEMS than night vision? That puzzles us, but the industry on its own has equipped the fleet [with night vision goggles] to the 90 percent level.” o
New-GEN agustawestland helicopters here FOR North AmERICAN debut For the first time in North America, Italian OEM AgustaWestland (Booth No. 6937) is displaying here at Heli-Expo its complete family of new-generation helicopters, a lineup comprising the AW169, AW139 and AW189, along with the PZL-Swidnik SW-4, which is making its debut Heli-Expo appearance. The three new-generation helicopters cover the four- to eight-ton categories and share a common cockpit layout, design philosophy and maintenance concept. “The market success of the AW139 and the initial market response to the AW169 and AW189 has been outstanding, confirming our belief in the family concept and the market-leading capabilities of these helicopters,” said AgustaWestland CEO Daniele Romiti. More than 750 AW139 helicopters have been sold for missions ranging from offshore to VIP transport. The model on display here is configured for search-and-rescue operations. The AW189, newest member of the family, is configured with its 16-seat offshore transportation interior while the AW169, marking its Heli-Expo debut, features the eight-seat offshore transport cabin. The Swidnik SW-4, a light single-engine turbine configured for up to five occupants, is intended as an entry-level rotorcraft. AgustaWestland will also demonstrate here at Heli-Expo some of its new training systems and customer support services, and in another first will conduct prearranged customer demo flights with the AW609 tiltrotor, as well as with the AW189, at the Heli-Expo demo site at Anaheim’s Angel Stadium. “I invite everyone visiting Heli-Expo to come and see our family,” Romiti said. –J.W.
Macquarie adds S-92s to leased helicopter fleet San Francisco-based Macquarie Rotorcraft Leasing (MRL, Booth No. 7802) announced yesterday here at Heli-Expo the purchases of two Sikorsky S-92A twin-engine helicopters for its growing fleet aimed at supporting operators in the oil-and-gas and search-andrescue markets. The two S-92s will be leased back to Avincis subsidiary Bond Offshore Helicopters and will be delivered in the second quarter of 2014. “We’re really targeting the intermediate twin and heavy twin sector,” Macquarie COO James Clarke said of its growing portfolio of rotorcraft. MRL purchased two S-92As and two S-76Ds in November, and recently added an additional S-76D and two other helicopters to its roster. Launched last July, MRL is wholly owned by Australia’s Macquarie Bank, which also has
fixed-wing aircraft and rail leasing businesses. Clarke said the bank’s experience in transportation leasing and its deep pockets will give MRL an advantage in the growing helicopter leasing space. “It gives us an opportunity to transact very quickly,” said Clarke. “We have the benefit of a very strong shareholder that really understands the assets and wants to be a meaningful player in the industry.” MRL plans to work with operators anywhere in the world. “It’s a global business, and we’re going to go where the customers are,” Clarke said. As for its goals here in Anaheim, “We’re going to use Heli-Expo as an opportunity to showcase Macquarie Leasing,” Clarke said. “We’ll have a lot of conversations with OEMs and customer visits, so it’s really going to accelerate transactions.” –J.W.
Flight Display Systems showcases smart cabin
A 39-year trip down memory lane This Hughes (not Boeing or MD or any other incarnation) 500D posed on the world’s first raised helicopter turntable in 1975. The flashy rotating platform was built for the Helicopter Association of America (the first name for HAI) show at the Disneyland Hotel by master show display veteran Yale Pincus, who was then the marketing communications manager for Hughes Helicopters. Pincus enjoyed a 50-year career designing creative tradeshow exhibits and now plies his trade for Helicopter Technology Company (Booth No. 4526).
12 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
Flight Display Systems (Booth No. 5912) has focused its booth to show off its Smart Cabin cabin management, in-flight entertainment and wireless system for helicopters. The key to Smart Cabin’s robustness, according to the company, is its next-generation JetJukebox, which allows passengers or pilots to use any personal electronic device to control cabin components wirelessly. JetJukebox also streams as many as eight different movies simultaneously, as well as music and flight progress via moving map. The hardware dimensions are 6.35 by 1.95 by 9.7 inches, and the unit weighs just three pounds. It retails for $29,500, according to company marketing director Dave Dodson. –A.L.
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Air Methods adds jets and expands tour ops by Mark Huber Air Methods, the largest heliHowever, despite its diversificopter EMS operator in the cation into air tourism, helicopU.S., is expanding its interna- ter and fixed-wing EMS continue tional operations, growing its to be the core of Air Methods’s heli-tourism division and has business. In 2012, the company expanded its fixed-wing opera- transported 114,000 patients, tions into jet ambulances. accounting for $802 million in The company is also posting revenue and healthy profits. Perhigher per-patient transport rev- patient revenues have been on a enues, paying down helicopter steady climb since 2008. leases and converting select hosAir Methods also is exporting pital-based programs to com- its model. In 2011, it entered into munity-based ones as a joint venture with two a way of increasing Turkish entities to form revenues. Air MethHelistar in Ankara. ods CEO Aaron Todd Earlier this year, Air also believes that the Methods announced company will benethat it would provide fit from the federal two Bell 407s to Haiti Affordable Care Act Air Ambulance. With (ACA) as it is impleregard to Haiti and mented because more even spreading operaAir Methods CEO customers will be cartions into other parts Aaron Todd rying private insurof the region, Todd ance or be covered by Medicaid cautioned that such operations or Medicare. Provisions of the “need a benefactor for longACA could increase revenues by term stability.” The first two up to $20 million, the company years of Haiti Air Ambulance estimates. Currently, 13 percent are being funded with $8 million of its transports are not paid for in private donations. by insurance. Increased Efficiencies Air Methods also continues on its well-worn path of acquiOverall, “we have a strong sitions to increase its growth. cash flow business” at Air MethThese include the purchase of ods, Todd told AIN. He said Mercy Air Services, San Ber- he expects to see a continued nardino, Calif. (1997); ARCH push to efficiencies including Air Medical, St. Louis (2000); lease buy-outs to take advanRocky Mountain Helicopters tage of accelerated deprecia(RMH), Provo, Utah (2012); CJ tion provisions in the tax law Systems Aviation Group, West and the “migration of the indusMifflin, Pa. (2007); and Omni- try to single-engine platforms. Flight (2011). Air Methods There are still certain pockalso acquired helicopter MRO ets of the country where twinUnited Rotorcraft (Booth No. engine aircraft are appropriate 611) in 2011 to complement its or mandated by certain reguexisting products division. lations or preferences.” HowThrough its acquisition of ever, Todd said, there are limits Las Vegas-based Sundance to the physical helicopter downHelicopters in 2012 and Blue sizing and he doubts that new Hawaiian Helicopters in late smaller multirole helicopters, 2013, Air Methods has quickly such as the under-development become a major player in the air Bell SLS, would be appropriate tourism business, with 46 Airbus for the company’s HEMS misEC130 and AS350 helicopters sions. “That is not on our radar and operations from this sector screen as a solution,” he said. projected to generate $100 mil- The mainstays of the company’s lion in revenue in 2014, accord- fleet continue to be the Bell 407, ing to the company. This would Airbus EC130 and AS350, he give Air Methods 20 percent of added, but the company is takthe national market. ing a harder look at fixed-wing In a lesser-noticed transac- solutions and synergies with its tion also last year, Air Methods HEMS operations. “It’s not a acquired Florida-based Ameri- core company strategy, but it is can Jets, an international, long- a secondary growth pillar,” he range air ambulance provider said. Air Methods already operthat operates four Learjets– ates a fleet of Pilatus PC-12s a 23, two 35s and one 36–and in the intermountain Western employs 33. U.S. where patients need to be
Helicopter and fixed-wing EMS continue to be the core of Air Methods’s business. The company transported 114,000 patients in 2012. Through its acquisition of Blue Hawaiian Helicopters and Sundance Helicopters, Air Methods has quickly become a major player in the air tourism business.
transported longer distances than helicopters allow. Todd said that he is optimistic that the Affordable Care Act will have a benign impact on the company’s business. “We transport patients regardless of their ability to pay, but anything that would improve their status as an insured or entitled patient under Medicare of Medicaid would be a net positive for us. You’ll see an immediate impact on the previously uninsured, who are entitled to Medicaid expansion for the states that are participating in that. Questions remain as to how the impact of the law will [affect] the overall affordability of health care as private plans in conformance with the act become more expensive.” He said Air Methods is beginning to fill its HEMS pilot pipeline with pilots from Sundance. When the Las Vegas company was acquired, Todd said one of the benefits would be the ability to tap into a pilot talent pool that could be promoted to air-medical operations. Air-tour pilots build turbine time quickly, flying on average four times as many hours per month as their airmedical counterparts. “In every one of our new-hire air-medical
16 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
classes we have several pilots who have come through the tour operator,” Todd said. “We are going to continue to make that a more seamless process for our aviation professionals and it will be a positive force.” Todd said Air Methods will “absolutely” continue to evaluate other air-tour operators for acquisition going forward, “domestically and perhaps even internationally.” In the case of the Sundance and Blue Hawaiian acquisitions, Todd said Air Methods “did not generate the interest, but the interest was certainly there” on the part of the owners of both acquired companies. “They were interested in teaming with us for the financial stability; we brought capital to the table to help them achieve their growth objectives, and we are a publicly traded company.” While not revealing any future plans, Todd said Alaska, the Pacific Northwest and even the U.S. northeast coast are good potential markets for growth of Air Methods’s airtourism business. “We’re happy to look at any markets that make sense, but our focus is tourism” as opposed to Part 135 charter operations, he said. “You never
say never, but our focus is on operations that involve tourism as a core component.” Turning to the products division, Todd said that United Rotorcraft still has a substantial backlog of contracts involving the medevac modifications of Sikorsky Black Hawks for the U.S. Department of Defense and that in-house demand to modify Air Methods’s own helicopters “would increase in the years ahead” as its fleet is refreshed. “We see [United Rotorcraft] as a very important part of our core services.” With regard to the FAA, Todd said that the HEMS community as a whole desires a “greater uniformity between the [FAA] FSDOs and the application of standards around STCs [supplemental type certificates] or field installations to get aircraft updated and ready for service on a more expedited basis. Some of the new technologycentered around safety has a steep learning curve for both the operators and the FAA. There is progress being made but there is a long way to go so that everyone knows what the requirements are relative to certification and training before operators incur substantial investment. These technologies have and will continue to improve the safety margins for HEMS operations. When you see the approval process being unduly slowed by bureaucracy, you hope that it is something that is short-lived and can be quickly resolved.” o
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Aircraft repair training helps unemployed West Virginians Thirty-four students have graduated from the Aircraft Structures Training Program founded in part by the West Virginia-based aviation employment services company HQ Aero Management (US), which is exhibiting here at Booth No. 3530. HQ Aero entered into a partnership with Workforce West Virginia and local aviation companies to create the eight-week training program at Pierpont Community and Technical College in Fairmont, W. Va. in 2013. The fourth class of 12 students will graduate next month. “The program has been a huge success,” said Ronald Eagle, vice president of U.S. operations at HQ Aero. “The graduation rate has been incredibly high, and students praise the skills they are learning. This is a skill set that they can build on and progress into. We’re definitely building a stronger workforce.” Offered at no cost to students, the certificate program provides entry-level training in fundamental aircraft structures fabrication and repair concepts, including assembly tools, blueprint reading, fastener pattern layouts, solid rivet installation and fastener installation. Currently two companies located in the Mid-Atlantic Aerospace Complex at the North Central West Virginia Airport are employing the majority of the program graduates: Bombardier Aircraft Services and Pratt & Whitney Engine Services. Two other companies–Lockheed Martin and Aurora Flight Sciences–are also considering employing program graduates in the near future. “Some companies don’t have a specific requirement for the aircraft structures skills, but they are looking for graduates that have basic aircraft build knowledge,” said Eagle. “Even though graduates understand the structures portion coming out of the class, they won’t necessarily use these skills on the job, but they are
still involved in an aircraft application.” Located in the heart of West Virginia’s coal mining, oil and gas industries, the aviation-based training program provides a way for laid-off workers to gain new skills and start new careers. For some, it’s a difficult choice to go back to school for two months and expect a pay cut upon graduation, and the program has lost a few students and graduates who have been called back to former jobs in the coal mines. “With seniority, some of the workers have built up to $18 per hour in oil and gas. As a structures apprentice they start out at about $14 per hour,” said Eagle. “This is someone who is training sideby-side with a structures technician and still is on the OJT status. They will have the opportunity to make good money in aviation if they stick with it, but it’s not going to happen overnight.” Still, the program has been so successful placing skilled employees at local aviation companies that the Veteran’s Administration has approached Eagle to create an aircraft structures training class dedicated to training disabled veterans. While the dates still haven’t been solidified, Eagle says the company is planning to hold the disabled veteran-specific class this summer. All program graduates can also use the aircraft structures training as part of their requirements toward the FAA A&P mechanic certificate. HQ Aero offers nationwide recruitment services to the aviation industry, providing contract and direct placement of aviation technicians. Employing between 150 and 200 contract aviation technicians at any given time, HQ Aero became involved in the program first to provide guidance in terms of the skills requested by HQ Aero clients when looking for skilled aircraft structures technicians, and then as an employer for those workers. o
AW189 GETS THUMBS UP FROM EASA AgustaWestland gained EASA certification of its new AW189 medium-twin helicopter on February 7. The company said that delivery of the first two AW189s in offshore configuration to Bristow Group was “imminent.” More than 100 AW189s are on order. To date, Bristow has placed a firm order for 11 AW189s for use on a UK search-and-rescue contract and for offshore operations. Other large fleet customers include Gulf Helicopters and Era, with 15 orders each. A civil variant of the military AW149, the AW189 was unveiled at the Paris Air Show in June 2011 and is 12 feet longer, four feet taller and 5,000 pounds (at 17,900 pounds mtow) heavier than AgustaWestland’s AW139 intermediate twin. Compared to the AW139’s, the AW189’s cabin is 25 percent larger, with seating for up to 18 passengers. Power comes from a pair of 2,000-shp, Fadec-controlled GE CT7-2E1 turboshafts. The helicopter has a Rockwell Collins glasspanel avionics suite that is NVG-compatible, a four-axis autopilot and optional rotor iceprotection system. –M.H.
18 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
MATT THURBER
by Kim Rosenlof
CONTROLLING THE FLIGHT LINE The Heli-Expo 2014 exhibit hall opens today, but HAI and the Anaheim Conventon Center staffs have been working since last week to put everything in shape. This Eurocopter AS350B2 sports a Soloy SD2 conversion kit with a Honeywell LTS101-700D-2 engine. n
Versatile Rotor F/X will ship your helicopters worldwide by Matt Thurber Among the many services that Rotor F/X offers from its Van Nuys, Calif., headquarters, the company’s helicopter shipping service is probably of most interest for Heli-Expo attendees. Rotor F/X (Booth No. 3105) also provides helicopter and fixed-wing flight training, helicopter maintenance, air tours, aerial photography and even assembly of kit helicopters such as the Mosquito ultralight and other kit-built rotorcraft. When it comes to shipping, Rotor F/X can handle every aspect of moving a helicopter out of the U.S., according to company owner Jay Carlson, including the certificate of airworthiness and other paperwork, disassembly, crating, shipping and reassembly at the destination. While smaller helicopters such as the Robinson R22 can fit into one large and one small crate, larger helicopters need to be bolted onto specialized rails then placed into containers. Rotor F/X makes its own lightweight aluminum rails in its welding shop, and customers can either buy the rails or send them back to Rotor F/X for reuse. “We also make towbars, carts, rigs, jigs, anything aluminum,” said Carlson. Rotor F/X doesn’t bring samples of the Mosquito helicopters to its Heli-Expo booth, because the booth isn’t large enough and the show’s attendees aren’t
really the right market for an ultralight helicopter, Carlson explained. He does bring the Mosquito to local schools to show kids the mechanical coolness of helicopters and to stimulate aeronautical interest in students in technical and engineering programs. Although Rotor F/X isn’t a dealer for the Mosquitos, the company will gladly build whatever model a customer desires. The choices range from the barebones ultralight Air model, which is powered by a 64-hp two-stroke engine, to the turbine-powered XET, powered by a Solar T62-2A1 engine. The ready-built Air sells for $41,500, including engine, while the turbine XET costs $55,000, plus $10,000 to $15,000 for the engine. A $2,000 discount is available for helicopter pilots or buyers who have logged at least 10 hours of dual helicopter instruction. To prepare a buyer to fly the Mosquito, Carlson prefers to give the fledgling pilot 10 hours of focused training in hovering, quick stops and low-level maneuvering in a certified helicopter. This helps the new pilot get to the point where he or she can hover the Mosquito and practice for more hours before returning for training on advanced maneuvers. “The Mosquito flies a lot like a Schweizer 300,” he said, “in terms of its feel. It’s peppy, but flies at a much slower pace.” o
Airbus Helicopters launches hi-tech customer-support plans
Silver chip
by Mark Huber incentives to participate,” he said. Airbus Helicopters also is launching an online catalog of helicopter service bulletins and STCs that it and its 30 subsidiaries around the world will offer. The catalog will feature complete kit descriptions and prices to enable customers to be able to order upgrades “as quickly as possible,” Louvot said. The catalog is expected to be available next month. Under certain circumstances, Airbus Helicopters appears willing to pay penalties should performance fall short. Louvot said the company is “confident in our performance and looking at offering a more direct commitment. We want to have more performance-based services,” including hourly maintenance plans that likely would be measured by aircraft availability and other standards that are still being refined and could be customerspecific. “If we don’t reach the [specified] performance, the customer would receive a rebate,” he said. Airbus Helicopters is focusing on driving down maintenance costs for all of its helicopters, and particularly for the new EC175 and established EC225, which are aimed at the offshore energy market. “We’ve dedicated a lot of effort to improving maintenance costs and intervals,” Louvot said. In related company news, at its U.S. subsidiary, Airbus Helicopters promoted Peter Cutler to v-p of customer support, in charge of government and commercial market segments, “including commercial spares support, technical services, government logistics and training programs,” according to the company. Cutler will also remain in his current role as v-p of government programs. Treg Manning was promoted to v-p of sales and marketing, with responsibility for sales in commercial and military markets, including sales for aftermarket services and products, in the U.S. o
MATT THURBER
Airbus Helicopters is taking new measures to improve its customer service and support worldwide, according to Matthieu Louvot, the company’s director of support and services. “We are more than doubling our investment in IT systems– among others–for logistics and we have put a great deal of thought into high-tech systems,” he said. “Customers will notice a difference very soon.” Louvot said most customers will notice the changes incrementally within the coming weeks and over the next 18 months. They involve increasing targeted spares inventories, a focus on overhauling dynamic components faster, strengthening core support functions, as well as improving online access and services that include a new web-based maintenance information system (WebMIS), which improves the management of maintenance and logistics operations online. The initiative also covers an online viewer for technical publications, called Orion, and better coordination between service centers to improve logistics support. “The customer will have quicker access and quicker feedback with our e-services,” he said. Another new online tool, eCustomer Requests, will facilitate better sharing and communication of technical request solutions worldwide, Louvot said. “We are committed to finding our customers the best answers with the shortest amount of delay, 24/7.” The e-Spares online system will allow customers to have immediate spares ordering visibility and the ability to track them in real time. Concurrently, Airbus Helicopters is preparing to collect detailed customer operations and maintenance data on a voluntary, confidential basis so it may better predict fleet needs. “We are building a big database to better understand the way aircraft are operated and maintained. We will be relying on customers to share their data and will be offering them
Airbus Helicopters is ramping up its product-support efforts, which include increasing spares inventories, strengthening support functions and improving online access for its worldwide fleet, comprising models such as this AS355F2, which arrived here at the Anaheim Convention Center on Saturday.
