HAI
MARCH 2, 2016
Convention News
®
WEDNESDAY
AINONLINE.COM
LOUISVILLE
Orders flying in for R44 Cadet Robinson Helicopter began Helicopter R44 Cadet doesn’t taking orders for the new look much different from other two-seat R44 Cadet before R44s, but the new machine Heli-Expo 2016, and so far has has some interesting features logged “a number of orders,” that might make it a welcome according to company presi- addition to the company’s dent Kurt Robinson. Heli-Expo product line. There is, it turns out, a way visitors can see the new Cadet to tell a regular R44 Raven I or at the Robinson booth (3501). The introductory price for II from the Cadet; the new helithe new R44 model is $339,000 copter has been blessed with its with standard equipment and own distinctive paint scheme, $367,000 with floats. Buyers a simple but elegant curved must make a $40,000 deposit, swoosh behind the aft window but Robinson Helicopter isn’t that, along with the nomenclaassigning serial numbers or ture and registration number, is revealing delivery dates until the only embellishment on the the new helicopter receives FAA solid-color paint job. Another clue becomes evicertification. By comparison, the R22 retails for $278,000 and dent both from a distance and up-close. At first it looks like the R44 Raven I $379,000. At first glance, the Robinson Continued on page 29 u
MARIANO ROSALES
by Matt Thurber
SO MUCH TO SEE, SO LITTLE TIME With more than 750 exhibitors and some 55 helicopters on display spread over a million square feet, Heli-Expo attendees have a lot of ground to cover this week. The show floor was buzzing yesterday–the opening day–as show-goers explored the various helicopter models, products and services.
Robinson received a “number” of commitments for its new R44 Cadet training helicopter, after opening the order book before Heli-Expo.
Draft FAA policy could clog inlet barrier filter industry by Kerry Lynch
MARIANO ROSALES
A new policy proposal on engine inlet barrier filters (IBFs) is raising fears that the requirements could spell the end of future development of the filters. The FAA recently released the draft policy–PS-ASW-27-29-07– clarifying the requirements for approval of installation of IBFs. The FAA said the policy is necessary because “the increased usage of…IBF installations on rotorcraft requires guidance to ensure safe and standardized installations.”
That guidance, however, has prompted fears that approvals for new IBFs may become extremely difficult, if not impossible to obtain, or it may prevent operators from using the filters. “If allowed to proceed, the proposal would significantly restrict and may likely prohibit any future IBF development programs and would significantly impact the benefits of these engine protection devices,” IBF manufacturer Aerometals stated.
Continued on page 29 u
Regulations
Operators
OEMs
Avionics
Outlook
FAA Tackles Part 27 Rewrite
Bristow Takes Optimistic Long View
Bell Chief Focuses on Innovation
Glass Panel for MD 902 in Testing
Honeywell Lowers Helo Forecast
The agency’s reorganized rotorcraft division in Fort Worth is now working with the industry on the Part 27 rewrite and helicopter crashworthiness issues. page 6
The oil-and-gas operator is deferring deliveries of new helicopters due to the effects of low oil prices on the segment, but it is upbeat about long-term prospects. page 10
Company president and CEO Mitch Snyder is emphasizing leaps in technology for new products, processes and services. He hints of more new models beyond the Bell 505, 525 and V-280 Valor. page 20
Universal Avionics InSight integrated avionics for the MD 902 began flight tests two weeks ago. The system is the company’s first developed specifically for the helicopter market. page 22
Due to world economic conditions and the volatile oil-and-gas industry, company downgraded its five-year helicopter forecast to 2,400 to 2,800 units, 400 less than last year’s outlook. page 30
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Turbomeca powers ahead with new engines by Thierry Dubois Turbomeca is feeling the effects of the helicopter industry’s downturn but is pressing on with the development of several new engine versions. Some programs, however, have been delayed or even shelved. For the longer term, the Bordes, France-based company is working on a 2,000- to 3,000-shp demonstrator and is conducting research on innovative ways to cut fuel burn. Last year Turbomeca (Booth 10543) delivered 718 helicopter engines, a 15-percent reduction from the previous year’s 850 engines (these numbers include civil and military turboshafts). “The entire rotorcraft industry is impacted by a downturn; offshore oil-and-gas sales account for 20 percent of the market but are a major factor in its health,” CEO Bruno Even told AIN. Latin America is generating fewer orders than it used to (for all applications, not only oil-and-gas). In the U.S., Even sees overcapacity in the helicopter EMS segment, which is causing stagnation. Overall, the Safran group company’s turboshaft deliveries are expected to be steady this year, compared to 2015. Turbomeca has a number of programs in development. The Arrano 1A has been flying on the Airbus Helicopters second prototype H160 at the airframer’s headquarters in Marignane, France. The first flight took place in January. “We are hearing very good feedback,” Even said. The Arrius 2R was certified in December 2015. Turbomeca has begun delivering production-standard engines to Bell, and the Arrius 2R is slated to enter into service on the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X in the coming months. Even said that Bell’s ambitious plan to
Turbomeca’s recently certified Arrius 2R is ready to enter service on the Bell 505 Jet Ranger X.