Debris chip
Spectro Jet-Care can provide 3-D detailed analysis of chips found on magnetic chip detectors and debris found in fluid samples. Its highly detailed reports add a new dimension, allowing customers to see how the metal was sheared, not just what the material is.
Spectro Jet-Care process can analyze chips via 3-D imaging Spectro Jet-Care International (Booth No. 6933)–which provides laboratory analysis of aircraft oil, fuel, hydraulic fluid and debris–has added advanced optical imaging equipment to its arsenal of tools at its facilities in New Jersey, the UK and Switzerland. The company holds accreditations, approvals or preferred supplier status for all engine and aircraft manufacturers, including Turbomeca, Airbus Helicopters, AgustaWestland, Pratt & Whitney Canada and Sikorsky. The new equipment allows extremely detailed analysis of chips found on magnetic chip detectors or debris found within fluid samples, the company said. It also provides a depth of field and resolution that is better than that of conventional optical microscopes, as well as allows the ability to view the magnified images in 3-D. “The manufacturers are keen on seeing
these highly detailed 3-D images,” Spectro Jet-Care sales and marketing manager Alan Baker told AIN. “This adds a new dimension to the chip analysis because now we can show just how the metal sheared, not just what material it is.” The company analyzes thousands of metal chips per year from aircraft engines and helicopter main and tail rotors. For AOG situations, it can analyze chips and send a detailed report back to the operator and OEM within one to two hours of receipt of the specimens. Spectro Jet-Care will still provide the report in less than one day for nonAOGs. The analysis service costs about $400 per event, Baker said. To assist customers in gathering and submitting debris for analysis, Spectro JetCare has launched a new Chip Card Wallet, which is being distributed for free here this week at its Heli-Expo booth. –C.T.
Moog’s custom stores systems flying on Bell, MD platforms Moog’s third-generation lightweight Moog-FTS Stores Management System (SMS) is flying with the Bell 407GT and the MD530G and can be adapted easily to other platforms, said Jason Reichard, Moog business unit director. Reichard said that the main advantages of the new system are its lower cost, much lighter weight and ease of installation across a variety of platforms, including helicopter, fixed-wing, marine and land. This makes it ideally suited for customers, such as coast guards, that use common weapons across a variety of platforms. The SMS is composed of three components: a stores management computer (SMC), stores control panel (SCP) and stores interface units (SIU). It can be customized to individual user requirements, including specific weapons combinations.
The SMC can manage up to seven stores stations. The SCP has a customizable control interface for system power, fuze arming and jettison and is NVG-compatible. The SIU is also customizable and stores interfaces to a variety of gun, rocket, and missile launchers and bomb-release units. The system can be moved across platforms with simple software changes. It can be installed in any vehicle that has been pre-wired, including helicopters, in less than an hour, Reichard said. Moog can deliver a custom system to a customer within 90 days and it can be exported to any customer approved for companion weapons systems, such as Hellfire missiles. Moog can also work with customers to gain approvals for individual weapons systems, avionics and sensors connected to the system. –M.H.
www.ainonline.com • February 25, 2014 • HAI Convention News 19
news clips z Twirly Birds Meet Again at Heli-Expo 2014 Want to count yourself among the likes of Charles Lindbergh, Igor Sikorsky, Stanley Hiller or Alan Bristow? They are all now or have been Twirly Birds, a group of helicopter pilots formed in 1945 for camaraderie on a grand order. Twirly Birds have just one thing in common: they’ve all soloed a helicopter or vertical-lift aircraft more than 20 years ago. If you meet these qualifications, join the group for their annual meeting at 5 p.m. today in the Anaheim Marriott Marquis Ballroom Northeast. Leave politics behind and come enjoy the company of a few good ver-ti-goers!
z Garmin G500H Featured in EC120 Retrofit Kitchener Avionics president Barry Aylward is attending Heli-Expo 2014 to meet with operators and introduce them to his company’s Canadian-STC’d glass-cockpit retrofit for the EC120 helicopter, and he has news. “We’ve added the FAA STC to our retrofit,” said Aylward, “and we are eager to get started upgrading EC120s worldwide.” The core of the retrofit is Garmin (Booth No. 2427) products, starting with the G500H flight display with helicopter synthetic vision, AHRS and air data computer. The Kitchener glass retrofit also integrates a Garmin GDL-69/69A XM Weather datalink, an Avidyne TAS-605 traffic awareness system and a Honeywell KRA-405B radar altimeter.
z Advanced Helicopter Services Acquires Cascade Advanced Helicopter Services (Booth No. 2715) announced at Heli-Expo 2014 that it has acquired Cascade Airframe Repair based at Boeing Field in Seattle and will add it to the list of its helicopter service companies in the Pacific northwest. Cascade is an Airbus Helicopters and MD Helicopters service center as well as an FAA-approved repair station. “Bob Starr and his wife, Ruth Ann, created and nurtured a great reputation in Cascade and we intend to continue that tradition uninterrupted,” said Sparrow Tang, president of Advanced Helicopter Services. “Bob will remain at the helm for the foreseeable future and we look forward to that. The two companies will certainly complement one another and we intend to add new and innovative offerings to our clients in the area.” The company will remain at Boeing Field and will continue to offer helicopter repair and maintenance services.
BLR crunches the numbers by Rob Finfrock BLR Aerospace (Booth No. 5743) is known among rotorcraft operators for its conceptually simple, yet highly effective, FastFin aerodynamic tail rotor enhancement for several popular Bell utility helicopters. The company notes that sales have grown by 30 percent among government and military clients over the past two years, with FastFin installations on more than 650 helicopters for approximately 380 customers worldwide. BLR Aerospace v-p of sales and marketing Dave Marone wants to grow that number, and throughout Heli-Expo 2014 BLR will provide customized return-on-investment (ROI) reports, tailored to the operator’s specific mission parameters, demonstrating what FastFin could offer to potential customers’ fleets. “We will instantaneously print out a customized ROI report to any organization that would like a custom analysis,” he told AIN. “They’ll see the amount of useful load increase
BLR modifies Bell Huey-series models with tailboom-mounted strakes and a reshaped fin to provide better tail-rotor authority a higher useful load. (Bell 212)
and increased wind azimuth tolerance, as well as a full moneyout cost assessment and how long it would take to recover that amount.” Using tailboom-mounted parallel strakes and a subtly reshaped vertical fin, FastFin improves tail rotor authority by better managing airflow off the main rotor blades across the tailboom. BLR notes FastFin may increase a helicopter’s useful load by 10 to 90 percent, depending on application, with related improvements
to high-density-altitude performance and operational stability. FastFin installations are available for Bell UH-1, 204, 205, 212, and 412 models. While BLR has focused exclusively on Bell helicopters, Marone said flighttesting is under way on FastFin applications to four different aircraft models from three other OEMs. “Within the next 12 to 18 months, we hope to be expanding our coverage to provide the same category of benefits across a broader swath of the industry,” he concluded. o
Elbit Systems is launching two new products here at Heli-Expo. The first, SkyVis, combines Elbit’s proven helmet-mounted display (HMD) with commercially certifiable line-of-sight and daytime headup display capabilities. SkyVis can be used, day or night, with or without night-vision goggles (NVG), in marginal weather and during all phases of flight. Elbit also is unveiling Clearvision Heli EVS, a multi-spectral enhanced vision system designed for helicopters that provides improved situational awareness. Heli EVS builds on Elbit’s Clearvision EVS system designed for business jets. The system employs fusion algorithms and a range of spectral bands, offers a 35-degree field of view and is designed to help pilots cope with low-visibility conditions. Live demonstrations of SkyVis HMD and ClearVision EVS can be seen in the company’s Heli-Expo booth (No. 3211). Other Elbit products on display include the 19-inch by 8.25-inch large area display, a dual-redundant touchscreen that is NVG-compatible with enhanced awareness applications including digital maps and HTAWS.
z Embry-Riddle Alums To Meet Here at Heli-Expo Are you an Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University alum, from any of the university’s many campuses? Join the fun and meet your compatriots on Wednesday in the Tiffany Terrace of the Sheraton Park Hotel in Anaheim. The get-together, sponsored by Universal Helicopters, is open to current Embry-Riddle (Booth No. 4815) students with an Eagle Card, too. RSVP to ERalumni@erau.edu.
BARRY AMBROSE
z Elbit Unveils SkyVis and Clearvision Heli EVS
proud rotors keep on turning Alex Anduze, a Sikorsky test pilot, restored this Sikorsky S-52-3 over 11 years and has flown it one time, on May 25, 2013. He claims it is the oldest flyable Sikorsky helicopter in the U.S. The left half of the cockpit bubble opens so that two stretchers can be easily loaded into the cabin, as was done during the Korean War when the n helicopter was used for medevacs and other roles. The S-52 is powered by a 245-hp Franklin engine.
20 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
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FAA and EMS industry teaming on safety initiatives by Mark Huber
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Fresh pressure is being placed on the FAA to revise and finalize its 2010 notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) that would mandate the installation of helicopter terrain avoidance and warning systems (HTAWS) and radar altimeters on all U.S. emergency medical service (EMS) helicopters. The NPRM drew a firestorm of criticism from affected stakeholders for favoring high-cost solutions over less expensive, and some argued, more effective safety technology such as night-vision goggles (NVGs). Also criticized was what some see as the FAA’s slow approval process for related supplemental type certificates and field approvals. Nevertheless, over the last decade, the helicopter EMS (HEMS) industry and the FAA have been working together on a variety of voluntary and collaborative initiatives to improve HEMS safety, and there is some evidence that this approach is working as the
ostensibly will be used to aid the FAA in promulgating further risk-mitigation strategies for the industry as mandated under the 2012 Act. Additional Safety Measures
Meanwhile, the NTSB continues to recommend additional HEMS safety enhancements such as mandatory and recurring scenario-based simulator training for pilots. The nation’s largest HEMS operators already use simulator training to sharpen crew skills and avoid the two most common causes of fatal HEMS accidents: controlled flight into terrain and inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions. In January, the NTSB placed helicopter safety on its 2014 “mostwanted list” and senior board members, including chairman Deborah Hersman, were expected to participate in a helicopter safety presentation here yesterday.
The helicopter EMS industry and the FAA have been working together to improve safety.
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22 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
number of HEMS accidents per 100,000 flight hours continues to decline in the U.S. However the HEMS accident rate continues to be twice as high as that for other types of Part 135 operations. Last year U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.), the ranking member of the House aviation subcommittee, asked the Department of Transportation’s inspector general to review the FAA’s progress in improving HEMS safety. The DOT commenced its audit last November with the stated objectives of evaluating the FAA’s progress in meeting requirements for HEMS operations cited in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, and whether the FAA has implemented other actions to reduce the HEMS accident rate. As part of its inquiry, the DOT probe will undoubtedly examine the reasons for the delay of a final HEMS rule. The audit also comes three months before helicopter EMS operators are to make their first report to the FAA on number of flights and hours flown, data that
Writing on the NTSB “Safety Compass” blog on January 24, board vice chairman Christopher Hart noted, “The NTSB believes that improving the safety of helicopter operations will require increased awareness among, and action by, key stakeholders such as the helicopter manufacturers, operators, training [providers] and regulatory agencies. In 2004, as a way to share industry best practices and coordinate industry responses to safety recommendations and requirements, the FAA and industry established the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Safety Task Force. This effort led to many safety improvements, but ceased meeting shortly before the issuance of the FAA’s [2010] NPRM. The NTSB has recommended that HEMS operators adopt safety management systems and that their aircraft be equipped with night-vision goggles, flight recorders and autopilots for single-pilot operations. None of these were addressed in the 2010 NPRM. o
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JSfirm’s hiring survey shows positive trends by Curt Epstein JSfirm.com, an online aviation-specific employment service, has released the results of its fifth
annual hiring trends survey here at Heli-Expo. Based on responses from 400 companies across
various sectors of the industry, the survey not only looked back at the results from the past year but noted some positive indications for the coming year as well. “This annual survey has proven to be accurate in past years at forecasting the hiring trends and is eagerly anticipated by the aviation industry,” said company manager Jeff Richards.
According to the survey, more than 68 percent of the respondents from companies ranging from one to 10 employees to more than 500 said they did not cut any jobs last year, while a little more than 20 percent reported that they had eliminated one to five positions. When asked in last year’s survey if their company intended to hire new employees
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in 2013, 85 percent responded favorably. That prediction proved low as this year’s survey found that more than 93 percent of respondent companies actually did increase staff in 2013. Looking forward through this year, 91 percent said they plan to hire, with the second quarter of the year likely to see the most activity. And 78 percent of the companies said they are projecting growth in the new year, an increase over last year’s 67 percent. Among the employers, skilled maintenance technicians will be in the highest demand, with that segment garnering nearly 30 percent of the responses, while just under 11 percent said they would be adding pilots. For helicopterspecific companies however, that number rose to more than 14 percent. When asked to list the biggest challenge they faced in finding qualified aviation talent, the largest overall response (28.4 percent) indicated lack of experience, followed by candidate pay expectations too high (19.2 percent). For helicopter businesses alone, the second-biggest hurdle in attracting qualified employee talent was their location. Based on early results, JSfirm. com (Booth No. 1436) expects the optimism to translate to a record year. According to managing partner Sam Scanlon, the Fort Worth, Texas-based company has seen an increase of 141 percent in aviation job advertisements on its site compared to the previous January. o
Eurocopter name switched to Airbus Helicopters
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24 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
Eurocopter’s name change to Airbus Helicopters took effect on January 1. U.S. subsidiary American Eurocopter is following suit and was renamed Airbus Helicopters, Inc. on February 1. Meanwhile, other subsidiaries, such as Eurocopter Southeast Asia, will undergo a renaming process, too, probably keeping the mention of the region or the country in the designation, such as Airbus Helicopters Southeast Asia, according to a company spokesperson. One exception may be Brazil, where Helibras might retain its current denomination. As for product names, the current line will retain its “EC” and “AS” (inherited from Aerospatiale) monikers, CEO Guillaume Faury said in January. The first helicopter with a new to-be-defined designation will be the X4 medium twin, now in development. –T.D.
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The Rockwell Collins HeliSure family of situational awareness products has been certified in AgustaWestland’s AW189.
Pilot awareness key for Rockwell Collins by Matt Thurber these products, but there’s no firm customer yet.” For the H-TAWS solution, Rockwell Collins chose the Sandel Avionics HeliTAWS product because it is a fully TSO’d Class A system. The first iteration of the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics for rotorcraft is slated for AgustaWestland’s AW609 tiltrotor, and this flight deck forms the basis for next-generation helicopter cockpits, according to Toy. The Pro Line Fusion system, with its large landscape-oriented displays, isn’t touchscreen-enabled in the AW609, but this could be a feature selected by other helicopter OEMs that opt for a Fusion flight deck. The Fusion system also easily accommodates HeliSure features. “HeliSure is enabling
MARIANO ROSALES
The number of Rockwell Collins avionics products in helicopters continues to grow and the company is a significant supplier for AgustaWestland, Airbus Helicopters, Aviacopter, HAL, Russian Helicopters and Sikorsky. To leverage its rotorcraft capabilities, Rockwell Collins developed the HeliSure family of products, designed to help improve pilots’ situational awareness, especially in “congested and hazard-filled airspace,” according to the company. “We started with synthetic vision and H-TAWS [helicopter terrain awareness and warning system], which will be in the AgustaWestland AW169 and AW189,” said Dan Toy, Rockwell Collins manager for rotary wing solutions. “We’re in discussions with other customers about fielding
technology that we would bring into Fusion,” he said. In addition to HeliSure and Pro Line Fusion, here at Heli-Expo Rockwell Collins (Booth No. 8040) is also highlighting its RTA-4100 Multi Scan weather radar and TCAS II traffic alert and collision avoidance system. For helicopters, the MultiScan radar works best with a 12- or 14-inch antenna, Toy said. No matter the size of the antenna, the radar provides up to 320-nm range, although the gain is lower with the smaller antennas. But the all-digital nature of the MultiScan radar not only allows it to automatically scan ahead of the helicopter but also combine returns “through advanced digital processing and analysis algorithms to display not just precipitation rates but the actual weather threats,” according to Rockwell Collins. The Rockwell Collins TCAS II is the only such system currently certified on a helicopter, Toy said. The system helps pilots avoid midair collisions by interrogating transponders on other aircraft and if there is a potential
Hello Mickey Mouse! A 2002 model Eurocopter AS350B3 operated by Classic Helicopters of Ogden, Utah, arrives at the Anaheim Convention Center with Disneyland in the background. HAI officials expect some 60 helicocpters will be on n display at Heli-Expo 2014 by the time the exhibit halls open today.
26 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
conflict, displaying a vertical avoidance maneuver that the pilot can employ to maintain safe separation. TCAS II shows altitude, range and relative location of other targets on cockpit displays and also calculates speed, direction and conflict potential to determine whether to make a recommendation for an avoidance maneuver. Typically, helicopters can’t achieve the rate of climb needed to comply with TCAS II resolution advisories. “While rate of climb has been a concern,” he said, “we’ve been able to successfully show our TCAS II will work
satisfactorily within a helicopter’s flight envelope.” This TCAS II system is certified in the UK already for Sikorsky and AgustaWestland helicopters and will be approved soon for Sikorskys in the U.S. and also for Airbus Helicopters. Generally, the Rockwell Collins TCAS II, which is not modified from the fixed-wing version, is installed on larger helicopters such as Airbus Super Pumas, AgustaWestland’s AW101 (and soon on the AW169) and the Sikorsky S-92. “As you move down [in size],” he said, “the helicopters become more constrained in how much room they have for TCAS. Then TCAS I becomes more attractive.” HeliSure, which centers around synthetic vision and H-TAWS, is being blended with other Rockwell Collins products such as the MultiScan radar and TCAS II to provide solutions for rotorcraft customers, Toy explained. “There are a lot of similarities in the technology needed by medium and heavy helicopters between what we do in the commercial and military maro kets,” he said.
Appareo spotlighting product seminars at show by Rob Finfrock Known primarily in the rotorcraft segment for its flight data management (FDM) products, Appareo Systems returns to Heli-Expo this year with a series of customer events and presentations planned throughout the show, including demonstrations of its Stratus 2 wireless automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B in) receiver. “We’re holding our first-ever breakfast gathering at Heli-Expo, which we see as opportunity for prospective clients to hear about our latest products and for us to engage in discussions with our existing customers about what they’re learning in the field,” Appareo aviation business unit manager Tony Grindberg told AIN. “We’ll also have news about some exciting software upgrades to share.” Also new for Appareo this year is a series of daily 15-minute “Spotlight Seminars,” held at the company’s expanded booth (No. 329). Scheduled topics include a demonstration of the Vision 1000 FDM and its Aircraft Logging and Event Recording for Training and Safety (Alerts) system, as well as sessions addressing risk mitigation, new technologies available to rotorcraft operators and the benefits of using an iPad in the cockpit. To the latter point, Grindberg said one of the Fargo, N.D.-based company’s goals at Heli-Expo is to expand awareness of the Stratus 2 among the rotorcraft community. Introduced last year and available exclusively through
Sporty’s Pilot Shop, Stratus 2 displays subscription-free Nexrad weather, traffic information, Waas GPS position and attitude information on iPads running the ForeFlight Mobile app. “While it’s fair to say that Stratus 2 is still primarily a general aviation product, we are seeing interest from rotorcraft operators seeking to integrate iPads into the cockpit,” he said. “When you consider how many helicopters are flying with non-glass cockpits, you’re talking about the ability to add a lot of extremely important flight information that wouldn’t be available otherwise.” Appareo’s key product for rotorcraft operators remains the Vision 1000 lightweight FDM, which works in conjunction with Alerts to offer light aircraft operators a complete flight operational quality assurance (FOQA) solution. Vision 1000 is standard on new Airbus Helicopters AS350s, and in July 2013 EMS provider Air Methods purchased 150 Vision 1000 units for installation on its EC130, older AS350 and Bell 407 helicopters. “From my vantage point, things are progressing well [on that contract],” Grindberg noted. “Implementation was scheduled over a period of one and a half years, and we’ve scaled up to the installation of between six to eight units a month.” To meet the increased demand, Appareo opened an expanded, 11,000-sq-ft manufacturing o facility in Fargo last December.
SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Trinidad operator takes its first S-76D by Curt Epstein Trinidad’s National Helicopter Service Limited (NHSL) celebrated the delivery of its first Sikorsky S-76D late last month. According to Joshey Mabahir, the company’s general manager, the helicopter was among the first to be delivered by the Stratford, Conn.-based airframer (Booth No. 2822) and possibly the first of the type to enter revenue service. The newest addition to Sikorsky’s medium-twin engine rotorcraft line, the S-76D–which first flew as a prototype in 2009 and received FAA certification for offshore oil operations last October–offers a faster cruise speed and more efficient fuel burn than the previous models, thanks to its 1,077-shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PW210S engines. Other improvements for the 12passenger helicopter include flawtolerant all-composite main rotor blades and a Thales TopDeck flight deck. The NHSL S-76D, which was leased from Milestone Aviation, will
NHSL’s new Sikorsky S-76D follows a long line of S-76 helicopters operated by the former government air division.
be based at the company’s facility at Camden Airfield in Couva, Trinidad and Tobago, and will be devoted primarily to the use of multinational oil and gas producer Repsol. NHSL, formerly the air division (helicopter unit) of the Ministry of National Security, is a joint venture between the Government of Trinidad and Tobago and The National Gas Company of Trinidad and Tobago. It was formed in 1989 to provide offshore services to the oil/gas sector and other commercial entities as well as serve the government, particularly in emergency or disaster situations. The company is no stranger to the S-76 line, having operated the legacy S76A, and it still maintains three S76A++ models, and three S76C++ models. It expects to receive another pair of S-76Ds this summer, which will replace the more than-25-year-old o S-76A++ models.
Chris Horton
CFI Chris Horton receives AW Safety Award by R. Randall Padfield Chris Horton, the recipient of the 2014 AgustaWestland Safety Award, is on a mission to “make safety sexy,” primarily to better reach his generation of pilots. “We’re pretty much glued to our iPhones, iPads, Facebook, Twitter,” he told AIN. “We get our news from social media. Safety education can be done that same way.” At 27, Horton is likely the youngest person ever to receive the HAI safety award. He said the 20-something generation is more attuned to what he called “just-in-time education,” as opposed to “taking a trigonometry class in high school, because someday you might need it in your job. Now you learn because there’s something you need to know now. You’re a new pilot and you need to know about safety
Chris Horton, winner of the AgustaWestland Safety Award this year, became interested in safety while a student at EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University in Prescott, Ariz.
management systems or risk mitigation or hazard reporting. That’s justin-time education.” Horton, who is rated in helicopters and airplanes and has just under 1,000 hours, became interested in aviation safety while a student at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he minored in safety science and focused on accident mitigation and safety program management. He was hired as a flight instructor by Prescott, Ariz.based Guidance Aviation in 2009. He became manager of flight operations, where he is responsible for the operations of more than 100 full-time students, 20 flight instructors and some 300 weekly flights. Guidance has just over 50 employees and operates 16 helicopters. “His enthusiasm and intellect have allowed him to implement a methodical approach to the Safety Management System [SMS] that has changed the flight training culture at Guidance Aviation,” wrote John Stonecipher, president and CEO of Guidance Aviation, in his nomination of Horton for the Safety Award.
“With a limited budget, Chris developed an introduction-to-SMS training program that focused on a ‘Just’ culture, safety reporting and the recognition of outstanding contributions to the SMS. He established three safety standdown days per year, each focusing on current safety initiatives.” A company’s accountable executives need to be a part of the company’s SMS, Horton stressed. “While I appreciate the safety award, a lot of recognition for it needs to go to the executive team at Guidance Aviation. We have a chain of command, but we are a collaborative group. I can sit across the table from the CEO and say, ‘I think that’s a terrible idea,’ and he says, ‘Why?’ and listens. Sometimes he says, ‘You’re right, Chris, and we’re not going to do that,’ and other times he says, ‘You’re wrong and we’ll continue to do it my way.’ At least I can voice my opinion. The executive team believes in having a true SMS. The company is doing it right.” Horton said he wants helicopter operators “to know that when they hire a Guidance graduate or flight instructor that they know and understand SMS and that they believe in it. Safe habit patterns and professionalism are key components of the SMS. We teach these to our students in the beginning and we hope they carry these characteristics with them throughout the industry and their careers.”
Above and Beyond SMS “I’d like to see safety education go above and beyond the basics of SMS,” Horton said. “We’ve all seen that model and kind of understand it. Let’s go beyond that and study the human brain. For example, if you teach how the brain handles stress
and how the body reacts in a stressful situation, pilots will engage with that. It’s not boring. Then they’ll know what happens to their breathing, to their blood flow, what fatigue does to them. It’s a challenge, but it’s more interesting–it makes safety sexy–if the training is applicable.” Horton was elected to his first term on the HAI Safety Committee in 2012 and immediately advocated for more use of social media. He said, “NBAA has a great Facebook presence. HAI has a mobile app for Heli-Expo, so why not a mobile app focused on safety? I’d like to see HAI using social media, too. It’s a new way to educate.” And while he recognizes that HAI made a time-consuming office move last year, that it is shortstaffed and that association committee members are all volunteers with jobs, he said, “The HAI website really needs to be revamped to make it more user-friendly. Guys my age go to the Internet for everything, but if a site’s not user-friendly or hard to navigate, they’re out. I hope by this time next year HAI will be able to announce a new website with social media involvement.” The Safety Committee also asked Horton to work with the NTSB and industry leaders to develop a program outlining the hazards of texting and flying or having a cellular phone in the cockpit. “As an industry, I think we all understand that texting while flying is as bad as texting while driving,” he told AIN. “I started to do a white paper on this, but quickly realized that texting is really a nobrainer; there’s nothing new we can say about it. Really, the answer is ‘Don’t do it.’ Or if you have to do it, do it when you’re on the ground or have a two-pilot crew.” So Horton told the Safety Committee that he thought the real topic is about distractions in aviation. “How do you teach paying attention to distractions in the cockpit? You can’t remove distractions, so how do you recognize when you’re being distracted by an iPad or a chart or a flashlight, and bring yourself back into the cockpit? That’s what’s critical,” he said.
Plugging the Rotor Safety Challenge Finally, Horton encourages Heli-Expo attendees to participate in HAI’s Rotor Safety Challenge. “This is a way to learn something new. I think it is a great way for smaller operators, who can’t afford to send people to the professional classes before and after the show, to get a taste of some of the subjects covered,” he said. “And if you attend six sessions, you get a certificate of recognition that you can put on your wall and add to your resume. I encourage everyone to o participate.”
www.ainonline.com • February 25, 2014 • HAI Convention News 27
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z Network with Women’s Association Today Networking is one of the prime reasons for attending HeliExpo, according to its attendees, and few know networking the way the members of the International Aviation Women’s Association do. Come find out more about IAWA, hear from Sergei Sikorsky and meet current IAWA board members from 4 to 5 p.m. today at the Sikorsky booth (No. 2822). Led by key executives in the aviation industry, including president Abby Bried, assistant general counsel international, United Airlines, and president-elect Lisa Piccione, NBAA senior vice president for government affairs, the organization has served for more than 25 years as a sounding board and vehicle for allowing women in senior executive positions throughout aviation and aerospace to share ideas and inspiration. IAWA holds its international meeting annually and offers regional receptions in conjunction with other aviation conferences so that its members may maintain contact between conferences. The organization offers aviation aspirants both scholarships and internships, as well as awards and honors for its members who have made lasting contributions to the industry.
z Tech Briefings on MD Models This Afternoon Find out more about your MD Helicopters 369, 500 or 600 helicopter’s rotor track and balance, vibration troubleshooting and ride quality assessment during Heli-Expo 2014 by joining Helicopter Technology Company (Booth No. 4526) experts in Room 207-A from 1:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m. today. Los Angelesbased HTC is known for its main rotors and tail rotors, which are designed and built in its California facilities. The seminar emphasis will be on practical flight line maintenance and rotor blade care, with tricks for minimizing start cycles and flight hours. HTC will also discuss strategies for isolating cyclic feedback and fine-tuning tail rotor balance. All attendees will receive takeaway notebooks and training materials.
z Spectrum Aeromed Shares Profits with Workers Air ambulance outfitter Spectrum Aeromed (Booth No. 3628) will be distributing approximately $100,000 in profit sharing funds to 21 employees at its Fargo, N.D. headquarters, based on its continuing trend of revenue increase, the company announced. “We’ve experienced exponential growth for three consecutive years and we’re fortunate to have the opportunity to reward our team of dedicated employees with profit sharing as a result of their hard work,” noted company owner Dean Atchison. “We could not have achieved this level of success and growth without their dedication, optimism and drive to reach a level of high performance.” The company has been listed as one of the fastest growing privately held companies in the U.S. with three-year revenue growth of 213 percent. It currently holds more than 55 supplemental type certificates covering nearly 400 aircraft types.
z EagleMed Orders Donaldson Filters for AS350s Aero medical transport provider EagleMed has placed an order with Donaldson (Booth No. 1002) for 11 inlet barrier filter (IBF) systems for the Airbus Helicopters AS350. The systems help shield engines from damage from contaminants such as dirt, dust, salt and sand, as well as provide cost savings by reducing the need for unscheduled engine inspections. “In the past we’ve seen horrible compressor erosion for aircraft operating in harsh environments,” said David Brigham, managing director of Air Methods parent company United Rotorcraft Services, which recently added 20 IBFs to its mixed helicopter fleet. “That’s just not a problem with IBFs.” “Lives are on the line when the call goes out for an airmedical helicopter,” said Eric Erickson, general manager of Donaldson Aerospace & Defense. “All of us at Donaldson are proud that EagleMed and other air-medical operators recognize the value of our IBFs in supporting their ability to fly these critical missions.”
Lider key to Bristow in Brazil by Mark Huber In 2009 offshore-energy helicopter operator Bristow Group bought 42.5 percent of Brazil’s Lider Aviação Holding for $174 million. “Bristow is happy with its investment in Lider,” Bristow executive vice president Mark Duncan told AIN. “It was a bold and strategic move and it was the right move.” (The Group’s Bristow Academy is exhibiting in Booth No. 3631.) Brazil is the fastest-growing offshore OGP helicopter market in the world and Lider–a diversified aviation company–is the largest player in it, with 64 helicopters and 34 percent of market share. Brazil’s majority state-owned energy company, Petrobras, plans to invest $237 billion between now and 2017 to develop deepwater energy wells in several areas generically referred to as the “pre-salt,” some 200 to 300 miles off Brazil’s Atlantic coast. The world energy market has never seen growth this explosive. Right now, the pre-salt accounts for 7 percent of Brazil’s daily output of 2 million barrels of oil; by 2020 that is forecast to increase to 50 percent of total production, itself expected to more than double to 4.2 million barrels per day. And that does not include activity in Brazil’s newly discovered Libra deepwater offshore fields, which could hold as much as 12 billion barrels and generate $1 trillion over the next 30 years. Duncan said Brazil’s deepwater ventures will be profitable, even if the price of oil were to take a dramatic and unlikely drop down to $60 or even $50 per barrel. “These projects are robust,” he said, adding that Lider is involved in providing lift for all phases of them: exploration, construction and production. Heavy Helicopters Needed Now
All that activity is placing enormous pressure for OGP operators to add heavy helicopters in Brazil as quickly as possible. “Mediums aren’t going to do it,” said Duncan. “It has to be a large helicopter.” Petrobras forecasts that it will need to move 1.3 million workers to its offshore platforms by 2020; that is 350,000 more than it does today. Most of those will be to the deepwater fields at least 200 nm
30 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
offshore. In 2011, Petrobras employed the services of 89 helicopters for this mission–36 percent of them large and 64 percent medium. By 2020 that fleet mix is expected to be an even split between a support fleet of 178 helicopters. This need for lift was reflected in Bristow’s agreement to invest in Lider: It included provisions for Lider to purchase one large and four medium helicopters from Bristow at a valuation of $55 million. The deal also gave Bristow the right to provide 100 percent of Lider’s helicopter lease requirements as well as the right to lease 50 percent of Lider’s total medium and large
increased in Brazil, he said, by 30 to 50 percent since 2009 alone. “We were able to bring our large expertise in S-92s and heavy helicopters to [Lider],” explained Duncan. “Lider knew heavy helicopters would be required in Brazil, but it didn’t have the access, experience or capital the market demanded.” Supply and Demand
Ramping up for the deepwater boom, both Bristow and Lider have more heavies on order and those delivery positions are critical to future success. “The demand is great and the supply [of heavies] is finite,” Duncan said. “If you are not This S-76D in Bristow Helicopters livery is on display at Sikorsky Aircraft’s booth here at Heli-Expo 2014.
BARRY AMBROSE
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helicopter requirements for five years. Since Bristow’s investment, Lider has boosted its helicopter fleet from 46 owned helicopters to 66; it owns 53, 11 are leased from Bristow, and two are leased from third parties. For Bristow, those leases–for three Sikorsky S-92s and eight S-76C++s–have been lucrative, contributing a forecast $22.4 million worth of Ebitdar (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and restructuring) in fiscal year 2013. That number represents a more than healthy annual Ebitdar rate of return of 44 percent, according to Bristow’s thirdquarter financial filings. Today, Lider operates a modern fleet that includes 10 S-92s, 28 S-76C++s, 14 S-76C+s and 12 other mediums. Lider did not operate any heavy helicopters before teaming with Bristow, and its bottom-line impact has been significant. “The rate for a heavy helicopter is two-anda-half to three times what you can get for a medium one,” said Duncan. And due to demand outstripping the supply of heavies worldwide, that rate has
already in line and you call Sikorsky today and ask, ‘When can I get an S-92?’ they likely will tell you 2016. They can’t increase production because the supply chain can’t keep up.” For Bristow, which has growing operations worldwide, the opportunity in Brazil presents its own set of problems. “The growth in Brazil is obvious and, worldwide, we don’t expect demand to go down. Our challenge is, do we send everything to Brazil or do we balance it [with the needs in other markets]?” Bristow’s investment in Lider is paying dividends well beyond revenues associated with helicopter leasing. For 2013, Lider had forecast a consolidated Ebitdar of $129.2 million. Yet, because of differences between Brazilian and U.S. generally accepted accounting principles reporting, Bristow was able to reflect only $19.8 million of this in its bottom line. No matter how you add it up, the Bristow-Lider deal appears good for both companies. “We are positioned as number one in the number-one growth market, and that is encouraging for us,” said Duncan. o
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AgustaWestland’s CEO foresees bright future by Charles Alcock Daniele Romiti, CEO of AgustaWestland, came to last year’s Heli-Expo in Las Vegas less than a week after his sudden appointment to succeed Bruno Spagnolini in the wake of well-publicized allegations of bribery relating to the deal to supply AW101 helicopter to the Indian government. The legal fall-out from this case is still subject to court hearings and government probes
but, speaking to AIN ahead of this week’s Heli-Expo, Romiti was candid in acknowledging that the task of protecting the manufacturer’s reputation was a primary focus for him in his first few months in office. Recently, he has been able to focus on the aircraft that AgustaWestland is bringing to market: the AW119Kx, the AW169, the AW189 and the AW609 TiltRotor.