produce up to 200 505s per year by 2018 presents no problem for Turbomeca as the company’s Dallas plant has the capacity to produce up to 500 engines per year. AC352 To Fly This Summer
A pair of 1,800-shp Turbomeca/Avic Engine Ardiden 3C/WZ16s will power the AC352, in lieu of the H175’s Pratt & Whitney Canada turboshafts. Late in 2015, it emerged that a modified H175 is being used in France as a testbed for the Ardiden 3C. Neither Airbus nor Turbomeca would confirm this. Even expects the AC352 to fly, in China, by this summer. Asked whether he is worried about the protracted program, Even said that developing a helicopter and an engine with Chinese partners normally takes more time. The long-delayed Russian Helicopters Ka-62 program uses Ardiden 3Gs. The first aircraft, for which Turbomeca has delivered flightworthy engines, is now hoped to fly by this summer. The Makila 2B program has been shelved. Airbus Helicopters eventually chose (in agreement with Turbomeca, according to Even) to keep the 2,100shp Makila 2A1 on the upgraded H225
heavy twin. The Makila 2B has no other application but its development could be resumed, if needed, or the work could be reused elsewhere. The 2B was to offer a new combustor design for increased temperature. The high-pressure turbine blades were thus to be made of a new material. Separately, the compressor would be better protected against erosion, and this particular improvement was to be retrofittable. The Tech 3000 demonstrator program, devised to prepare a next-generation 2,000to 3,000-shp turboshaft for heavy helicopters, is slipping to the right. Component testing took place in 2015. But the first full engine is not expected to run until this year or early next year. “There will be an upturn in the offshore oil-and-gas market in the mid- to long-term,” Even predicted. In the longer term, Turbomeca is still studying hybrid architectures to cut fuel burn on a twin-engine installation. One engine may be shut down in cruise, allowing the other one to run at a higher rpm, much closer to its best efficiency. The shut-down engine would be restarted in case of a problem with the running engine. On a testbed, Turbomeca has trialed a quick-restart process, Even said. o
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AND HELI-EXPO 2016 IS OFF TO THE RACES… Flanked by HAI board members and Kentucky Derby bugler Steve Buttleman, HAI president and CEO Matt Zuccaro (center), Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer (center left) and Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (center right) cut the ceremonial ribbon yesterday morning to open the exhibit hall at Heli-Expo 2016. Just before the ribbon cutting, Buttleman played "The Call to the Post," the 33-note song steeped in tradition at the Kentucky Derby that alerts trainers, jockeys and fans that the race is about 10 minutes away.
www.ainonline.com • March 2, 2016 • HAI Convention News 3
Airbus holds market lead by Mark Huber declines among light singles, down to 163 from 176, and the medium H145, declining to 107 from 115. The new H175 super-medium twin posted a sharp gain in orders, growing from eight in 2014 to 36 in 2015, but Faury said he expects that number to fall off to between 15 and 20 for 2016. While a fleet of six H175s are performing very well for North Sea OGP operator NHV, achieving an availability rate of 95 percent, Faury characterized offshore demand for the H175 as soft, and he said new variants would be introduced in 2016 including VIP and SAR. Airbus Helicopters has released its H175 Flight Crew Operating Manual (FCOM) for the H175 in offshore configuration, including operational guidance for the latest generation Helionix avionics systems. The first of two H215s was delivered today to the Finnish Boarder Guard fleet. The H215 features the four-axis autopilot
MARIANO ROSALES
Airbus Helicopters (Booth 9651) reported improved 2015 revenues of €6.8 billion in 2015, up from €6.5 billion in 2014. Revenues were equally derived from civil and military sales, with 53 percent coming from aircraft sales and 47 percent from services. Airbus Helicopters delivers 55 percent of its product into Europe, 25 percent into Asia and the Pacific and 20 percent into the Americas. It continues to dominate the global civil market with 45 percent market share. Civil deliveries were down in 2015 to 395 (84 in North America) from 471 in 2014. Airbus Helicopters CEO Guillame Faury attributed this mainly to a deterioration of the light helicopter market. Likewise bookings during the year dropped to 383 from 402 in 2014, with big year-over-year drops in the heavy sector H225, which garnered only two orders in 2015 compared to 32 in 2014, and lesser
BELL LAUNCHES AFTERMARKET SERVICE PLANS Bell Helicopter (Booth 317) formally launched its parts-only aftermarket service plans for customers with in-production and some legacy helicopters. Bell’s Customer Advantage Plans will offer a fixed cost per flight hour with the goal of either meeting or beating the direct operating costs customers are already experiencing, according to Glenn Isbell, executive vice president, customer support and services. Isbell told an audience here at Heli-Expo that the plans were “not about high prices and partial coverage that are available in other areas. This is about guaranteed direct maintenance costs at a price that strengthens your business.” The first announced customer for the plan is HEMS provider CareFlite of North Texas, which operates four Bell 407GXs. Bell also announced comprehensive coverage on the new 505 light single for parts and the engine for around $300 per flight hour. The rate couples Bell’s Customer Advantage Plan with Turbomeca’s Service by the Hour program. Customers will have premier access to Bell Helicopter’s dynamic
components and Turbomeca’s standard engine exchange at no extra charge. The Customer Advantage Plans feature two simple comprehensive plans with holistic coverage options including the standard and premier plans. Both cover the basic helicopter configuration with optional coverage for non-standard kits. Customers get preferred rates at Bell customer service facilities, the plans are transferable upon aircraft resale and there are no “buy-ins” for select premier fleet customers. Isbell said, “There’s really two different offerings that we are going to have. There are the plans that we are going to sell to new aircraft. Those don’t change much and there is not a lot of variation. We’ll take into account how big a fleet they have and how much they buy, but they are pretty standard. Our big difference is that we are offering these to existing fleets. That is where we will tailor them specifically to how many aircraft they have, where their aircraft are in their operation.” Isbell said the program may eventually be expanded to include labor. –M.H.
4 HAI Convention News • March 2, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
for the H225. The company is particularly optimistic about its ability to attract firefighting contracts. Although the heavy helicopter market is currently depressed, Faury said Airbus Helicopters is continuing to work on its new generation X6 eventual replacement for the H225. Airbus Helicopters announced several orders here at Heli-Expo, including an H125 from the Utah Highway Patrol, an H135 from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Advanced Response Team (DHART) air medical in Northern New England, and an H130 from Lightnin’ Production Rentals, a movie and television production rental company based in Atlanta. Product Support and Maintenance
Faury said Airbus Helicopters continues to make progress on its product support initiatives, noting that its HCare has achieved 100 percent on-time delivery for planned spare parts and has increased the remainder of on time deliveries from 83 percent to 95 percent. Airbus Helicopters is set to certify the first comprehensive health usage and monitoring system (HUMS) and flight data monitoring system (HFDM) to monitor dynamic components on light and medium helicopters later this year. The system was developed in collaboration with Ultra Electronics-Flightline Systems, of Victor, N.Y., and was tested over a period of several months in 2015 on an EC145 main gearbox. The system weighs just seven pounds and collected highly accurate data, detecting very small faults, according to Airbus Helicopters. Certification will initially be sought to install HUMS on the EC145 (BK117 C2) family of helicopters including the UH72A Lakota variant operated by the U.S. Army, followed by the H125/AS350 AStar series. Once certified for each helicopter model the system will be available for retrofits. Implementation of the HUMS and flight data monitoring systems will allow air medical service operators to become compliant with the FAA’s EMS flight data monitoring requirements. “Development of HUMS for light helicopters will allow the industry to move to condition-based maintenance, maximizing aircraft availability and reducing costs due to unexpected downtime and better spares usage. It will also be a factor in improving safety,” said Chris Emerson, president of
Airbus Helicopters Inc. Airbus Helicopters will tailor its customer support and service offerings to reflect the data it receives from helicopter operations, including component support and MRO programs, to provide operators with proactive and predictive support. The data also will allow Airbus Helicopters to improve spares support by predicting usage. Airbus Helicopters also has acquired a dedicated and fully functional Bo105 dedicated solely to maintenance training at its Grand Prairie, Texas facility. Customer support team members from Airbus Helicopters will be at Heli-Expo to meet with customers and update them on key service support and support issues and tools. Mike Muniz, director of customer support, and John Byus, sales manager for HCare, will be on hand during the show to discuss the support and services offered under HCare. ECommerce trainer Darren Huski is demonstrating the latest revisions to Keycopter, Airbus Helicopters’ online system for ordering spare parts, warranty updates and viewing online technical publications. Customers can also view a demonstration of the new technical request management tool on the Keycopter platform. o TRUE BLUE POWER FOR BELL 505 JET RANGER X The True Blue Power (Booth 1800) TB17 (17 amp-hour) lithium-ion enginestart battery will power the new Bell 505 Jet Ranger X. The TB17 battery utilizes proprietary nanophosphate lithium-ion cell chemistry. It weighs less than 16 pounds, offers a 45 percent weight savings, increased payload and 60 to 90 percent reduced maintenance costs compared to leadacid and nickel-cadmium alternatives. The battery system is designed with several layers of protection and communicates real-time battery status to the pilot. “The advanced technology on the Bell 505–especially its innovative Turbomeca Arrius 2R engine–relies on a high-power, low-maintenance battery that is ideal for rugged environments. This includes extreme low- and high-temperature conditions,” said True Blue Power division manager Rick Slater. “Our lithium-ion battery delivers that and more.” –M.H.
HILLSBORO AVIATION TO FIT ADS-B IN HELICOPTER TRAINING FLEET Hillsboro Aviation (Booth 10344) has reached an agreement with Hillsboro Aero Academy to install ADS-B capability in the largest helicopter training fleet in the Northwestern U.S. The program, announced on March 1, calls for Hillsboro Aviation to install the systems on the academy’s fleet of 24 helicopters by the end of this year. The company also expects to install ADS-B systems in the academy’s remaining fleet of 53 airplanes. “We selected Hillsboro Aviation because of their commitment to quality service and expertise in avionics installations,” said Hillsboro Aviation Academy president and CEO Jon Hay. “The hardware we selected for our helicopter installations will provide ADS-B traffic and weather to pilots’ tablets via a Wi-Fi signal onboard the aircraft. We believe that this added functionality will enhance the quality of training and flight safety at our school.” According to the FAA’s database, more than 38,000 aircraft in Oregon, Washington, Montana, Idaho and Northern California require ADS-B installations by Jan. 1, 2020. Some 30 avionics shops reside in the same area, meaning each shop will need to install the systems on an average of 1,266 aircraft over a four-year period. –K.L.