MARIANO ROSALES
Daniele Romiti became CEO of AgustaWestland one year ago. A strong supporter of the AW609, he thinks operators are not yet fully aware of the tiltrotor’s potential.
“My goals were very different at the time [in March 2013],” he said. “We had to face quite a challenging period with reputational issues, and this resulted in strong activity to reinforce our internal organization to deal with compliance issues. The new and updated procedures have resulted in a better approach.” But more profound challenges have been posed by the market itself, with pressure resulting from widespread cuts in military spending and civil customers expecting evergreater performance and cost effectiveness. “Our response to this challenge has been the dual-use approach for designing helicopters so that we are selling models that are not highly specialized and so they are more economic in terms of the overall cost of operation,” he explained. “The oil and gas sector has been a key driver, and our new product family has been developed to meet all the most stringent requirements coming from these specific markets, and the need for better overall running costs.” The AW189 medium twin completed initial EASA certification on February 7, allowing deliveries of offshore versions to commence imminently. It is billed as a lower-cost alternative to the Sikorsky S-92A and the
To open, Hold HERE and pull along the seam The AgustaWestland AW169 (the younger, little brother to both the AW139 and the just-certified AW189) came sealed when delivered to Heli-Expo 2014. Company officials expect EASA to sign its certificate sometime this year, with its entry into service planned for 2015. AgustaWestland’s family approach with these models n seems to be working for the helicopter airframer, which is owned by Italian conglomerate Finmeccanica.
32 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
AgustaWestland Boosting Training and Product Support As part of its efforts to provide a more holistic approach to product support, AgustaWestland will this week introduce its new Leonardo customer portal. “This tool will link customers at every level to the company,” said AgustaWestland CEO Daniele Romiti. The system, which will be demonstrated at the AgustaWestland exhibit (Booth No. 6937) should allow the OEM to better track operators’ support requirements in real time. It includes “an escalation process” that automatically alerts senior managers if there are delays in getting responses to customers. Ultimately, the senior vice president for customer support and training will be alerted if the response time drags on. At the same time, AgustaWestland is stepping up efforts to provide more comprehensive training support. An example of this is the fact that a full flight simulator for its new AW189 will be available at its training academy near Milan before the new twin enters service in early 2015. Last year, Romiti gathered all his top management for a conference and told them he wanted to see a step change in AgustaWestland’s approach to meeting customers’ needs. “I told them that we have to respond to the changing requirements, especially in the commercial sector, including more stringent safety needs,” he said. “The company is changing and I am already seeing the signs of this, and we are much more focused on customer needs.” –C.A.
Airbus Helicopters EC225. Along with the smaller AW169, the AW189 had been due to complete certification in 2013. The AW169 is set to get approved by the end of this year, with entry into service projected for the first quarter of 2015. All-electric Aircraft
“With these new platforms you will see how much improved technology we have added, especially in models such as the AW169, which offers a completely new architecture in terms of dynamic components in the rotors and new touchscreen displays in the cockpit,” said Romiti. AgustaWestland is placing a strong emphasis on the move toward the all-electric aircraft and it expects to add to innovations such as the AW169’s fully electrical landing gear retraction system. “We will target further reductions in fuel consumption and greater simplicity in the architecture,” he said. “We may think about introducing new devices for the tail rotor, and it’s all aimed at having greater reliability of components before aircraft enter production.” But Romiti gets even more excited when contemplating the dawn of the tiltrotor, which for him represents the real new frontier in terms of technology. “There will be a fundamentally new application here because we are targeting a very attractive price for very complex technology, and also the piloting is not too complex due to our autopilot and automanagement systems. This is
our DNA,” he stated. “I am quite convinced that when the tiltrotor gets into the mindset of operators they will realize how it can meet their future needs. They will be able to fly over clouds and bad weather in a pressurized cabin. And speed will be a key factor for applications such as EMS [emergency medical service] and SAR [search and rescue] because they can fly twice the speed of a normal helicopter and also fly for longer and hover.” In his view, customers are still barely aware of the tiltrotor’s full potential. “We are convinced that once it is operationally available they will discover what they can do with it and they will realize that they cannot miss this opportunity,” said Romiti, adding that the hybrid aircraft will be especially advantageous in places where ground infrastructure is limited. Romiti said that in addition to the booming oil and gas sector, both the SAR and EMS markets have seen strong demand. He has also been pleasantly surprised by prospects among VIP clients, and especially for the large AW101 model. In geographical terms he highlighted the “exceptional” growth in the Far East and also in South America. o
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34 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
Helicopter engine manufacturer Turbomeca (Booth No. 2814) is exhibiting a mockup of its Arrius 2R for the Bell SLS and is highlighting a variety of ongoing developments. The company is also considering the launch of a new family of turboshafts to power mediumheavy to heavy rotorcraft. Meanwhile, deliveries are on a downward curve. The first run of the Arrius 2R is scheduled for April, Olivier Andriès, CEO of the Bordes, France-based firm told AIN. Announced in June 2013 at the Paris Air Show, the Bell SLS powered by an Arrius 2R represents the first commercial partnership between Turbomeca and Bell. The 504-shp Arrius 2R is a new engine; its architecture is that of the Arrius 2 family but engineers have put a focus on single-engine helicopter safety requirements. It is the first engine in its category to have a dual-channel Fadec, which is further reinforced with an auxiliary control system that can act as a backup, according to Turbomeca. The first Arrano, designed to power the Airbus Helicopters X4 medium twin, is to make its first run this winter. Belonging to the 1,100-shp engine class, the new engine should bring a double-digit improvement in fuel burn, compared to year 2000 state of the art. Andriès expressed hope that it could also one day find an application in the heavy single category–around 6,000 pounds mtow. The 1,000-shp Arriel 2N, developed for the upgraded Airbus Helicopters AS365N3e Dauphin, is planned to receive certification this summer. It was once scheduled for mid-2013. “We are close to the end of the development phase,” Andriès said. Entry into service of the N3e, however, has been postponed but Airbus Helicopters is not providing details on that program. In the Ardiden family, the Ardiden 3G’s development is waiting for the first flight of the Russian Helicopters Ka-62, hoped for mid-year. Certification of the 1,680-shp engine is thus penciled in for the first quarter of 2015. Another Ardiden variant, the Ardiden 3C, is under joint development with China’s Avic Engine and thus also known as the WZ16. It made its first run last November at Turbomeca’s test facility. Certification by the Civil Aviation Administration of China is expected in September 2015. The Ardiden 3C, understood to have a power close to 1,800 shp, features a dual-channel Fadec. It is slated to
power the Avicopter AC352 medium twin, the Chinese counterpart of the Pratt & Whitney Canada-equipped Airbus Helicopters EC175. New Product Development
Turbomeca is reviewing its options to launch a family of more powerful engines, those powering helicopters in the eight- to 13-metric ton (17,500- to 28,500-pound) mtow category. Engineers are engaged
Turbomeca has recently taken over Rolls-Royce’s shares in the RTM322 program and the accompanying know-how in hot sections for 2,000- to 3,000-shp engines.
in a knowledge-gathering process. First, Turbomeca has taken over Rolls-Royce’s share in the RTM322 program. “This gives us know-how in hot sections for this class of engines,” Andriès emphasized. The 2,300-shp RTM322 powers the AgustaWestland AW101, among others. Second, Turbomeca engineers are working on a demonstrator dubbed Tech 3000, where 3000 stands for 3,000 shp. With a new compressor and hot section, it should run in 2015. “From there, we’ll be in a position to launch an engine program, provided we find an application,” Andriès said. Turbomeca is also mulling, beyond new engines, new propulsion architectures for helicopters. These might use various levels of hybridization. One low level could be an electric backup motor that would provide power only for a smoother autorotation. Airbus Helicopters (then Eurocopter) tested such a system in 2011. Turbomeca parent company Safran has regrouped its activities in “more electric aircraft” under the umbrella of a newly created subsidiary, Labinal Power Systems, Andriès noted. Last year, the helicopter engine maker produced 984 turboshafts, fewer than the planned 1,100. In 2014 and 2015, this number is predicted to be close to 900. The downward trend is due to helicopter program delays in emerging countries and a downgraded production forecast at Airbus Helicopters, Andriès said. Therefore, the 6,300-strong workforce may decline moderately this year. o
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Zurich International offers alternative to polarized sunglasses For polarized sunglass wearers needing UV protection but who fly aircraft equipped with LCD cockpit displays, first-time Heli-Expo exhibitor Zurich International offers a solution–its Z|XG Extreme Glare sunglasses, on display at Booth No. 3847. Zurich International also unveiled a website to showcase its alternative technology to polarized optics. The company points out that the FAA does not recommend wearing polarized lenses in aviation because they are likely to interfere with viewing digital electronic flight displays, which use polarization, and hamper seeing clearly through polarized windscreens due to cross-polarization. Bruce Holden, an optician and owner of Zurich International, based in Elk
Grove, Calif., said, “The Z|XG technology guarantees to block 98 percent of rays in the UV spectrum and 65 percent of infrared. He added that the glasses also neutralize more glare from snow, water or other highly reflective surfaces than do polarized lenses. Zurich International sells Extreme Glare technology incorporated into regular sunglasses, custom-made sunglasses and in prescription sunglasses, and prices start at $99. Extreme Glare sunglasses feature sturdy wraparound frames, Holden said, and for contact lens wearers, the Z/XG glasses eliminate wind, eye irritants such as dust, pollen, bugs and other small particles and protect against projectiles, dirt and debris. –H.W.
Texstars windshield picked for Bell 525 Bell Helicopter has chosen Texstars (Booth No. 507) to provide birdstrike-resistant windshields for the Bell 525 Relentless. These windshields will feature other safety improvements including enhanced pilot’s fieldof-vision and a wrap-around windshield that eliminates the need for lower-view chin bubble windows and overhead skylights. The improved pilot’s view will enable direct sighting of mission objectives and landing zones. Perhaps the most important safety feature is an alternative structural transparency material that will provide pilot, crew and passengers with protection from injury due to birdstrikes. “We believe this will be a first,” said Texstars president Chris Gould. “These windshields are made of polycarbonate, whereas present helicopter transparencies are made of cast acrylic. Although [it is] relatively hard, upon impact acrylic will shatter. Polycarbonate is softer and more pliable and is the structural material we use in our bird-resistant F-16 fighter canopies. We feel that polycarbonate windshields for rotorcraft will eventually sweep the industry and we expect their safety margin to be validated in flight demonstrations. “The improved safety feature designs for the Bell 525 Relentless windshield underscore Bell Helicopter’s dedication to providing customers the best and safest aircraft possible. We are pleased to be a part of the Bell 525 Relentless team,” Gould added. The 525 super medium helicopter is Bell’s latest model. Capable of carrying up to 16 passengers, it is designed to support various mission configurations including oil and gas, search and rescue, helicopter EMS and VIP and corporate transport. Texstars is a subsidiary of AIP Aerospace and develops and manufactures aircraft transparencies and components using composite and thermoplastic materials for aerospace, military and mass transit markets. AIP Aerospace is an aerospace tooling group specializing in hightemperature composite parts, aircraft structures, transparencies and coating technologies o
36 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE AWARDS
AAR Airlift crew honored with top mx award
Crew chief Gabriel Meza
AAR
Crew chief Robert Lane Murphy
AAR
HAI’s Excellence in Helicopter Maintenance Award usually goes to one person and has never before gone to both maintenance personnel and pilots, so this year’s award thoroughly breaks the mold. Being honored are four maintenance people and two pilots, all employees of AAR Airlift Group, headquartered in Palm Bay, Fla. The particular incident that earned these brave men the award occurred on July 6, 2013, at an unidentified forward-operating base (FOB) somewhere in Afghanistan. Pilot-in-command Stephen Fiduk, second-in-command Robert Murphy and crew chief Gabriel Meza were transporting ammunition on a resupply mission in an AAR Sikorsky S-61 from FOB Sharana, the flight crew’s home base (also in Afghanistan), to the unidentified FOB, when the helicopter’s number-two engine failed. The S-61 is powered by two General Electric T-58 turboshafts. Information about exactly when the engine failed, the cause of the
AAR
by R. Randall Padfield
failure and whether it was a full or partial failure was not provided. [Editor’s note: Much about this event remains confidential and the author’s request to AAR Airlift to speak with the people involved in it was not granted.] The award nomination report of the incident, written by Jayson Wilson, AAR Airlift vice president of flight
HELIEXPO 2014 POWERLINE_HAI 2014 2/10/14 2:41 PM Page 1
The AAR S-61 that had the engine failure, as seen from the second S-61 carrying the replacement engine.
operations, simply states that the pilots remained calm and that the crew “executed the required emergency procedures and performed a flawless engine-out landing at high gross weight without injury or damage.” Wilson’s report goes on to state, however, “Simultaneously, they were taking on indirect fire by local
pro-Taliban and Taliban forces, who were attacking the [unidentified forward-operating] base at the time.” FOB Sharana and AAR’s system operations control (SOC) center in Palm Bay, were immediately notified of the problem and an emergency response plan was implemented. Quickly, a second AAR S-61 departed Sharana, carrying maintenance manager Alan Nowak, maintenance supervisor Joshua Ricciardi and crew chief Nathan Raught, along with a spare T-58 engine. It arrived at the unidentified FOB without incident. Nowak, who supervised the engine exchange and installation, and Ricciardi “not only led the team’s exchange efforts, but got in and performed mechanical actions themselves, including unloading the new engine, setting up a lift crane, removing the bad engine and installing the new engine,” Wilson wrote. “Meza and Raught worked all day as flying crew chiefs before the emergency and then helped with the engine change and got the aircraft ready for departure.” Murphy, the SIC, also “assisted the maintainers, as if he were on of the maintenance team.” The engine removal and replacement were “performed in a highthreat environment without the aid
Helicopter Maintenance Award Winners Alan Nowak, maintenance manager Joshua Ricciardi, maintenance supervisor Nathan Raught, crew chief Stephen Fiduk, pilot in command Robert Lane Murphy, second in command Gabriel Meza, crew chief
of advanced tooling, a hangar or any [of the] normal maintenance conveniences.” It was also completed in record time. From the takeoff from Sharana of the second S-61 carrying the replacement engine and maintenance crew to the takeoff of the first S-61 with the replacement engine installed only about three hours and 55 minutes elapsed. This time included a quick functional check “flight” of the engine while the aircraft was on the ground. Wrote Wilson, “The ability to perform maintenance in a hangar with all the luxuries a hangar can provide is one thing. To do it in a combat zone in one of the most IDF [indirect fire] attacked locations in Afghanistan while under attack is another. Their work saved an aircraft from destruction and provided a standard of which AAR is very proud. Our customer, the U.S. military, was in awe of their o accomplishment.”
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www.ainonline.com • February 25, 2014 • HAI Convention News 37
Thales’s new Avionics 2020 cockpit reduces pilot workload by replacing mouse clicks with hand gestures similar to those used with smart devices.
Thales Avionics 2020 offers look at tomorrow’s cockpits by Matt Thurber For a close-up look at what tomorrow’s helicopter cockpits might look like, stop by the Thales booth (No. 1202) to see the company’s Avionics 2020 cockpit of the future. This version is Thales’s third iteration of its Avionics 2020 concept; earlier helicopter versions were unveiled at last year’s Paris Air Show and at the NBAA Convention. “This is a new generation,” said Thales head of helicopter avionics Yves Joannic, “based on an evolution of the technology.” At the Thales Heli-Expo display, visitors can sit in the Avionics 2020 cockpit and interact with the avionics and learn exactly how it works. The philosophical underpinning of Avionics 2020 is to help pilots do more while reducing their workload. “More and more the helicopter manufacturers are putting in place many functionalities
that are interfacing with the pilot,” he explained. “The workload is increasing,” and manufacturers just keep adding features. “Avionics have to decrease the workload in order for the pilot to concentrate on the mission.” Avionics 2020 designers recognize that new pilots will likely be younger people who are used to interacting with their smart devices, using gestures and touch commands. “It’s important to simplify the man-machine interface,” Joannic said, “using gestures and not buttons. We’re replacing ten clicks with the mouse by one or two gestures on a touchscreen to enter information or [generate] information from the cockpit.” At the same time, Thales has emphasized the black cockpit concept, where information needed for only the particular operation is provided.
“At each phase of flight, the pilot and crew receive all relevant information,” he said. Avionics 2020 doesn’t lock helicopter manufacturers into one look and feel or way of presenting information, however. The Thales design is an open-architecture system that can be adapted to a manufacturer’s requirements. “Today what’s available in the market are avionics suites fully integrated by each vendor,” said Richard Perrot, Thales director of marketing for avionics. The only way to implement additional functions is usually with thirdparty products. “This platform offers the ability to implement other functions that they want. We offer the capability to customize the man-machine interface and have their own cockpit implemented. It’s quite open and flexible in terms of configuration and to differentiate their helicopter from the competition.” In terms of certification, this should be more cost-effective because once the underlying system is approved, adding new functionality should be a simple
matter. “Thales is providing ideas to minimize as much as possible the certification activity,” said Joannic. No aircraft manufacturer has yet announced selection of an Avionics 2020 cockpit, but Thales has signed non-disclosure agreements with many OEMs, according to Perrot. The first implementation and entry into service of an Avionics 2020-powered aircraft should be in about five or six years. “2020 is the time where we think we are going to get something on board an aircraft,” he said. “We’re working with the whole helicopter community,” said Perrot. “This concept is the first time ever that a supplier is bringing onto the market an innovative man-machine interface, tremendous operational gains and at the same time answering other requests from the market to have open-architecture and the ability to customize a solution. This has really received a warm welcome from the market.” o
The Spanish traffic department has ordered four Airbus AS355NPs (shown here) and three EC135s. Deliveries are to begin this year and wrap up by 2016.
Phoenix Heliparts upgrades MD 530F with full digital array by Amy Laboda Phoenix Heliparts of Mesa, Ariz., is adding to its supplemental type certificate (STC) offerings, this time by retrofitting an MD 530F with full-digital instrumentation and a modern interior. The aircraft is destined for Robert Reish of El Dorado, Calif., who has used Phoenix in the past for his helicopter refurbishments. The company also announced during
Phoenix Heliparts is offering fully digital MD 530 cockpits retrofitted with the Aspen Avionics 1000H Pro PFD and a full suite of Garmin equipment.
Heli-Expo 2014 that it is strengthening its ties to RSG Products (Booth No. 1206) of Fort Worth, Texas, which holds FAA PMA authority to design, manufacture and distribute air-conditioning and video camera systems for various helicopter models. It also provides Garmin G500H installation kits. The two companies are teaming up to add the MD 369 helicopter to the list of approved airframes for the installation of RSG’s vapor-cycle air conditioning units. “Phoenix Heliparts delivers unique products on time and on budget,” said Reish. “I’m a repeat customer for good reason.” Reish’s MD 530F digital cockpit is designed around the Aspen Avionics 1000H Pro primary flight display (the STC is expected later this year) and a Garmin GTN 750 Waas GPS navcom connected to a Garmin GDL 88 ADS-B transceiver and Garmin GTX 33 modeS transponder. A Davtron M803 clock rounds out the functionality. The helicopter is also being retrofitted with a wire strike kit on both the upper and lower fuselage and Phoenix’ s own STC’d compressor inspection panel, in addition to its interior refurbishment. o
38 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
Airbus Helicopters delivers AS350s for public-safety roles Airbus Helicopters announced a newly signed contract and a slew of deliveries for AS350 series helicopters during Heli-Expo 2014. Airbus Helicopters España CEO Francisco Verge got the contract signed last week to supply seven new helicopters to the Spanish traffic department and national police, for delivery between 2014 and 2016. The helicopters include four twin-engine AS355NP Ecureuils and three EC135s. In the U.S., the company is helping the Oklahoma City and Tulsa police departments upgrade their fleets by closing purchase orders for three AS350s (two for Oklahoma City and one for Tulsa). These three will join an existing AS350B3e in use by the Oklahoma highway patrol. In New York City, Liberty Helicopters, a tour and charter company, took delivery of an AS350B2 this past December, with another to be delivered
next month. These two bring Liberty’s Airbus Helicopters fleet to 15, including 10 AStars, three AS355 TwinStars, an AS365 Dauphin and an EC135. Meanwhile, the Mississippi Department of Public Safety accepted delivery of a AS350B3e produced at the Airbus Helicopters Columbus, Miss. plant in January. The aircraft is now at the Airbus Helicopters completion center in Grand Prairie, Texas, and will be ready for service by the end of the first quarter of this year. And in the deep north, the Alaska Department of Public Safety took delivery of its second AS350B3e and placed it into service this winter with the Alaska Wildlife Troopers and State Troopers. It is helping the department expand operations from Anchorage to Fairbanks, Alaska. The new aircraft is powered by the Turbomeca Arriel 2D engine and is equipped with dual-channel Fadec and engine data recorder. –A.L.
Metro Aviation boasts STC, completions by Amy Laboda Shreveport, La.-based Metro Aviation (Booth No. 415) has more than completions to announce at Heli-Expo 2014. The company recently completed a supplemental type certificate (STC) for the EC135 to give it a digital, single-pilot IFR cockpit that incorporates Garmin GTN 650/750 touchscreen technology and ADS-B, thereby creating a cockpit ready for 2020, when all aircraft flying in the U.S. will be required to have ADS-B out capability. FAA, Metro Aviation completed an STC that provides the Airbus EC135 with a digital, single-pilot, IFR cockpit ready for the ADS-B out mandate.
Garmin (Booth No. 2427) and Metro Aviation representatives are at the Metro Aviation booth throughout Heli-Expo to talk about the STC. On other fronts Metro Aviation’s Helicopter Flight Training Center division announced it has hired Glen Girard as assistant director of training. The center provides dry-lease flight simulators and a train-thetrainer program for instructors, as well as factory-approved helicopter maintenance training for Turbomeca
and Pratt & Whitney Canada engines. The company’s Paradigm Aerospace subsidiary delivered four Bell 407GX helicopters outfitted with North Flight Data Systems’s Light Aircraft Recording System, Cobham HeliSas autopilot, synthetic vision system and night-vision goggles. Metro Aviation will operate the aircraft throughout the hospital system, replacing a mixed fleet of Airbus Helicopters machines. Metro Aviation has acquired the pediatric transport system for Fort Worth’s Cook Children’s Medical Center Teddy Bear Transport. The operation flies both a single-pilot IFRequipped EC145 and a King Air B200 and will begin running the program as of March 1. The program will add a Cessna Citation Encore for patient transport, as well, by the end of March. Finally, even with all the activity, Metro Aviation has reached Level IV, the highest level, of the FAA Safety Management System (SMS) pilot program. “We’ve consistently gone beyond the traditional regulatory minimums,” said Tarek Loutfy, director of safety for Metro Aviation. o
LA County Sheriff’S DEPARTMENT Gets AWOS on Catalina ISLAND Seeing the need for current and accurate weather at the Pebbly Beach on Santa Catalina Island, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department contracted with Belfort Instrument (Booth No. 5914) to install an AWOS AV at the helistop there. Belfort’s FAA-approved AWOS AV provides up-to-the-minute weather through a scalable, automated system that includes all required hardware and software, including PC terminal, telephone, Internet and VHF radio transmissions. Belfort designs, builds and supplies the key sensors for the unit. “The new Belfort AWOS installation at Pebbly Beach will enhance EMS flight operations,” said Sgt. Morrie Zager, Aero Bureau, LA County Sheriff’s Department. The department is installing the optional cloud height sensor on the unit there. Belfort’s AWOS AV was originally designed to bring aviation-grade weather reporting capabilities to general aviation airports unable to afford the current line of FAA-approved AWOS products. Its wireless architecture is designed to reduce both installation and maintenance costs with its built-in diagnostic and fault-isolation software and firmware algorithms. The system’s digital architecture and Internetbased monitoring capability combined with “plug and play” design should ensure that the LA Sheriff’s Department can save on maintenance, support and training costs, according to Belfort. Meanwhile, receiving real-time, local weather information automatically over Unicom or discreet frequencies, telephone, Internet or on a wireless handheld device will enable safer missions for the department’s aviation division. –A.L.
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8:53 AM www.ainonline.com • February 25, 2014 • HAI Convention 2/5/14 News 39
Soloy offers solutions for the AS350
Rockwell Collins plan aims to lower lifecycle support costs by Curt Epstein
by Mark Huber Soloy Aviation (Booth No. 22) continues with its line of aftermarket solutions for helicopter operators, and the company flew an AS350 to Heli-Expo to highlight its re-engining and other mod programs. Soloy’s new electronic engine management system (EEMS) provides a graphical representation of engine gauges and is designed as the primary engine instrumentation for AS350s with the Soloy SD2 conversion kit. The SD2 features the Honeywell LTS101-700D-2 engine. The EEMS stores engine diagnostic and downloadable data as well engine starts and usage time, aircraft time, airframe total hours and revenue hours, peak operating exceedance value and cycle counting for the gas producer components and the power turbine rotor. The dual display system automatically initiates reversionary mode should one fail, displaying data in a smaller format from both screens on the one that remains operational. Soloy announced that prices have changed for both the SD2 conversion on the AS350B2 and the SD1 conversion on the AS350B and BA models, which uses the LTS101-600A-3A engine. The new prices come in 12 different configurations that give operators more flexibility for operational or budgetary requirements, according to the company. For the AS350B and BA, the prices
Soloy’s electronic engine management system provides a graphic representation of engine gauges and is designed as the primary engine instrumentation for Airbus Helicopters AS350s with the Soloy SD2 conversion kit, which features the Honeywell LTS101-700D-2 engine.
range from $281,000 to $415,000. The lower price is for the basic engine, while the highest price is for an engine with zero-time overhaul with new extendedlife, air-cooled gas producer (GP) turbine blades and all zero life-limited/ cycle-limited components. “The basic engine versions will have completed the 1,800-hour inspection and [include] zero time since new, extended life cooled GP turbine blades,” according to Soloy. Prices for the AS350B2’s LTS101700D-2 in the same packages range from $297,000 to $464,000. All engines come with a two-year or 1,000-hour factory warranty and accessories are covered for 600 hours or one year. o
Rockwell Collins (Booth No. 8040) is slowly introducing a new lifecycle support initiative to civil rotorcraft operators. Known as Flexforce, it is a performancebased agreement that aims to sustain lower maintenance costs for customers in a time of tightening budgets, while simultaneously improving dispatch reliability. It has been available to commercial fixed-wing aircraft operators and to the military for approximately 15 years, according to Bob Haag, the company’s senior director of global service solutions, and has now gained entrance into the civil rotorcraft sector as well. The service solution program is not one size fits all, Haag said, adding that there are several customizable plans to fit the needs of operators and guarantee availability. With one plan, Rockwell Collins puts spare inventory parts on the shelves of customers that won’t purchase them until the item is used. With another, the OEM dispatches customer spares as soon as they are consumed, while a third is a long-term lifecycle management advisory that monitors customer-owned products to ensure currency and update notices.
As an example of the program’s benefits, Haag cited the U.S. Coast Guard’s experience. Several years ago, the service had 70 of its aircraft on the ground annually or otherwise was unable to fulfill its missions due to avionics issues, but once the service enrolled, that number dwindled to zero. Today, the company supports 213 Coast Guard aircraft (rotary- and fixedwing) at 27 locations, and turnaround for parts dropped from 45 days to fewer than three while guaranteed aircraft availability increased to better than 99 percent. Since customer aircraft may contain products from other avionics manufacturers, Rockwell Collins is gravitating toward becoming more of a one-stop shop, providing maintenance for products from manufacturers such as Honeywell or Thales in addition to its own. Coupled with its Intertrade business, which specializes in brokering used parts, the company maintains an extensive refurbished component inventory and manages the repair chain for non-Rockwell Collins equipment on older aircraft, and is positioning itself to better serve its rotorcraft customers worldwide. o
Breeze-Eastern, which supplies hoists and winches to the helicopter industry, has revamped its spare-parts distribution system, aiming to cut in half overhaul and repair turn times.
Ontic and Curtiss-Wright team to provide extended-life plan by Amy Laboda BBA subsidiary Ontic (Booth No. 7333) has signed its fourth license agreement for military and commercial electronics with Curtiss-Wright as part of its Extended Life Solutions program. The products–logic modules, smoke detector sensors, power supplies and power converters–are designed for use on the Sikorsky Black Hawk, all variants; the Sukhoi Superjet 100; and Boeing 747, 757 and 767. The products will be transitioned from Curtiss-Wright’s City of Industry, Calif. facility into Ontic’s Chatsworth, Calif. manufacturing center. Ontic will provide customers with complete support including production and aftermarket manufacturing and MRO services. “Our interest in the products at Curtiss-Wright will allow the company to focus on new technologies,” said Robert Sadler, Ontic director of marketing and licensor relations. “We have seen our business grow tremendously in electronics and avionics; it is now more than
one-third of our business,” he continued. “We don’t design anything new. By acquiring these licenses we keep aircraft from going completely obsolete and help the OEMs. Their customers are assured that until they are ready to leave the platform that uses these products, the means to repair the products will be around.” As a part of BBA’s aftermarket services, Ontic ensures that other BBA divisions, such as Dallas Airmotive, have the parts they need to complete their projects. Ontic also makes products that go on the Bell 206, CH-47 Chinook, H-1 Cobra and others. “As the market continues to grow and expand, we expect the mature product support business to come our way,” said Sadler. o
40 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
Breeze-Eastern revamps spares system Helicopter hoist and winch manufacturer Breeze-Eastern (Booth No. 602) announced a major revamp of the company’s spare parts distribution system, including in-house control of parts distribution and a multimillion-dollar investment to bulk up spares inventory. Breeze-Eastern president and CEO Brad Pederson said the company aims to reduce turnaround times for common spare parts orders to 30 days by the fourth quarter. “Our goal is to assure that we have adequate material on hand for expedited responses and seamless support,” he added. The company also noted that, since May 2012, Breeze-Eastern has cut commercial overhaul and repair turn times in half. Last year, the company added a 16-member worldwide customer support organization, available through a 24-hour hotline. “We recognize that responsive spares support and turnaround times are critical to our customers’ mission success,” Pederson added. “This new distribution structure is part of an ongoing effort to more closely control the process and bring us closer to our customers and end users.” Breeze-Eastern previously used Transaero to handle parts distribution. –R.F.
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AW Philly poised for growth by Mark Huber AgustaWestland Philadelphia has experienced rapid growth in recent years and is planning for even more. The workforce at the plant has increased from 160 in 2005 to 560 today and workers there assemble the AW139 medium twin and the AW119Kx single for deliveries in North and South America. Since 2005, AW Philadelphia revenues have grown
by $500 million to $717 million in 2012, about 18 percent of AW’s total revenues, when the plant assembled 36 AW139s and 12 AW119s. And that production is growing. Over the last five years, AW has built 150 AW139s in Philadelphia, and 45 percent of all helicopters built there are exported. It also provides major product and engineering support for AW; AgustaWestland will begin assembling the AW169 twin at its Philadelphia facility in 2015 and plans to ramp production of that model up to 20 per year beginning in 2017. The AW169 is suited to support a wide range of missions including aerial escort, security operations, fire support and offshore operations.
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engineers at Philadelphia developed the AW119Kx with the Garmin G1000 avionics system and major options and modifications for the AW139. Last year the company announced that it would begin assembling the new AW169 twin there in 2015 and planned to ramp production of that model up to 20 per year beginning in 2017. (The main AW169 assembly line will remain in Vergiate, Italy with major components produced at AW Yeovil, UK.) AW Philadelphia also is becoming an increasingly important part of AW’s overall global components sourcing. The AW169 is the first serious challenge to Sikorsky’s S-76 dominance of the U.S. corporate market and AW Philadelphia president Bill Hunt thinks the AW169’s larger cabin and speed make it a serious contender. “More than anything else, our corporate and executive customers demand speed and ultimate levels of comfort in their helicopters,” Hunt told AIN. “We expect to grow our market share. The AW169 is unlike any other aircraft in its weight category, with regards to avionics upgrades, increased cabin and baggage space, greater power-to-weight ratios and use of composite materials in its airframe.”
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42 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
The AW169 also remains a contender for U.S. DoD and parapublic roles as the bias for new helicopter acquisition programs is expected to shift to commercial off-the-shelf solutions for select applications. AgustaWestland already has had success with promoting the larger AW139 for these missions globally and with local and state governments in the U.S., and AW North America CEO Bob LaBelle sees no reason why this formula cannot be applied to the somewhat smaller AW169 as well. “Operators in Italy, UK, Spain, Estonia, Japan, Republic of Korea and Malaysia, are using the AW139 with great success for parapublic missions like border patrol and search and rescue,” he said. “Here in the U.S., our federal and state government AW139 operators include Customs and Border Protection, New Jersey State Police and the Maryland State Police, which take advantage of flexible configurations that allow for homeland security, law enforcement, EMS and search and rescue operations to be carried out using the same aircraft.
Likewise, the AW169 is uniquely suited to support a wide range of missions including aerial escort, command and control, security operations, deep operations, target acquisition and targeting and fire support coordination.” AW has invested heavily in U.S.-based product support in recent years and finished second in AIN’s product support survey in 2013. There are 13 authorized service centers in the U.S, three in Canada, three in Mexico, one in Puerto Rico and one in Panama, all managed from Philadelphia. Additionally, AW has 20 tech reps working in the field throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico and 45 technicians available from AW’s Part 145 facility in Philadelphia where more can be drawn from production as needed. AW deploys technicians to assist customers with fleet integration and training and performing heavy field maintenance and repairs. Two mobile support trucks, one in the U.S. in partnership with Mecaer, and another in Mexico operated by Hawker Beechcraft Services, support these efforts. Philadelphia also partially supports operations in Brazil with AW Italy. AW maintains an extensive parts inventory at Philadelphia as well as at its regional supply centers in Las Vegas and near the Gulf of Mexico. Plans also are in the works to build another supply center in Canada. Philadelphia also provides support and oversight of several different customer maintenance support plans. AW Philadelphia also is home to the AgustaWestland Training Academy, staffed with 15 pilots, nine ground instructors, a business support staff and a senior training manager. AW Philadelphia instructors and technicians are currently completing maintenance training on the AW169 and AW189 and will be ready to instruct and work on those aircraft by the time they are certified, the company said. The training academy is equipped with one AW119, maintenance simulators for the AW119 and AW139, one AW139 full flight simulator (located in Whippany, N.J.), two virtual interactive procedure trainers for the AW139 and AW109SP and spare parts for handson technician training. Training academy classrooms recently underwent updating with the installation of smart boards, and the academy is developing new multimedia courses. o
112216_H1 EPIC ads v1_HAI Daily News 318 x 124 vertical 31/01/2014 15:56 Page 2
SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE AWARDS
by R. Randall Padfield Elan Head, recipient of the Helicopter Association International’s 2014 Excellence in Communications Award, had her first helicopter ride in a Bell JetRanger in 2004, while working on a story about a high-end fishing lodge in British Columbia. “It was hands-down the coolest thing I’d ever done,” she told AIN. Head had begun her writing career in 1998 at age 17, as a newspaper reporter in her home state of New Mexico. “I come from a family of talented writers, and have always enjoyed the act of writing,” she said. “However, my reporting career came about strictly because I needed a job, and that job paid so little that no one who was better qualified would take it.” Her grandfather was a U.S. Navy pilot, so she always had some interest in learning to fly, she said, “although it never occurred to me as a kid that it would be in helicopters.” But after that flight in the JetRanger, Head returned to her home in Arizona (at that time– she currently resides in Georgia) and signed up for flight lessons with Quantum Helicopters in Chandler. She continued her work as a travel writer and restaurant critic while learning to fly helicopters. After getting her CFI and instrument ratings, she instructed for Quantum for 12 months in 2006 and 2007, where she was recognized as an FAA Gold Seal instructor. Head flew a Bell UH-1B on a cherry-drying contract in Washington for a summer and then joined HeliNews magazine in Australia, working there for year and earning an Australian commercial license. She now has about 1,300 flight hours. She continued as a freelance writer and editor for various publications from 1999 to 2008, toward the end of which she made a three-week reporting trip to Afghanistan. Her article about the experience from that and two more trips to Afghanistan appeared in Vertical Magazine in 2011. This is an excerpt from that article: “Vertical editor-in-chief Elan Head and contributing editor Graham Lavery first visited Afghanistan in 2008. At the time, we were freelance reporters on a self-financed trip. As citizens, we wanted to learn more about a war that has too often been underreported and misreported by the mainstream media. As helicopter pilots, we were fascinated by the challenges of flying in one of the most demanding operating environments on Earth. “While the parallels between the wars in Vietnam and Afghanistan are disputed, there is one thing that they undoubtedly have in common: helicopters. Just as it is impossible to think of the Vietnam War without thinking of helicopters, rotary-wing assets have been absolutely integral to the U.S. military experience in Afghanistan. Both the nature of Afghanistan and the nature of the threat have led to a heavy reliance on helicopters for a phenomenal variety of missions:
A on all us n H o et 4 i xp Me 180 li-E d He an t St a
Elan Head earns recognition for helo coverage
not only are many parts of this rugged, undeveloped country inaccessible by road, but the roads that do exist are loaded with improvised explosive devices (IEDs). Helicopters have been essential in minimizing casualties by limiting the exposure of troops to IEDs, as well as in furthering the wider objectives of the war.” Kitchener, Ontario-based Vertical Magazine hired Head as its editor-in-chief in December 2008 for Vertical and Vertical 911, a position she held until December 2012. “After serving as the editor-in-chief, I transitioned into my current role as special projects editor [for MHM Publishing] a little over a year ago,” she said. (MHM Publishing produces Vertical Magazine and Canadian Skies.) Notable feature articles Head wrote for Vertical include, “Mission in Haiti” (after the devastating earthquake there in January 2010),
Elan Head, special projects editor for Vertical Magazine and Canadian Skies
April/May 2010; “Riding Shotgun” (requiring her to train as a Boeing 234 copilot with Columbia Helicopters), February/March 2011; “Sikorsky at 90,” August/September 2013; “The Future of Healthcare” (about its effects on the air-medical industry), summer 2013; “Failure to Enter” (about autorotations), August/September 2013; and “Setting Standards” (about UC Health Air Care & Mobile Care), October/ November 2013. “Her recent article, ‘Failure to Enter,’” commented a pilot and one of the people who nominated Head for the Excellence in Communications Award, “is one of the best-researched and best-written articles about safety that I’ve seen in a long time.” “Although I still work for Vertical on an essentially full-time basis,” Head said, “the position has given me a bit more flexibility to pursue my studies in international relations at the Harvard University Extension School, where I’m wrapping up the bachelor’s degree I put on hold after high school.” When asked for her opinion about the future of publishing, she said, “As a journalist, I’m really excited by the evolution of digital publishing and social media. I started Vertical Magazine’s Facebook page soon after I joined the company in January 2009. It has given us fantastic opportunities to connect and interact with readers around the world. I also enjoy the immediacy of online publishing, which is akin to the excitement and pressure of working at a daily newspaper. At the same time, there’s nothing like seeing stories in print in a glossy magazine with beautiful photos, and I think print will remain important to the industry for some o time to come.”