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Part 27, crashworthiness regs among rulemaking efforts by Mark Huber FAA veteran Lance Gant was named manager of the Rotorcraft Directorate Aircraft Certification Service in 2015. Under Gant’s administration the Fort Worth aircraft certification service was reorganized, and the Rotorcraft Directorate began to tackle the large, and sometimes seemingly vexing issues, confronting rotorcraft certification modernization. “The reorganization worked out really well,” Gant said. “We previously had three aircraft certification offices colocated here in Fort Worth. One handled strictly rotorcraft certification efforts in the region; another handled airplane certification efforts in the region; and the third was a special projects office that did just about everything else, including business jet interiors, balloons, engines, that kind of stuff. So we currently have 12 or 13 organization designation authorizations or ODAs spread among those three offices. When we reorganized into two offices we created one full-service aircraft certification office now referred to as the Fort Worth ACO and a second delegation systems certifications office, and all
the ODAs in the region are being managed by that one group. That is where we have gotten the most positive feedback. Those ODAs now get a lot more direct attention, and the engineers and staff that work with them can concentrate solely on ODA activities and not be stretched out doing other certification activities as handled by the ACO now. “It’s helped the [helicopter] OEMs here in the region get the attention they need and it has helped to make sure the ODAs are doing what we want,” Gant said. “[That is] when they show they have a good culture of compliance, that we delegate to them and get out of their way so they can get product to market in a timely fashion.” Gant said the industry effort to rewrite Part 27, the FAA regulations that govern helicopters weighing 7,000 pounds or less or with nine or less passenger seats, should continue to be led by the industry, and that the FAA will examine industry work product at the appropriate time. That effort was spawned after the FAA denied a gross weight increase to 7,500 pounds for the
Bell unsuccessfully petitioned the FAA for a gross weight increase to 7,500 pounds for the 429 under Part 27. Rather than issue exemptions, the agency decided to revisit the Part 27 certification basis.
Bell 429 light twin under Part 27. “We put in public notice that if there were an industry need for weight limits for Part 27 and Part 29 we would be happy to have the industry embark on that effort and we would be supportive,” he said. “With that [the General Aviation Manufacturers Association] has taken the lead on this and is working on a proposal to get to the FAA. Our direct involvement is a little different than what we did [in the rewrite efforts for] Part 23. In Part 23 the FAA was hand-in-hand with the industry. The better way for this to work is for industry to decide how it wants to go forward. I don’t know if we will see a wholesale rewrite like we did on Part 23.”
PATRICK PENNA
Potential Rulemaking Efforts
Among the issues on the FAA’s agenda is improving survivability in helicopter accidents. A committee is currently studying how best to accomplish this. A gross weight increase for Part 27 helicopters, such as the MD500, below, could benefit a number of models.
6 HAI Convention News • March 2, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
Gant said he expects any rulemaking that might come from the work of the Occupant Protection Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ARAC) to advance swiftly. That ARAC had its first meeting January 21 and is charged with plotting survivability solutions for blunt-force injuries and post-impact fires in current production and legacy helicopters certified under older type certificates. Gant said pressure from the NTSB and Congress likely would keep the issue on the front burner. “Staff here worked with the Civil Aerospace Medical Institute [CAMI] in Oklahoma City and actually did a study of helicopter accidents looking at autopsy data. We were able to parse the percentage of [deaths] due to blunt-force trauma and post-crash fire. The reality is that blunt-force trauma is a much larger contributor to fatalities in helicopters than post-crash fire, although–and rightfully so–the post-crash fire scenario is what really got the ball rolling due to some horrific accidents. “The process is in three parts. In the first six months [the ARAC does] a costbenefit analysis. The second six months is to have the advisory committee come back to the FAA with recommendations on how to get occupant protection into current-production helicopters. And the third tasking is to use months 12 to 18 to look at retrofit into the current fleet. These would come as recommendations to the FAA that would then balance them against the cost-benefit analysis and make
a determination if we go into rulemaking. If we go into rulemaking it is not fast but, like I said, we’ve had pressures to do something. We’re driving the ARAC to get us something fairly quickly. And once that happens, the FAA will go forward with its normal processes but, with the impetus from some external stakeholders, maybe in an expedited fashion.” Gant is looking at forming another ARAC, this to consider bird-strike risks to Part 27 helicopters. “Part 27 does not have any bird-strike requirements for the canopy, and we are looking at that. Our data shows that bird strikes on helicopters have markedly increased in the last handful of years. I don’t know if it is because there has been more reporting and more close calls.” An ARAC could be charged with exploring this as early as March. Separate from revisions to Part 27, the FAA is considering an industry white paper that suggests more cost-effective ways of adding IFR equipment to Part 27 single-engine helicopters. “We’ve been in discussion with industry for two years now on this concept,” Gant said. “On the certification side, industry took the position that if we lower the certification burden of getting autopilots and advanced avionics into helicopters, then IFR would be pursued more often from the certification side. They did send us their final white paper around the end of November of last year, and we made a commitment to get a response to that paper in the first calendar quarter of this year. It is outside of rulemaking because industry is asking us to make a policy change and not a rule change. I don’t have a good timeline on that, yet I would hope sooner rather than later. I don’t want to have to commit my guys to having had something done this year. We’re kind of looking at a little broader effort that would address equipage in Part 27 overall and not just concentrating on IFR. Generally we are favorable to the effort.” Gant did mention a concern, however. “We can do our end to help streamline certification of IFR equipment and getting the aircraft equipped, but the other side is operations. You have to be able to train and maintain proficiency if you are going to be utilizing those aircraft IFR.” o
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SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE
BLR Aerospace Safety Award by Amy Laboda Have you ever tried to navigate the inner city district of a complex metropolitan area? How about at night, or in IFR? If you have, then you know the challenges that
downtown Boston, Mass., poses for air ambulance operators. Boston MedFlight, a nonprofit organization that provides transport regardless of the patient’s ability to pay, covers
five hospitals interspersed among skyscrapers and other vertical obstacles, all located three miles or less from Boston’s Logan International Airport. Boston MedFlight performs an average of 150 aeromedical transports each month.
Boston MedFlight is being honored this year at Heli-Expo 2016 with the BLR Aerospace Safety Award for the work it did to address the problems in Boston, developing instrument approaches to the hospitals using GPS navigation. Boston MedFlight worked with the Infrastructure Team, as the government and industry group referred to itself, and over the course of five years the team designed the instrument approaches and got them FAA certified. After certification, the team had to work with air traffic controllers to train them on the new procedures and ensure that helicopters landing at or departing from the hospitals have minimal impact on arrivals and departures at Logan International, one of the nation’s busiest airports.