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www.ainonline.com • February 25, 2014 • HAI Convention News 43
SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Howard Ragsdale honored with Airbus Helicopters Golden Hour Award R. Randall Padfield Howard Ragsdale, senior vice president of business development for Denver-based Air Methods and this year’s winner of the Airbus Helicopters Golden Hour Award, has spent most of his aviation career in air medical operations. Along with Archie Gray, senior vice president of aviation services, he is one of two longtime employees of Air Methods to receive an HAI Salute to Excellence Award this year. The “Golden Hour,” of course, refers to the period of time after a person has been severely injured during which, if given medical care, he or she has the greatest chance of survival. Ragsdale received the award for his lifetime of dedication to air medical services, according to HAI. Ragsdale began in aviation, like many of his peers, in the U.S. Army, where he served in Vietnam, first flying General William McCaffrey, deputy commander of the U.S. forces there, and later serving with a helicopter anti-tank platoon. After returning stateside, he completed aviation maintenance officer school and served in this capacity until deciding to try the civilian world in 1977. While still in the Army, Ragsdale had his first experience with air medical operations, he told AIN. In 1974,
he and another pilot flew an IFR rescue mission in a Bell UH1-H, carrying an Army medic and a nurse to transport three patients to a hospital in Louisville, Ky. “It stuck with me as a cool thing to do, using the skills I had to help save peoples’ lives,” he said. After leaving the Army, Ragsdale flew power line and oil and gas operations, and for a while pursued a fixed-wing career. He got his first air medical job when Omniflight hired him in 1987, where he eventually became director and subsequently vice president of operations in 1990. He later moved to Rocky Mountain Helicopters as director of LifeNet Services, an experiment in EMS provisioning that came to be known as the “community-based model.” Ragsdale joined PHI in 1995 and served as the director of PHI Air Medical Group, before rejoining his former LifeNet Services colleagues at Air Methods in 2009, after Air Methods had acquired Rocky Mountain. “I’ve had the privilege of working with many fine people,” Ragsdale said, “including four of the key figures in the air medical industry: Dan Parker, founder of Omniflight, Russ Spray, former CEO at Rocky Mountain Helicopters [now president and CEO,
Archie Gray Receives Bell Lifetime Achievement Award
“I tell them no one will ever question their decision to take an aircraft out of service because they believe it is not safe for service. I tell them not to worry if I ask a lot of questions about it,” he told AIN. “I will ask you a million questions, because I want to know what the problem is and how it can be fixed. But I’ll never question your authority to make the decision.” What about the new-hire classes he can’t talk with due to other obligations? “They learn my philosophy from the culture,” he said. “Their coworkers tell them.” Gray credits the daily call with increasing the availability of Air Methods’s air medical operations by “a little over two percentage points, from [an already high] 95 percent to consistently over 97 percent, sometimes even 98 percent,” he said. He refers to the call simply as “the 8:30 call.” But if you ask other people at Air Methods what they call it, “they’ll tell you it’s the ‘Archie Call,’” he said with a hint of pride in his voice.
In his position as senior vice president of aviation services of Englewood, Colo.-based Air Methods, a job that covers flight operations, technical services and training, Archie Gray is responsible for managing about half of the company’s approximately 4,000 employees. To help him and the vice presidents and directors who report to him keep track of some 450 aircraft at 290 bases in 11 regions, several years ago he implemented a mandatory morning teleconference every weekday. The meeting’s focus is on air medical bases served by Air Methods that are down for any reason, such as out-of-service aircraft or lack of a full-crew complement, including medical crewmembers. When a base is down, critical air medical services could be effectively unavailable in some parts of the country. The teleconference is a simple concept that works hand-in-glove with another Air Methods principle, which Gray explains to every new-hire class of employees that he is able to meet.
Impressive Endorsements Gray’s honest, hands-on, get’er-done management philosophy undoubtedly influenced his nomination and selection for the 2014 Bell Helicopter Lifetime Achievement Award.
Howard Ragsdale, senior v-p of business development for Air Methods, will be honored with the Airbus Helicopters Golden Hour Award for his lifetime dedication to air medical services.
Turbomeca USA], Al Gonsoulin [chairman and] CEO at PHI and Len Morgan, founder of Air Methods.”
Lessons Learned Ragsdale recalled the early days of the air medical industry. “We were trying to learn from our mistakes, mainly accidents. This led to better training and safety programs, which I experienced at Omniflight. At Rocky Mountain, we started hiring nurses and paramedics as part of LifeNet, which brought in a different blend of employees who required different training. I appreciated my time at PHI, because of the lessons learned from the Gulf [of Mexico] oil and gas operations, which could be carried over to air medical operations.” In 2008, however, “Our industry saw a shocking increase in accidents and this left few operators unscathed,” Ragsdale said. “Because
In his endorsement of Gray’s nomination for the award, Aaron Todd, CEO of Air Methods, wrote, “Archie’s leadership and management style embrace accountability with fairness and equity. He is always available to teach and mentor those around him. Despite 40 years of service, his enthusiasm for his work is always present and is contagious to all who associate with him.” Todd also stated, “Archie has been a pioneer in bridging the performance gap that can often exist between manufacturers and operators. He has educated both manufacturers and operators alike in what quality service can be.” Indeed, John Garrison, CEO of Bell Helicopter; Marc Paganini, president and CEO of Airbus Helicopters (in the U.S.); and Maria Della Posta, senior v-p of sales and marketing for Pratt & Whitney Canada, also endorsed Gray’s nomination. Garrison wrote, “I know Archie’s emphasis on safety, quality and service has improved every OEM in our industry. They say a rising tide lifts all ships, and I cannot think of many individuals who embody this statement better than Archie. He is a man of high values and integrity who makes our profession better each and every day.” Paganini wrote, “Having begun his career as an airframe and powerplant
44 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
of this, we had a meeting at AMTC [the Air Medical Transport Conference] that year to revisit our commitment to safety, training and aviation issues.” This resulted in formalizing the Air Medical Operators Association (AMOA) in 2009. “I was fortunate to be the first president of that association until 2012. In addition, I became a board member on the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems [CAMTS].” After resigning from the board last year, he was asked to form an aviation safety advisory committee to the CAMTS, which he said is in progress. “Each stage of my career has been supported by the lessons I’ve learned from each of the operators I worked for,” Ragsdale concluded. “I wake up every day in a good mood, because of the industry I’ve chosen.” Now 64, he plans to keep working o for a few more years.
Great American Safety Drive Come May 31, Howard Ragsdale, his wife and others plan to embark on a two-week, 2,453-mile road trip from Santa Monica, Calif., to Hilton Head, S.C., on an expedition called the Great American Safety Drive. “The trip, which has been planned by Rod Crane, CEO of Medflight in Ohio, and me, is a demonstration of our and our industry’s commitment to safety for our crews and the patients we serve,” said Ragsdale. “In each state we drive through we plan to hold a half-day safety event, to which we’ll be inviting local air medical programs and their EMS counterparts.” The Safety Drive also has the goal of raising $100,000 in support of safety research and the Survivor’s Network for air and surface medical transport (www.survivors-network.org). The safety events will take place at or near locations managed or operated by airmed operators Calstar, PHI, Metro Aviation, MedTrans and Air Methods. FlightSafety International, CAMTS and AMOA are also supporting the project. To join the caravan or participate in an event, go to www.tcmtr. org/GreatAmericanSafetyDrive.
Archie Gray, Air Methods senior vice president of aviation services, will be honored at HAI’s Salute to Excellence Awards with Bell’s Lifetime Achievement Award.
technician and grown into management roles, Archie has a healthy, fromthe-bottom-up view of helicopter operations and has been instrumental in the successful management and growth for both PHI and Air Methods. He has helped Eurocopter design and produce more efficient helicopters with his constant involvement in aircraft development.” “What can we say about the many mottos synonymous with Archie?” wrote Della Posta. “Expressions like ‘keep it flying’ or ‘be ingenious in what you do to make it happen.’ While these familiar words may echo through the hallways of Air Methods, know that they have made their way into our psyche as well, helping us to keep focus on what brings true
value to our customers.” Gray told AIN he had planned to go to law school after finishing college but changed his mind after completing his studies at Pensacola Jr. College, when he had an opportunity to attend Mid-Continent School of Aeronautical Science in Kansas City. After obtaining his A&P mechanic certificate from Mid-Continent, he got his first job in aviation with PHI in Lafayette, La., in 1974. In July 2002 he moved to Englewood, Colo., to work for Air Methods. Gray shares the HAI award stagewith Howard Ragsdale, Air Methods senior v-p of business development, who is receiving the Airbus Helicopters Golden Hour Award. –R.R.P.
PHOTOS: MARIANO ROSALES
NTSB shares its ‘lessons learned’ by Mark Huber National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) vice chairman Christopher Hart and a panel of industry and government experts shared “lessons learned from helicopter accidents” at a wide-ranging panel discussion at Heli-Expo yesterday. Topics discussed included maintenance, simulation and training and the advantages onboard video and data recorders provide in accident investigations. “There are some bad [accident] numbers here,” Hart said. “They include [since 2004], 102 air medical flights, 54 air tours and 360 instructional flights. That’s why we’ve put helicopter safety on our ‘most wanted’ list and have issued more than 100 recommendations during that time that are helicopter-specific. That’s what we do. And we are happy to say our
recommendations have resulted in a lot of improvements, including addition to the tour operators safety program and better inspection procedures being instituted by the manufacturers.” Hart said improved safety requires the cooperation of all stakeholders. He also called for better human factors training for maintenance professionals, improved scenario-based training for pilots and an expanded use of flight and image recorders. Don Lambert, senior director of technical safety for Air Methods, identified a “dirty dozen” causes of maintenance deficiencies: distraction, pressure, complacency, lack of communication, lack of knowledge, stress, lack of teamwork, fatigue, lack of assertiveness, norms, lack of awareness, and lack of resources. “Distractions
Erickson Air-Crane becomes Erickson Inc. by Curt Epstein Long known as the world’s lone operator of the heavy-lift S-64 Aircrane, Erickson AirCrane announced yesterday that it has rebranded as Erickson Incorporated, reflecting the company’s recent acquisitions and newly diversified portfolio. Over the past year, the Oregon-based company purchased fleet operators Evergreen Helicopters and Air Amazonia, which will serve as the basis for three new operating divisions within its new corporate structure: Erickson Helicopters (formerly Evergreen Helicopters), Erickson Transport (formerly Evergreen Helicopters of Alaska) and Air Amazonia (to be rebranded over the coming months), which will join Erickson Air-Crane, Canadian AirCrane, European Air-Crane and Malaysian Air-Crane within the company. “What will be different about these units is most of them will fly a mix of aircraft,” said company president and CEO Udo Rieder, noting the end of the days when the company was defined solely by the Aircrane. Over the past year, Erickson has gone from operating 20 S-64s to more than 90 rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft of varying types. “We are obviously very competitive and we found that we were giving away a
lot of the markets to smaller aircraft, to medium aircraft to light aircraft as well as to fixed-wing aircraft,” he added. When the opportunity to acquire the other operators came, the company took it, more than doubling its size and increasing its revenues from $200 million to $400 million. “We’re substantially more diversified than we’ve ever been,” Rieder noted, adding that the company was aware that many of its Aircrane customers also required other lift services. “We were just never able to bid on those because we were never in that market. Now we are in that market, and we are in that market in a very big way.” Diversified Portfolio
Before the acquisitions, more than 50 percent of the company’s revenues came solely from firefighting, yet in terms of the recently purchased Evergreen, approximately 95 percent of its revenue came from Department of Defense (DoD) work, while 100 percent of Air Amazonia’s revenue came from oil and gas work. Looking forward Rieder pictures a revenue stream diversified across the market, with approximately 30 percent from DoD business, approximately 25 percent each for firefighting and
are very dangerous,” he said. “They will kill you.” Lambert also decried the time-honored practice of “finger-tighting” parts during maintenance. “It’s amazing how many problems we’ve had due to finger-tighting over the years. Get out of that practice.” Scott Tish, the chief pilot for Air Methods, counseled attendees on how to economically justify simulator training to their superiors and made an impassioned plea for improved rotorcraft simulation technology. “We’ve been the red-headed stepchild for too long,” Tish said, noting that, until recently, most simulator manufacturers focused on the needs of their Part 121 airline customers. Tish invited his audience to visit major simulator manufacturers on the Heli-Expo convention floor and ask them, oil and gas and construction and logging activities accounting for the remainder. Since its initial public offering in April of 2012 at $8 a share, Erickson’s stock value has increased to $21 a share. The company also intends to leverage its maintenance, repair and overhaul experience gained with the ’60s-era S-64. Based on its recent fleet additions, Erickson is now also the world’s largest operator of the Bell 214ST. “There’s no reason at all that we shouldn’t also be the largest provider of third-party maintenance for Bell 214STs,” Rieder said, noting there are several other platforms on which the company could offer services as well, in partnership with the original OEMs. Despite the changes, the Aircrane, which can lift 25,000pound payloads, remains a core part of the company’s current and future plans. Last year, it acquired the type certificate from Pratt & Whitney Canada for the JFTD12 engines that power the helicopter. Erickson has built 33 Aircranes and still has four airframes in reserve, but when combined with the 1992 acquisition of the aircraft type certificate from Sikorsky, it now has full authority to build from scratch when necessary. A new composite main rotor blade system is under development in a partnership with Canada’s Helicopter Transport Services, which is expected to offer a 10- to 15-percent increase in lift capability, reduce fuel burn and provide savings in maintenance and inspection costs. o
Terry Palmer, director of training, Metro Aviation
“Where is our stuff?” Tish said that for the advanced training his company pilots require, “only Level D” full-motion simulators are sufficient for realistic practice of maneuvers such as full autorotations to the ground. Terry Palmer, training center director for Metro Aviation, pointed out that end users need to step up to the plate and increase their demand for simulator services if they expect training centers and simulator manufacturers to better serve their needs. Palmer noted that the 25 turbine helicopter simulators and 15 flight training devices based in the U.S. are far from busy all the time. She said scenario-based training in simulators is critical to teach and preserve “perishable skills needed to keep people safe.”