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8 HAI Convention News • March 2, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
Final approval and authorization to begin using the new procedures came on Oct. 14, 2015. These approach procedures allow helicopters to land and depart from Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital (helipad also used by Boston Children’s Hospital), Boston Medical Center and Tufts Medical Center under marginal weather conditions. It didn’t take long, with winter approaching, for validation of all that hard work. The first use of an aviation instrument approach procedure to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital helipad was 5:15 p.m. on November 19, when a Boston MedFlight helicopter transporting a critically ill child executed the procedure to the helipad safely. This multi-phase project will eventually connect outlying community hospitals across eastern Massachusetts with downtown Boston medical centers through a network of low-altitude instrument flyways that will allow Boston MedFlight helicopters to remain safely clear of other aviation traffic. MedFlight will now look to finalize GPS approaches to community hospitals, and share the developments with the Northeast Air Alliance, a consortium of all the medical helicopter providers from eastern New n York to Maine.
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Bristow optimistic in long-term view by Mark Huber aircraft is valued at $3.8 billion, with approximately $1.7 billion of that represented by 115 leased aircraft including 73 commercial rotorcraft, 25 training aircraft, and 17 fixedwing aircraft. The entire fleet is distributed across Europe (48 percent), the Americas (18 percent), Asia-Pacific (17 percent) and Africa (16 percent). Affiliates and joint ventures operate another 124 aircraft. Bristow has orders for 29 helicopters from 2016 to 2020 and options for 16 more in 2017 and 2018. Most of these are large helicopters, with orders for 19 and options for nine. Despite the financial carnage in the oil patch, Bristow CEO Jonathan Baliff said, “We really like” that part of Bristow’s business, which accounts for 79 percent of revenues. “Even with this downturn, and it might sound like heresy today, we like, we really like, our oiland-gas rotary wing transportation business: it’s global, it’s focused on safety, it’s got secular growth and it is technologically dynamic.” However, he added that it is “best grown with other business lines like searchand-rescue, fixed-wing for our clients and others that are commercially complementary to the transportation business.” One new business Bristow is branching out to is unmanned aerial vehicles, announcing a $4.2 million investment in
Sky-Futures, a provider of drone inspection data services for the oil-and-gas industry. The investment gives Bristow access to SkyFutures UAV or drone inspection operational expertise, data capturing and analysis and training capabilities. “Through our partnership, we will collaborate with Sky-Futures and its leading safety culture, operational integration and analysis technology to capitalize beyond the growing need for global UAV inspection services in oil-and-gas to other industries, including search-andrescue,” Baliff said. Efficiency Efforts
Bristow’s aggressive cost cutting, begun last year, will continue, and Baliff expected further productivity increases from both the company’s unionized and non-unionized workforces. “Our global business development team continues to find innovative ways to modify our service offerings to maximize efficiency and cost savings for our clients. This helps to mitigate our top line declines while we continue to pursue company-wide cost reduction measures. Despite market challenges, operationally this was a successful quarter largely because of our progress in previously announced reductions, which are largely complete. We are largely on track to receive these cost savings for the remainder of the fiscal
AIRBUS HELICOPTERS HIGHLIGHTS LOWER-COST H215 HEAVY TWIN Airbus Helicopters is exhibiting the H215 heavy twin here at Heli-Expo and is planning a demo tour in the U.S. right after the show. A major target is California’s Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, which has issued a tender for 15 helicopters. The winner could be announced at the Aerial Firefighting 2016 convention late in March in Sacramento. “If we win, this will be fantastic publicity,” said Fabrice Arfi, Airbus Helicopters v-p for business development. The requirement is for carrying 2.5 metric tons of water and accompanying firefighters, according to Arfi. Airbus Helicopters also sees a huge potential for the replacement of aging Sikorsky S-61s and Russian Helicopters Mi-8/17s. But these markets were so far deemed out of reach. At the factory the company is now building in Brasov, Romania, lower labor costs will combine with a new industrial model. Only two standard configurations–a short and a long fuselage–will be offered, still allowing customers to add optional equipment. “In Brasov, we think we will reduce costs that we did not manage to reduce in Marignane [where all Super Puma family helicopters had been manufactured so far],” a spokesman told AIN. The first H215 delivery from Brasov is expected in mid-2017. The H215 is the new name of the AS332 C1e/L1e, and while it can be viewed as a lower-cost version of the H225, it features modern avionics, including the same four-axis autopilot. In a basic aerial work configuration, price is said to be in the $15.4 to $16.5 million range. –T.D.
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Last month, Bristow announced a partnership with unmanned aerial vehicle operator Sky-Futures,which offers drone inspection data services for the oil-and-gas industry. The companies will collaborate to expand drone inspection services in oil-and-gas and other industries.
year,” he said, pointing out that earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and rent margins increased 7.5 percent for the quarter in the face of declining operating revenues. Baliff pointed to Bristow’s new Global Service Center (GSC), which launched in January, as an example of an effective cost-cutting measure. The GSC works to minimize AOG events and downtime. Baliff said the GSC “already proved itself ” in the first few weeks of operation.
In the wake of the Nigerian crashes, Baliff said Bristow planned to refresh its “Target Zero” global safety programs. “We pride ourselves on safety, and these recent accidents have been humbling, but only strengthened our resolve.” Baliff said the short-term view for the company remained challenging while the long-term one was positive. Through 2017, he said, “excess helicopter supply will continue as will the pressure on our clients to decrease costs and increase efficiencies.” o
After Heli-Expo visitors get a chance to see the Airbus Helicopters H215 this week in Louisville, the heavy twin will go on a U.S. demo tour to promote it as a lower-cost version of the H225.
MARIANO ROSALES
Oil-and-gas-producer (OGP) operator Bristow Group (Booth 1827) released its financial results for the quarter ending Dec. 31, 2015, on February 9. Not surprisingly, Bristow reported an OGP revenue decline of $81.2 million, or 21.2 percent from the same quarter a year ago, and net income of $3.2 million from operating revenue of $395 million, a $35 million decline from the same period a year ago. Bristow lost $47.9 million during the last nine months of 2015. Significantly, Bristow reported that it had deferred $109 million of capital expenditures, in the form of new aircraft deliveries, through January 2016, borrowed $200 million and slashed its stock dividend to improve its liquidity. Bristow also indicated that it is working with lessors to roll off select aircraft more quickly, a move that could save $80 million by 2020, and would continue to “rationalize” its helicopter fleet, mainly through the graduated disposal of its 48 Bell 412 and 212 medium helicopters. Bristow announced that it was temporarily standing down its fleet of 16 Sikorsky S-76s based in Nigeria following an emergency water landing of an S-76C++ there on February 3 in which all passengers and crew survived. This follows the fatal crash of another Bristow S-76 there in August that killed six. Currently, Bristow’s owned and operated fleet of 360
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NEWS CLIPS z Aerox Demos Kevlar-based Oxygen Systems Aerox Aviation Oxygen Systems is demonstrating its medical aviation oxygen systems here at Heli-Expo. Limington, Mainebased Aerox (Booth 6052) offers kevlar-wound cylinders in several sizes, all of them weighing much less than comparable steel or aluminum cylinders, according to the company. Pushpull-activated regulators operate as high-pressure reducers. Aerox’s system installation hardware includes different adapters, mounting brackets, line assemblies and pressure gauges. All are designed with the rigorous demands of airborne operations. Aerox oxygen systems are designed for refilling via 1,800through 3,000-psig fixed and portable systems. With appropriate adapters, systems can be assembled either via custom design or with commercial off-the-shelf Aerox equipment.
z Airbus Partners with Thales for H160 Simulator Airbus Helicopters is partnering with Thales (Booth 11560) and Helisim to develop a level D full flight simulator (FFS) for the new H160 medium twin. The first H160 FFS will be installed at Helisim in Marignane, France, with additional simulators added worldwide as needed, according to Bernard Fujarski, head of the H160 program for Airbus Helicopters. The H160 FFS will be based on the Thales Reality H series. Separately, Thales announced the opening in January of its Reality H-based level D simulator for the Airbus H225 at its training center in Stavanger, Norway, for its launch customers, Blueway Norway and Denmark’s Dancopter. The H225 simulator is equipped with the Hexaline all-electric motion system and the ThalesView visual system. The training in Stavanger, for the first time, includes integrated search-and-rescue training.
z Van Horn Offers Composite Blades for Bell 206B Operators of Bell 206B Jet Rangers can now obtain carbonfiber main rotor blades with an 18,000-hour service life, more than triple the life of current OEM metal blades. Van Horn Aviation (Booth 10733) of Tempe, Ariz., recently received FAA supplemental type certification for its composite VHA 206B blades. “This STC is the culmination of more than five years of design, prototyping and testing, including extensive flight and fatigue testing,” said VHA CEO James Van Horn. The 206B main rotor blades, which list for $79,500 per blade, require an overhaul every 2,900 hours to maintain their 18,000hour service life. VHA uses the same carbon-fiber materials and construction methods for its 206B main rotor blades as it does for its 206B/L tailrotor blades, which have been available since 2009.
z ASU Slims Down NVG Helmet Mount and Battery
Hillsboro named Airbus sales agent by Kerry Lynch Airbus Helicopters selected Hillsboro Aviation (Booth 10344) to serve as its commercial aircraft sales agent for the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. The agreement, announced yesterday at Heli-Expo, marks the first such sales agent authorization by Airbus Helicopters in its 47-year history, Hillsboro said. The agreement calls for Hillsboro to represent Airbus Helicopters products in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Colorado, Wyoming and Alaska. In addition, Hillsboro is expanding its MRO facilities and
capabilities to support Airbus Helicopters models. “We are pleased and excited to embark on this new relationship with Hillsboro Aviation,” said Treg Manning, v-p of sales and marketing for Airbus Helicopters, adding Hillsboro “will enable Airbus Helicopters to increase sales and improve customer support in the Northwestern U.S.” Based in Hillsboro, Ore., Hillsboro Aviation has a long track record of aircraft sales, selling more than 1,000 helicopters and airplanes since 1980. It additionally operates a fleet of 13
Heli-One Poland OK’d for H225 mx Heli-One’s helicopter MRO facility in Rzeszow, Poland, is now approved to provide base maintenance on Airbus Helicopters H225s operating in Europe, the U.S., Canada and the Cayman Islands. The approval adds to the facility’s existing AS332 and the H135 capability. Rzeszow is the third Heli-One facility to offer H225 base maintenance, joining the company’s facilities in Delta, Canada, and Stavanger, Norway. The 65,000-sq-ft Rzeszow facility has a maintenance hangar that can accommodate up to six large airframes, a fully equipped avionics workshop, structures shop with a specialized tailboom repair area and paint bay. CHC Helicopter division Heli-One (Booth 5151) is based in Delta, British Columbia, and has an MRO operation in Fort Collins, Colo., in addition to those in Rzeszow, Delta and Stavanger. HeliOne holds certifications and expertise on Airbus, Sikorsky, Finmeccanica (née AgustaWestland), Bell, Turbomeca, Pratt & Whitney Canada and GE Aviation products. –D.A.L.