Scott Tish, chief pilot, Air Methods
NTSB investigator Aaron Sauer showed how flight data and imagery recorders aided the Board in re-creating accident flights, using the 2013 fatal accident of an Alaska State Police AS350B2 as an example. That aircraft was equipped with an Appareo Systems Vision 1000 flight data and image recorder that was successfully downloaded after the accident. Based on recorder data from that crash, the NTSB was able to re-create the flight path and flight data from the aircraft into a simulation model. It shows the accident aircraft, flying at night in snow and low-visibility conditions, engaged in an erratic flight path, with multiple heading, altitude and speed changes and subject to wild pitch oscillations including tail slides, before crashing inverted and burning. o
van horn now focusing on Bell 206 blades Composite rotor blade manufacturer Van Horn Aviation (VHA; Booth No. 7129) of Tempe, Ariz., is showcasing the company’s Bell 206 main rotor blade project. This program is aimed at creating a replacement for the metal blades in legacy 206 models, starting with the 206B3 JetRanger. The JetRanger that will serve as the program’s test bed is on display at the company’s booth. “Our goal is to have the 206B3 blade certified by the end of this year,” VHA president James Van Horn told AIN. VHA had been developing the 206 blade as a follow-on product to a replacement blade for the MD Helicopters MD500E, but shifted priorities after MD Helicopters reclaimed its 500E on loan to VHA late last year. “Lynn [Tilton, MD Helicopters chairman and CEO] felt they had a better use for the aircraft,” Van Horn said. “We’ve gone our separate ways and there will be no future collaboration with MD Helicopters.” Van Horn said the 206 program has “capitalized on the work done on the 500. We feel this blade will be certifiable in its first incarnation, based on data, not on hope.” The 206 blade will use the same airfoil VHA developed for the MD500. Whereas the 206’s metal blades have a 5,000-hour useful life, VHA’s composite replacements will last twice as long, Van Horn said. Price hasn’t been determined “but the goal is a 40-percent reduction in lifecycle costs. Our focus is on making reasonably priced blades,” said Van Horn. “We can’t do it as efficiently or elegantly as the OEMs. We’re accepting a reduced level of sophistication to make it affordable and structurally very sound and robust.” VHA still plans to complete development of MD500 replacement rotor blades, Van Horn said, and will acquire an MD500 this summer for that purpose. According to Van Horn, VHA initially chose the MD500 as the launch platform for its composite rotor blades “because it’s the greatest challenge,” he said. “The 500 is a unique helicopter. There isn’t another in its weight class that’s not hydraulically boosted,” and the control system “was tuned specifically to accommodate these metallic, symmetric metal blades.” A laminar flow composite blade that could be flown without such boosting would simplify adaptation to a hydraulic system, according to Van Horn. Plans call for certification of the composite blade for the MD500E in the second quarter of 2015, with a target price of $25,000 for each of the helicopter’s five blades. –J.W.
www.ainonline.com • February 25, 2014 • HAI Convention News 45
SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE AWARDS
Pilot of the Year Award: Chuck Aaron by R. Randall Padfield It’s a chicken-and-egg sort of question: did helicopter pilot Chuck Aaron make Red Bull’s aerobatic MBB Bo105 famous or did Red Bull make Chuck Aaron famous for his helicopter aerobatics? The short answer is “yes.” The longer answer must include Aaron’s lifelong interest in flying, more than 20,000 accident-free flight hours (about 18,500 in some 33 helicopter models), his perseverance and attention to detail, the imagination and marketing prowess of the founder of a successful energy drink company, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and now the bestowal of HAI’s 2014 Pilot of the Year Award. Aaron received the Art Scholl Award in 2009, was accepted as a full member in the Society of Experimental Test Pilots in 2011 and was inducted into the Living Legends of Aviation in 2013. Aaron’s official title with Red Bull is chief pilot and, as an A&P mechanic, director of maintenance of Red Bull North America. His thang with Red Bull is flying loops, rolls, vertical climbs, split-S’s, Cuban Eights, Immelmans, a modified Lomcevak (called a “Chuckcevak”) and
Chuck Aaron
other aerobatic maneuvers in a Bo105 that he modified and received FAA approval to fly. He is, in fact, the only pilot in the U.S. approved to fly aerobatics in a helicopter. “I’ve had plenty of emergencies, but I’ve never been hurt and never bent an aircraft,” Aaron told AIN. He is also president of his own company, West Lake Village, Calif.-based FX Helicopters, which he founded in 1997. Regular Heli-Expo attendees may remember a Bell TAH1F Cobra that FX Helicopters exhibited at the event several times over the years. Dietrich Mateschitz, the Austrian entrepreneur and marketing specialist who helped transform a Thai energy drink called “Krating Daeng” into the similar beverage known as Red Bull and better suited to Western palates,
approached Aaron with the idea of flying aerobatics in helicopters to help promote the brand. “About eight years ago I had a Cobra helicopter I had built from spare parts–I actually built three–and Red Bull wanted to buy one for its ‘Flying Bulls’ collection,” Aaron explained. “We agreed to the terms and I sold it. Dietrich was grateful to me for the fair price and my helping to support the aircraft. He asked if I’d like to do something for Red Bull–could I do aerobatics in a helicopter? I said, ‘no,’ but after thinking about it, I thought maybe we could do it in a Bo105, if we modified it.” Mateschitz, who is also dual-rated in airplanes and helicopters, told Aaron to do it; Red Bull would pay for everything. It took Aaron a year and a half to find a suitable Bo105, modify it and get it approved for aerobatic flight by the FAA. He received his FAA aerobatic approval in 2006 and the shows began. Red Bull now
has a second Bo105, which is based together with more than 30 other Flying Bulls aircraft at Hangar 7 on Salzburg Airport, Austria.
The Aerobatic Red Bull Bo105 The MBB Bo105, with its hingeless, rigid articulating rotor, titanium rotor head, composite rotor blades and “full controllability even at negative-g maneuvers” (according to its technical description), has built-in aerobatic capability. Some test and military pilots have flown limited aerobatics in the model. According to a blog in the Flying Bulls section of the Hangar 7 website (http://www.hangar-7.com/en/ the-flying-bulls/bo105-cb/), Siegfried “Blacky” Schwarz learned about a former German Air Force pilot who teaches students how to loop the helicopter. “After some research, we–that is Hannes Arch, Chuck Aaron and I– invited this ex-officer, Rainer Wilke, to Los Angeles,” Schwarz writes. “We
Chuck Aaron flying a loop in the modified Red Bull MBB Bo105 in Atlantic City, N.J.
were not completely open-minded, I must admit, because we had prepared a really long checklist of questions to ask. We were, however, to be surprised. [Wilke] explained maneuvers to us, which until then we had believed to be impossible.” Wilke later became Scharwz’s and Aaron’s aerobatic instructor. Scharwz and Wilke now fly aerobatics in the only other Red Bull Bo105, the one based in Salzburg. “They’re actually better than me,” Aaron said. He also credits Kevin Bredenbeck, chief test pilot of Sikorsky, and Rich Lee, Boeing chief pilot assigned to the Apache, for their advice about aerobatics in helicopters. While the details of the modifications to the Bo105 are proprietary, Aaron said the two main changes involved “beefing up the rotating components to make them stronger” and moving the center of gravity forward, by adding weight to the nose. “We did this so that the nose
46 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
will normally want to come down, if anything goes wrong, when I’m flying upside down,” he said. When flying aerobatics, Aaron said he focuses on “a combination of visual and seat-of-the-pants cues. My visual cues are looking outside and at the instrument panel–airspeed, altitude, g-meter and torque meter.” The helicopter is approved for minus one g to plus 3.2 gs. “As it turned out, I don’t need that negative one g for the maneuvers I do,” he said. “I go to zero g often, but I never go to negative gs.”
Three Generations of Pilots Aaron has been flying 20 to 25 airshows a year, all on weekends from March to November. This year at his request Red Bull reduced the shows to 14. “I’m very grateful for this,” he said. “We fly the aircraft everywhere we go. So, now usually my son [Charles] ferries the aircraft to the show site, and I fly in commercially to do the show.” (Charles Aaron, a U.S. Air Force veteran, is a commercial helicopter pilot and instructor.) Chuck Aaron also does other work for Red Bull, including giving aerobatic demonstration rides to celebrities and others, including Harrison Ford, Tom Cruise, golfer Camilo Villegas and HAI president Matt Zuccaro. “My father has been my mentor and hero and is an awesome pilot,” said Chuck Aaron. “I’m just trying to catch up with him. He started off as a barnstormer in 1937 in West Texas. When Canada entered World War II in 1939, he went there, was made a flight instructor and first lieutenant in the RCAF. After Pearl Harbor, he flew back to Michigan, got a presidential commission in the Army Air Corps and was made a captain. He flew heavy iron the whole time and retired as a full colonel after 30 years.” Now 96, the elder Aaron lives in Orlando, Fla. In 1980, Aaron worked with NASA to develop the space shuttle air rescue program. “I worked for a year and it just didn’t work for me. I’m a mover-and-shaker type of guy. I just want to get things done. They gave me a UH-1B Huey, which was supposed to take care of up to six astronauts from liftoff at ground zero to 150 nautical miles offshore. Right from the first day it was a fight to get rid of the Huey and get a Sikorsky that could carry six people. That never happened and I just left.” During his lifetime of flying helicopters, Aaron has done stunt flying for movies and television, flown traffic helicopters and crop dusting and towed banners over beaches.
The Final, Must-ask Question “Do you drink Red Bull?” “Of course,” Aaron answered without hesitation. “I like the new blackberry flavor the best, but I like o all of them.”
Safe Flight improves its powerline detection tool
FAA releases final helicopter rule The FAA has released its long-awaited omnibus helicopter rule governing emergency medical services (EMS), Part 135 and Part 91 procedures, operations, training and testing and required equipment. The agency estimates that the new rule is expected to cost operators $311 million to implement over the next decade. It closely mirrors the FAA’s notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) released in 2010. While most of the rule concerns itself with helicopter EMS, it does contain changes applicable to all Part 135 and Part 91 helicopter operations.
Safe Flight Instrument (Booth No. 2516) introduced its upgraded digital powerline detection system (DPDS) and provided an update about ongoing development of its icing conditions detector (ICD) at Heli-Expo 2014. The DPDS adds a digital signal processor to Safe Flight’s previous analog system, allowing the detection of both 60Hz and 50Hz frequencies produced by power lines around the world. Safe Flight director of government and military
sales Greg Hilewitz noted testing on an AS355 showed the DPDS detected a 22,000-volt line at more than one statute mile distant. “[Compared with] radar and database systems that have to be updated and are quite heavy and traditional cutter systems, our product is lightweight and low cost,” he added, following an “aggressive” price reduction this year to $12,313 for the DPDS. The DPDS provides a visual warning, as well as an audible alert
The addition of a digital signal processor to its previously analog system facilitates the detection of both 60Hz and 50Hz frequencies produced by power lines. Testing on an AS355 showed that the system can detect a 22,000-volt powerline at a distance of more than one mile.
Greg Hilewitz, Safe Flight director of government and military sales
that intensifies in frequency similar to a Geiger counter, as the helicopter closes on power lines. The system has been certified on a variety of helicopters. Hilewitz also announced that the company’s ICD recently completed a third round of wind tunnel testing at the National Research Centre in Ottawa, Canada. The lightweight and low-profile ICD uses independent moisture and temperature sensors to visually alert helicopter pilots to conditions conducive to airframe icing, a particular threat to rotorcraft, Hilewitz noted, as most helicopters are not rated for flight into known icing. “Even though you may not see ice accretion on the structure or windshield, the sensor will alert you to those conditions,” Hilewitz said. Safe Flight is currently seeking an OEM certification partner for the system and has not released possible pricing for the ICD. o
Bell SLS price pegged near $1 million
BARRY AMBROSE
by Mark Huber Bell Helicopter CEO John Garrison said that the price of the company’s new short light single (SLS) helicopter would be pegged near $1 million. Bell is expected to reveal a mock-up of its re-entry into the light single market at its Heli-Expo 2014 booth today at 11 a.m. Garrison said the market for the new helicopter is “incredibly price sensitive, right around that $1 million price point.” The main competition for the SLS, the Robinson R66, is priced at $839,000 for the base helicopter. Garrison said Bell plans to bring the SLS in at that target by using proven technologies including the transmission and rotor blade system from the in-production Bell 206L4, the Garmin G1000H avionics platform similar to the one currently flying in the Bell 407GX and the Turbomeca Arrius 2R engine. Garrison reiterated that he expects the first flight of both the
Bell Helicopter CEO John Garrison
SLS and Bell’s larger 525 Relentless medium twin by year-end and he indicated that both programs are on track. Garrison said Bell increased deliveries of its civil helicopters in 2013 by 12 percent, from 188 in 2012 to 213 in 2013, with a definite bias to the export market, noting that 64 percent of all commercial deliveries last year were exported,
MARIANO ROSALES
by Rob Finfrock
but more than 80 percent of new orders came from international customers. He said he expects to see the company’s commercial sales grow as global gross domestic product (GDP) increases. “There is almost a 1:1 ratio between GDP growth and the growth of new rotorcraft sales,” he said. On the military side, Garrison said that U.S. military purchases of the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor were beginning to decline according to plan, but that foreign military interest in the aircraft had increased following a recent order for six by the Government of Israel and inquiries from Japan. Garrison said Bell is confident that its third-generation tiltrotor, the V-280 Valor, currently scheduled for first flight in 2017, would best meet the needs of a downsized U.S. Army that would need speed and range to project troop insertion and conduct speedy evacuations. o
For HEMS the new rule: • requires all flights to be conducted under Part 135 when medical personnel, not just the patient, are aboard and requires safety briefings or training for HEMS personnel; • requires all EMS helicopters to be equipped with helicopter terrain awareness and warning systems (HTAWS) and flight data monitoring systems. The FAA rejected industry requests to allow NVGs and NVIS (night vision) equipment as an alternate means of compliance (AMOC) to the HTAWS requirement. “We’ve been requesting for years that the FAA include night-vision goggles in the rules, but they didn’t do that. What’s better for HEMS than night vision?” said HAI president Matt Zuccaro, pointing out that 90 percent of the HEMS industry, voluntarily, is already NVG equipped; • requires an operations control center (OCC) for HEMS certificate holders with 10 or more helicopters and imposes drug and alcohol testing on OC specialists, rejecting industry complaints that this was overly burdensome; •m andates FAA-approved pre-flight risk analysis be incorporated into the operations manual and requires pilots to identify and document the highest obstacle along the planned route of flight; • establishes more stringent visual flight rules (VFR) weather minimums in uncontrolled airspace depending on terrain, operations in local areas and use of NVGs; ceilings of 800 to 1,000 feet during the day with two to three miles visibility and for night ceilings of 1,000 to 1,500 feet and visibility of three to five miles; •a llows IFR operations at airports without weather reporting; • establishes procedures for transitioning between IFR and VFR on VFR approach to, and departure from, heliports or landing areas; • requires pilots in command to hold an instrument rating.
For all Part 135 helicopter operations: • mandates the installation or radio altimeters unless there is inadequate room to do so on the flight deck; HTAWS and multifunction displays (MFDs) that incorporate radio altimeters would be permitted; • requires helicopters to be equipped with a 406-MHz ELT and occupants to wear life preservers on helicopter flights during the phases they are operated beyond autorotational distance from shoreline; • requires pilots to demonstrate recovery from an inadvertent instrument meteorological condition (IIMC) encounter on an annual basis and to understand procedures for aircraft handling in flat-light, whiteout and brownout conditions; • imposes more stringent IFR alternate airport weather requirement for rotorcraft based on minimums established in Operations Specification (OpSpec) H105.
For Part 91 helicopter operations: • revises Part 91 minimum VFR visibility standards in Class G airspace to one-half statute mile by day and one mile by night; clear of clouds if operating within one-half mile of a helipad or airport when landing.
www.ainonline.com • February 25, 2014 • HAI Convention News 47
Rotor Leasing doesn’t lease, but it can get you Gazelle by Amy Laboda “Our research and acquisition partners are Regaviation in Europe and Africa, UKRTransaero in Ukraine and Eastern Europe and Freight International Transport in South and Central America,” said Storey, who we found polishing his personal ship in the busy exhibit hall at Heli-Expo 2014. The company brought two Gazelles, one still in its military olive drab that could be had for around $300,000. Storey’s personal ship sported a ceramic exhaust on
MARIANO ROSALES
Keith Storey, CFO for Colorado and Nevada-based Rotor Leasing (Static 1 and 3), will be the first one to tell you that the name of the company is a little bit of a misnomer. In fact, the company does not lease helicopters at all today. Instead, the company, with its own facilities, including a helipad at 7,300 feet agl (66CO), researches, imports and restores French, British and Irish SA341 Gazelles and SA365 Dauphin helicopters in the U.S.
the Turbomeca Astazou IIIc engine, as well as full leather interior and Garmin glass in the updated instrument panel. It burns 32 gph of jet-A, but, according to Storey, “it costs half what an R66 costs, and I think it’s twice the helo!” Both ships operate under U.S. experimental airworthiness certificates, as do all the helicopters restored by Rotor Leasing. The company works with the FAA’s Denver Flight Standards District Office to facilitate the specific operations specifications for each helicopter, some of which are legally capable of aerobatic flight. “It took us 17 months to get the first helicopter out of France, but our partner Regaviation has smoothed that process considerably,” said Storey. The company holds a U.S. DoD license to import implements of war, which is critical to the business. Once the helicopters clear into the U.S. they undergo an extensive 12-year major airframe inspection as well as a T-1 (1,000 hour) engine inspection, and, if necessary, de-mothball processing. All military wiring, hardpoints and communications gear is removed, reducing the weight of the aircraft (and increasing its useful load) by as much as 200 pounds. All manuals are translated into English and all testing and certification for an experimental airworthiness certificate are accomplished on site at the Colorado facility. As far as the customization? “That can run upwards of $450,000, including the helicopter itself,” said Storey. And that’s for a Gazelle. The larger Dauphins are priced commensurately. o
Starlite, star bright Arriving at the Anaheim Convention Center on Saturday, this Airbus Helicopters AS332C1e owned by Starlite Aviation Group will soon deploy to Kosovo on a EULEX n utility and medevac contract. Starlite has offices in South Africa and Ireland.
Milestone’s success begets more success uContinued from page 1
Airbus Helicopters uContinued from page 1
Hal. Additional details will follow in Wednesday’s edition of HAI Convention News. Airbus Helicopters, exhibiting here under the former Eurocopter’s new name, will also announce the EC225e upgrade to the EC225 Super Puma. The company’s recently certified EC175 is on display in the Anaheim Convention Center, as is the EC145T2, which will be certified later this year. The company’s display also includes an AS332C1e, making its show debut at Heli-Expo, an EC135T2 in lawenforcement configuration and an EC130T2 with glass cockpit. Two EC175s were sold to CHI Aviation, which will use the helicopters for search and rescue and passenger transport in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. The helicopters will be delivered in 2017 and represent the first Airbus Helicopters purchases by CHI.
Tour operator Maverick Helicopters is adding the EC130T2 to its fleet, as part of a 50-helicopter order signed in 2012. So far, the company has put five EC130T2s into service and another eight are scheduled to be delivered during this year. Maverick operates 34 EC130B4s. Med-Trans, a Dallas-based EMS operator with helicopters flying throughout the U.S., took delivery of a new EC135 on Monday, the company’s 14th of a 16-aircraft order. “We selected the EC135 for the aircraft’s dependability and resourcefulness,” said Med-Trans COO Rob Hamilton. “This particular aircraft provides an adaptable platform that meets the needs of our ever-expanding customer base.” Another EMS provider, Boston MedFlight, will place its second EC145 into service in May, after the completion is finished by Metro Aviation. This EC145 joins another that entered service in August 2013, and the fleet also includes a BK117; all three helicopters are operated by ERA Helicopters. o
48 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
they have taken the time to learn more about the industry, banks are further encouraged to work directly with operators [to secure financing.]” Dranitzke also noted Milestone’s ability to build a relatively large and diverse order portfolio–representing operators from the oil industry, EMS, law enforcement, and many other segments–has further encouraged investment in the rotorcraft segment. Most of Milestone’s 26 operating partners have signed multiple contracts with the company. “From the beginning, Milestone set out to support any company that relies on working helicopters,” he said. “Whether we’re talking about EMS, search and rescue, pipeline surveillance, these are all great businesses in and of their own right, and Milestone is happy to support them any way we can. Banks often won’t do a deal for a single helicopter, but a large order shows strength,” Dranitzke concluded. “We’ve been successful thanks to the confidence of our financiers and partners.” –R.F.