helicopters, including two Airbus Helicopters H125s. Hillsboro took delivery of the first H125 during last year’s Heli-Expo and took delivery of the second on February 16 in Grand Prairie, Texas. The newest aircraft will be used for utility work while the initial H125 is operated to ferry supplies under Department of Defense contracts. Hillsboro president and owner Max Lyons said the agreement will enable the company to offer “the broadest selection and most versatile product line on the market.” o
HELI-ONE HANDLES H225 INSPECTION IN SOUTH KOREA South Korean firefighting and rescue operator National 119 chose Canadian maintenance, repair and overhaul provider HeliOne to conduct 12-month inspections on its Airbus Helicopters H225 fleet. The work was completed earlier this month at the customer’s facility in Seoul by a Heli-One team based in Stavanger, Norway. This was the second 12-month inspection Heli-One has conducted for National 119, with the first having been completed in December 2014. Heli-One (Booth 5151), which is headquartered in Vancouver, holds an approved maintenance organization certificate from South Korea’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport. The company also has bases in the U.S. and Poland. “Operating a fleet of rescue aircraft means keeping all of our helicopters flying is critical to our ability to save lives,” said a National 119 spokesperson. “Heli-One’s expertise with the H225 aircraft and ability to perform the inspections at our facility will enable us to quickly return the helicopters to vital service.” –C.A.
Materials and manufacturing make the new helmet mount and battery pack for night-vision goggles offered by Aviation Specialties Unlimited (ASU) lighter, smaller and more durable than previous products, according to Jim Winkel, president of ASU. With the new mount, goggles can be easily mounted to the helmet with one hand, while previous models required both hands, according to ASU (Booth 2000). The designs of the mount and battery pack are compatible with existing helmet mounts, battery packs and goggles. Flight-testing is under way, with certification expected this summer. “The older helmet mounts are bulky and can break easily if the goggles are not inserted properly,” explained Kim Harris, ASU director of flight operations. Due to their weight, “They can cause discomfort to the head, neck and back with prolonged use.”
Helicopter Technology Company (HTC) of Los Angeles, which designs and produces a product line of main and tailrotor blades, is offering metal main rotor blades for Bell UH-1 helicopters. The blades carry a life-limit of 2,600 hours and are interchangeable with Bell Helicopter main rotor blades. Here at Heli-Expo 2016 HTC is showing the UH-1 main rotor blade and main and tailrotor blades for the Hughes/MD 369, 500 and 600.
12 HAI Convention News • March 2, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
MARIANO ROSALES
z HTC Has Metal Main Rotor Blades for UH-1
BIRDS OF A FEATHER FLOCK TOGETHER Heli-Expo 2016 attendees eagerly flocked to the Kentucky Exposition Center for the opening day of the show yesterday morning, likely hoping to see some new helicopter models and learn more about product offerings from exhibitors.
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Waypoint Leasing firmly stands behind oil-and-gas helo operators by Matt Thurber Earlier this year, Waypoint Leasing opened a new office in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, expanding the helicopter leasing company’s support not only for the challenging Brazil oil-and-gas market but also for all of Latin America, according to Steffen Bay, vice president of marketing and sales. “We have a significant business in Brazil,” he told AIN. “We believe in the long term. It’ll balance out eventually, and we need to be close to customers in these tough times. It doesn’t make sense to put our head in the sand.” Waypoint also announced the opening of new offices in Brisbane, Australia, and Cape
Town, South Africa. The Brisbane office, with five aircraft, is headed by Chris Wakefield and will open in April. Con Barber will run the Cape Town office, which launches in the second quarter this year and oversees 12 aircraft based in Africa. Yesterday Waypoint announced a sale and leaseback agreement for three AW139s with Bristow Group. The AW139s will be based in Guyana. In a recent deal, Waypoint signed a purchase and leaseback agreement with Brazil’s Omni Helicopters covering four Sikorsky S-76C++ helicopters. The agreement is with Omni
Helicopters International, a strategic partnership between Stirling Square Capital Partners and Omni Group. The aircraft are operating for Omni Taxi Aereo, Brazil’s largest helicopter service operator to the offshore industry by fleet size. Waypoint has also positioned itself to serve other markets in addition to oil-and-gas, including EMS and parapublic operators. Last year at the Helitech show, Waypoint announced orders and commitments for up to 38 new helicopters, including up to 20 Airbus H135s and firming an earlier contract for 18 Finmeccanica AW189s, AW169s
SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE
Capt. João Bosco Ferreira Earns 2016 W.A. Dub Blessing Award by Amy Laboda The W.A. “Dub” Blessing Award for Flight Instructor of the Year is one of nine Salute to Excellence Awards handed out at Heli-Expo each year. The awards recognize those who, through either a single act or a lifetime of service and dedication, exemplify the best of the helicopter industry. This award, sponsored by H. Ross Perot, Jr., and the Perot family, recognizes superlative contributions by a helicopter flight instructor in upholding high standards of excellence. This year’s winner is João Bosco Ferreira, principal flight instructor and owner of Escola de Aviação (EFAI) in Bairro Campina Verde Contagem, Brazil. Bosco has been a helicopter instructor since his time in the Brazilian air force in the 1970s and 1980s. After attending helicopter flight test pilot school in France in 1981, he returned to Brazil as chief of the flight test division for the Brazilian air force’s Center of Aeronautical Technology, charged with creating the Brazilian flight test course. In 1990, Bosco joined Helibras, the Brazilian subsidiary of Aerospatiale Helicopters (now Airbus Helicopters), as technical director. He earned type ratings and instructor certifications in the following helicopter types: AS332,
Capt. João Bosco Ferreira, principal flight instructor and owner of Escola de Aviação (EFAI), in Bairro Campina Verde Contagem, Brazil, is considered a role model in the South American helicopter community.