“Why Not Land and Live?” u Continued from page 1 got to change,” he continued. “We are trying to remove the pilot’s decision making from what is going on in the back of the helicopter because it should not affect the decisions that the pilot makes regarding the safety of the flight. If the pilot makes the safe aeronautical decision, everyone lives. That’s the real world. Do you want to risk the lives of all on board for the patient? A bad decision can be the beginning of the accident,” he exclaimed. Add Precautionary Landings to Toolkit
The Land & Live program officially launched at Heli-Expo 2014 is designed to educate pilots, dispatchers, flight department administrators and company executives about the essentially benign procedure, especially among helicopters, of the precautionary landing. “There is a perception that the FAA is going to look hard at all precautionary landings, but that stigma is just untrue. If the landing is done properly there is absolutely no problem,” admonished Zuccaro, who then paraded FAA and NTSB representatives onto the stage at Heli-Expo to back him up. “Our member companies who know about this project support it. They absolutely want to stop the accident chain, requesting training materials that we are developing; even requesting decals to put on the instrument panel of their fleet that say ‘land & live’ to remind pilots,” he said. Both IHST and USHST have produced supporting bulletins for the program. The gist of the program is simple, and therein lies its power. Unanticipated IMC for which you are not equipped? Land. Low-fuel light on? Land. Potential mechanical problem crops up that could lead to disaster? Land now and troubleshoot the problem on the ground. “Don’t worry about law enforcement coming to check you out. They are onboard and just want to know that everyone is alright,” said Zuccaro. Components of the program include an explanatory set of web pages (LandAndLive. rotor.org), aimed at pilots, operators and first responders. It includes analyses of six accidents and information on picking a suitable landing spot. The site includes suggested language for ops manuals, as well as a pilot’s rights and responsibilities regarding safety of flight. Other program projects include a roadshow seminar by HAI director of safety Stan Rose. Future projects may include an online safety seminar and seminar-in-a-box, as well as a safety-reporting service designed specifically to identify decision making that leads to precautionary landings, in particular ones that save lives. “We are going to develop a column in Rotor magazine in the line of ‘I learned about flying from that,’” said Zuccaro. You can learn about Land & Live today during a Rotor Safety Challenge session in Ballroom C, at 3 p.m. Be ready to “take the pledge” to make precautionary landings part of your safety tool kit. Zuccaro is on a mission, and he’ll convince you to join him. –.A.L.
Gill Battery sees long life in lead-acid by Harry Weisberger Gill Battery, the oldest and one of the few remaining aircraft lead-acid battery manufacturers, is at Heli-Expo with the news that it has no intention of terminating the manufacture and support of lead-acid, dry-charge aircraft batteries, a technology it has been refining since 1920. In that year Lawrence Gill founded Gill Electric Company in San Bernardino, Calif. Today, the company continues to consider those batteries an essential element of its product line, said Gill vice president and general manager Mike Shaw. Teledyne Industries acquired Gill Battery in 1966 and later moved the company to its present location across the Santa Ana River in Redlands, Calif. “There are concerns by some people in the industry that we will get out of the flooded drycharged aircraft battery business,” Shaw remarked. “We will not! This is a proven technology that has been around for a long time. Its many benefits include long service life and virtually unlimited shelf life. We have invested significant capital in the past 10 years for process improvement to continue serving this important market.” Gill Battery products are installed worldwide on piston and turbine-powered aircraft in market segments as diverse as light airplanes, helicopters, business turboprops and jets and commercial and military aircraft. Gill is the OEM battery provider for
numerous fixed-wing airplanes valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) and rotorcraft. LT7000 battery series in 2006, and At Booth No. 5723 Gill is fea- these batteries offer reduced weight, turing the advantages of its lat- better power performance, superior est lead-acid aircraft batteries, the shelf life and shorter recovery time robinson_revolution_lens_flare_ad_ain_mag.pdf 1 1/15/2014 10:04:34brands, AM LT7000 series. Gill introduced the compared to other Shaw
said. “Our battery can sit in a discharged condition for at least two years without degradation. Conventional VRLA batteries start to degrade almost immediately when in a discharged state. They have a shelf life of about 90 days before needing recharge.” He said that the Gill LT7000 series carries a longer warranty than competitive drycharge VRLA batteries.
Gill batteries support aircraft as varied as the first B-52 bombers and the Rutan Voyager, which Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager flew around the world nonstop in 1986. In fact, he said, Dick Rutan has credited Voyager’s two Gill batteries with helping to make a restart possible during the flight after an inflight engine shutdown. o
In 1979, Robinson revolutionized aviation with the R22, the world’s first personal helicopter. The revolution continues.
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NEWS NOTE The European Aviation Safety Agency issued the Airbus Helicopters EC175 medium twin’s type certificate on January 30. While that was taking place, an EC175 was busy undergoing coldweather testing at Yellowknife Airport in Canada’s Northwest Territories. An Antonov An-124 cargo airplane transported the helicopter to Yellowknife on January 24, and local operator Great Slave Helicopters provided logistical support during the cold-weather testing. The Airbus Helicopters team at Yellowknife included test pilot Olivier Gensse, two flight-test engineers, a prototype team and mechanics. The EC175’s coldsoak test campaign lasted about four weeks, and hot-weather and altitude trials are slated to begin later this year. The goal of these test campaigns is to expand the certified operating temperature envelope of the helicopter, according to an Airbus Helicopters spokesperson. n
To locate your Robinson dealer, visit www.robinsonheli.com or call 310-539-0508.
An engineering company
www.ainonline.com • February 25, 2014 • HAI Convention News 49
ical kits
Simulated Flights Offer Real Benefits While the safety and practical benefits of simulators are well known to the airline industry, they are still relatively new to civil helicopter pilots, instructors and operating companies. First, the student and instructor do not have to spend time flying to a particular place–for example, a hilly area, an offshore platform and so forth. With one click of a mouse at the instructor station, the helicopter and the crew find themselves teleported. While full-motion simulators and training devices, such as those built by CAE, FlightSafety International and Thales, lend themselves to these tasks, devices made by Heli-Expo exhibitors FlyIT Simulators (Booth No. 2433) and Frasca International (Booth No. 6811) can also be used for these types of training exercises. Some failures are never trained for in flight, like a double engine shutdown on an oil platform. In a simulator, such a failure can easily be practiced. And using real helicopters for training runs the risk of accidents, such as damage caused by a poorly conducted autorotation. –T.D.
Frasca offers training in a variety of simulators including the Sikorsky S-76.
Heli sims are key in training Continued from page 4
Medical Missions
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useful. The latter devices, albeit slightly less realistic, help pilots practice procedures and thoroughly learn the instruments and avionics, he said. Not all insurance companies, however, share the same approach to simulators. Sylvain Roulier, secretary general of insurance provider La Réunion Aérienne, said his firm offers no particular incentive. “We know of no study that would show better safety statistics for those pilots who have trained in simulators rather than real aircraft,” he said. A watershed event in the helicopter industry’s safety efforts was the creation of the international helicopter safety team (IHST) in 2005 and the in-depth studies it has published. Terry Eichman, director of Sikorsky’s Training Systems, was a member of the IHST when it was formed. “The IHST’s study was a wake-up call to the commercial helicopter industry that pilots needed more comprehensive training to learn how to operate their helicopters safely during challenging circumstances,” he said. He sees flight simulators as valuable training systems because pilots engage in realistic emergency situations. Verspieren’s Saintagne agrees. “The industry has become fully aware of how seriously safety should be tackled,” he said. The IHST has had a strong influence on helicopter training. The joint facility that SAF and Thales run in Albertville “follows recommendations by the IHST,” the latter company said. The authorities have pushed for the use of simulators, Helisim’s Bourreau added. Sikorsky’s Eichman predicted that small operators will adopt simulators to a greater degree. “Simulators for light helicopters are not full motion, so they are affordable, yet still effective,” he said. Helisim’s Bourreau agreed, citing the benefits of FNPTs, which cost less than full flight simulators. o
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SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE AWARDS RCAF CH-149 honored with Sikorsky Humanitarian Award
The Crew of Rescue 912 Captain Aaron Noble Aircraft commander Burnaby, British Columbia Captain Jonathon Groten First officer Kingston, Ontario Sergeant Bradley Hiscock Flight engineer Grand Falls, Newfoundland Chief Warrant Officer Jeffrey Warden SAR tech Toronto, Ontario Master Corporal Mark Vokey SAR tech Spaniards Bay, Newfoundland
by R. Randall Padfield A Sikorsky RH-4 made the first documented rescue by helicopter on Nov. 29, 1945, so it’s not surprising that Sikorsky Aircraft sponsors the HAI Humanitarian Award. This year’s award goes to the crew of a Royal Canadian Air Force search-and-rescue helicopter from 103 Squadron in Gander, New Foundland, for a successful rescue accomplished under extreme weather conditions on Feb. 9, 2013. The basic objective–find and recover three seabird hunters on a 16-foot aluminum boat floating in Indian Bay east of Gander–was itself relatively straightforward, but darkness and a fierce winter storm called “Nemo” made the mission particularly dicey, if not impossible. (The hunters were after a bird known as a “turr” in Newfoundland and Labrador and as a “murre” in the rest of North America.) In fact, several times during the most hazardous part of the mission, as visibility and winds caused the crew to quickly re-evaluate their options and next step, they gave serious consideration to abandoning the rescue, according to Captain Jonathon Groten, who was first officer (copilot) on the flight. “But just as we were about to abort the mission, the visibility would clear a little and become acceptable enough for us to continue,” he told AIN. “We made sure we maintained options all the time.”
With minimal references over the ice and open water, Noble fought to maintain a stable hover, while Hiscock and Vokey endured the full force of the storm and a wind chill of -8 degrees F. Vokey also received static electric shocks from the aircraft as Hiscock lowered him to the small boat. Once there, the rescueman triaged the three hunters and readied them for up-hoist. Warden assessed the men as they came aboard the helicopter.
Deer Lake or Gander?
The crew of Rescue 912, Jonathon Groten, Aaron Noble, Mark Vokey, Bradley Hiscock and Jeffrey Warden, rescued three seabird hunters from Indian Bay near Gander and for their extraordinary efforts in adverse conditions are being honored with Sikorsky’s Humanitarian Award.
Full Winter Blizzard Rescue 912, an AgustaWestland AW101/CH-149 Cormorant of the RCAF’s 103 Squadron, had departed Gander Airport IFR at 10:22 p.m., after waiting for ground crews to clear a path through drifting snow from the squadron’s hangar to the runway. Surface visibility was a half-mile, the ceiling at 200 feet and icing conditions prevailed in the clouds. The emergency call had been received exactly one hour before the takeoff. The hunters had tried to return to land, but their route became blocked by ice. Nemo had become a full winter blizzard with winds gusting to 40 knots. The hunters had endured 20 hours of exposure, and their chances of survival were diminishing quickly. Although the distance to the hunters’ reported position was only some 40 nm away, according to the coordinates received from Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, the actual and forecast weather necessitated an alternate for Gander. The only one available was Deer Lake Airport, which was more than 140 nm due west of the hunters’ location. The distance
from Deer Lake to Gander is about 110 nm. Captain Aaron Noble, aircraft commander, and Groten decided to add fuel to the CH-149 to give them enough endurance for 45 minutes on scene for the rescue and a potential diversion to Deer Lake while remaining within the weight limit for a hovering pickup. Typical endurance of the CH-149 is four hours, Groten said, and it can be extended to five hours by removing some survival gear. Typical cruise speed is 130 knots. Due to headwinds, it took the three-engine helicopter (a derivative of the original EH101) 30 minutes to make the 40 nm flight to the hunters’ last reported position. Arriving on scene, the crew found the narrow inlet of Indian Bay in blizzard conditions, so the pilots decided to fly several miles farther east to make an automated, overwater descent to a 100-foot hover.
Night-vision Goggles In the hover, visibility varied from a quarter- to a half-mile in intermittent heavy snow squalls. The crew wore night-vision goggles. Although
snow degrades the effectiveness of the goggles, “This mission would have been absolutely impossible without them,” Groten said. The hunters were now about eight miles downwind of Rescue 912. With some 40 knots on its tail, the helicopter hovered forward at about five knots, while Groten checked the map, GPS and radar for the position of the inlet’s coastline and several small islands. The other crewmembers searched for the hunters’ boat and watched for obstacles from the side windows. Controlling the helicopter in a downwind hover with severe turbulence off the surrounding 300-foot hills was so difficult that Noble considered calling off the rescue. “The autopilot held a good hover, but it was having trouble holding position,” Groten explained. “Aaron tried to reduce our forward speed with aft cyclic, but could not slow down” the helicopter’s forward groundspeed. About two miles from the hunters’ position, Nobel decided to turn the helicopter 180 degrees to put the nose into the wind. This resulted in better
52 HAI Convention News • February 25, 2014 • www.ainonline.com
control of the hover, but now Sergeant Bradley Hiscock, flight engineer (standing in the rescue door), Master (now Chief) Warrant Officer Jeffrey Warden, SAR tech (looking out the left side window) and Master Corporal Mark Vokey, SAR tech, (looking out the back over the lowered rear ramp) were the only ones who could watch for obstacles and search for the hunters. Constant crew coordination was essential to the safety and success of the maneuver. Warden was the first to spot the hunters’ lights and the two red flares they had lit. But the additional maneuvering made fuel again a concern. Based on earlier calculations, the helicopter needed to depart now, if it were to make it to the Dear Lake weather alternate. A quick recalculation showed there was still some time to pick up the hunters, and if the crew exceeded that time, they figured they could land on the shoreline (which they could see) and shut down. “Our backup plan was to break out the survival gear and wait,” Groten said. At least, they would have the survivors on board.
When all were back in the cabin and secured, the pilots took off eastward into the wind, making a maximum-rate climb on instruments to clear the surrounding hills while using radar and the GPS map to monitor the terrain. After making a 180-degree turn, they flew west over the village of Centreville on the Southwest Arm of Indian Bay. “We could see the town’s lights below us,” said Groten. At a safe altitude of 4,000 feet and with just enough fuel to reach Deer Lake, the pilots had to decide between Gander and Deer Lake. Fortunately, Gander Centre reported a slight improvement in weather at Gander airport. With three hypothermic survivors needing medical attention as soon as possible, the pilots decided to fly straight to Gander. They flew the ILS to Runway 13, breaking out just above minimums, and landed. The three hunters were quickly transferred to an awaiting ambulance and taken to medical care. Total flight time was about 3.5 hours, according to Groten. In addition to being awarded the Sikorsky Humanitarian Award, the flight crew of Rescue 912 has also received the AgustaWestland Cormorant Trophy and the Prince Philip Helicopter Rescue Award from the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators (GAPAN). Said Jeremy Tracy, AgustaWestland’s head of region–Canada, “This is another outstanding rescue effort by dedicated Royal Canadian Air Force members who had the confidence to push themselves and their aircraft to the extreme to ensure that o lives were saved.”
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Work progressing on MD cockpit uContinued from page 8
Garmin GTN 650s or one GTN 650 and one GTN 750 touchscreen GPS/nav/com. These replace the Bendix/King KLN90B GPS and KX165 navcoms. An Archangel
attitude heading reference system (AHRS) will support the Universal PFDs. ADSB OUT capability will also be available, using Garmin’s GTX 33 transponder, which meets the DO-260B standard required for the 2020 mandate in the U.S. (and mandates elsewhere) when coupled with the GTN 650 or 750. ADS-B IN
B R A N D I N G + S T R AT E G Y
DESIGN
will be an option, with Garmin’s GDL 88 datalink. Pilots will have two ways to control the avionics: the panel will feature an electronic control-display unit (ECDU), which replaces multiple legacy controllers from the old system. This eliminates the need to clutter the PFD and multi-function display (MFD) with bezel soft keys and centralizes
M U LT I M E D I A
control of the system. A cursor control device (CCD) mounted on the collective gives pilots handsoff control of avionics. Pilots can use the cone-shaped CCD to move a mouse pointer on the displays then click the center of the cone when making a selection, all without removing hands from flight controls. With the optional threedisplay system, each pilot will be
PR/ WRITING
able to control their PFD and the center MFD using their collective CCD. “It’s important for the pilot keep his hand on the collective without having to move buttons and switches,” said Robert Randall, OEM sales manager for Universal Avionics. Compared to the old system, the new Universal Avionics flight deck should save a lot of weight, although no numbers are yet available. The old system included symbol generators that were mounted aft, with long harnesses to send data to the CRT displays, something that is unnecessary with LCDs. The MD Helicopters booth (No. 6922) features a demo version of the new Universal cockpit, and visitors can also view simulations of the system running on computers at the Universal Avionics booth (No. 4702). The two companies have not yet revealed a date when the system will be available, or pricing information. MD 902 buyers and operators “are very anxious to have this new capability,” said Nehls. “We’re very excited. This will be a game changer for the flight deck.” o New tug joins Helitowcart lineup Helitowcart is introducing its newest product this year, the V1060 Heli-Carrier, designed for towing helicopters equipped with wheeled undercarriage. The V1060 maneuvers a helicopter on the ground by lifting and carrying it by the nosewheel. The battery-powered hydraulically operated V1060, the latest in the Helitowcart V1000 HeliCarrier series, is a flexible unit that can perform tight-radius turns for precise helicopter positioning. Helicopter types that the V1060 works on include the Sikorsky S-92 and S-72; the AgustaWestland AW139 and AW109; the Bell 230/430 and 429WLG models; and the Airbus Helicopters EC155, EC175, AS330, AS332 and EC225. Helitowcart (Booth No. 4728), based in Quebec City, Canada, is developing a sister model to the V1060, which will enable moving helicopters on oil platform decks. The upcoming V1062 will be fitted with large pneumatic wheels to roll easily over decks that are covered with landing nets. The V1062 Heli-Carrier model will be available by June. Helitowcart is privately owned and specializes in manufacturing helicopter ground-handling equipment for both wheeled and skid-equipped helicopters. –H.W.
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