AS365, EC120, EC130, EC135 and BK-117. There, he established the company’s flight test department. His observations of other pilots led him to create a program for emergency procedures testing for experienced pilots. Bosco has logged 32,500 autorotations to the ground. That translates to approximately 400 flight hours in autorotation (out of a total of more than 12,500 flight hours).
Bosco left Helibras to establish his own flight school, Escola de Aviação (EFAI). There students experience heavy emphasis on emergency procedures training– especially autorotations. To date Bosco has trained nearly 1,000 pilots from Brazil, as well as other South American countries, many of them on multiple helicopter platforms. He is a recognized role model for the Brazilian helicopter community. n
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and AW139s. Waypoint’s firm and option orders now stand at more than 125 helicopters valued at over $1.7 billion, and these are scheduled to be delivered during the next five years. Waypoint now has more than 10 helicopters on lease to EMS operators. “The EMS market has always been a significant segment of the helicopter market,” said CEO Ed Washecka, “and an area of focus since our inception in 2013. EMS is a very different business and market than oil and gas. Waypoint’s team is uniquely qualified in this area, with a tremendous amount of experience from program oversight of light-twin engine aircraft to full-scale management of EMS businesses.” Growing Fleet
Waypoint’s fleet numbers more than 120 helicopters worth $1.5 billion spread around the world. The company, headquartered in Limerick, Ireland, also has offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Here at Heli-Expo, Waypoint (Booth 10751) executives plan to meet with customers and potential clients and hold a customer-appreciation event. This year is Waypoint’s third Heli-Expo show. “Thanks to our experience and expertise in weathering the cycles of the helicopter market, Waypoint Leasing is healthy and open for business,” said Washecka. “There is no doubt that 2015 was a difficult year for the entire energy industry, and a challenging time for many of our customers. While we expect further headwinds through 2016, we are optimistic that as operators make capital allocation decisions, they will increasingly rely on leasing solutions, which enhance operational and financial flexibility.” Waypoint’s financial backing includes $450 million in equity capital and more than $1.5 billion in debt capacity from more than
25 lenders. The three major longterm investors behind Waypoint are MSD Capital, Quantum Strategic Partners and Cartesian Capital Group. “We are entrepreneurs who approach helicopter leasing from the perspective of the operator and the end-user,” said Washecka. “As operators, the Waypoint team has personally leased and operated helicopters in dozens of countries throughout Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America. So we truly understand what our helicopter clients are going through. This why we craft our leasing solutions to truly address not just their needs, but the cyclical realities of the helicopter industry.” For helicopter operators, leasing remains an attractive option, especially in these fragile economic times, according to Bay. “We offer flexibility, and it enhances their fleet planning. If they’re not sure about extending a contract or if they want a new model, they might just lease it before they buy and see how it performs. Leasing is an additional tool for them, especially in countries with high interest rates. They would rather do business with us than a local bank, and it makes leasing with us attractive.” Waypoint works with operators of all sizes, according to Bay. “Bigger transactions are easier, but it doesn’t matter if it’s two or three or 100 helicopters.” Although the oil-andgas market “is still a dominant part of the industry,” he added, Waypoint is also focusing on EMS, firefighting, mining and even the windfarming segments. But oil prices and the state of the economy will affect helicopter operators. “We think there will be organic growth and some consolidation,” he said. “The market space is too much for the current players. There will be consolidation this year.” o
AVIATION INSURANCE BROKER REBRANDS AS ASI Aviation Specialty Insurance (ASI) took its new name late last year to better illustrate its commitment to all phases of the aviation industry. Formerly known as Corporate Aviation Insurance Group, ASI (Booth 12347) now offers services to private operators, fleet owners, flight schools, agricultural operators–even unmanned aircraft operators. In addition to branching out to include a wider client base, the company added AOPA veteran insurance specialist Kevin Walters as senior client representative. Based near Atlanta, Walters adds a southeastern base to ASI, which also has locations in Columbus, Ohio, and Fort Wayne, Ind. Company president Matt Drummelsmith also reports that the company has expanded its portfolio of carriers, now representing nearly all major aviation insurance underwriters in North America, with affiliated partnerships in the UK and Brazil. –M.P.
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NEWS CLIPS
SIKORSKY S-92 GETS MORE LIFTING ABILITY
z MAG Luxury Cabin for Bell 429 Gets Russian OK
Era Helicopters recently took delivery of its second Sikorsky S-92 with the gross weight expansion (GWE) option, which raises the mtow from 26,500 to 27,700 pounds. The operator is the first to put the S-92 GWE in revenue service.
MARIANO ROSALES
Mecaer Aviation Group (MAG) has validated its luxury interior for the Bell 429 with Russian authorities (IAC-AR). MAG (Booth 503) developed and branded the MAGnificent for the Bell 429 under an EASA STC in 2015 and then applied for Russian validation. The MAGnificent provides multiple options and configurations for VIP passengers, who can choose from four-, five- or six-seat layouts, with options for up to two center consoles, MAG’s proprietary I-Feel (In-Flight Entertainment Enhanced Lounge) and passenger controlled electro-chromic windows. The interior includes two of MAG’s proprietary technologies. The “SILENS” noise-canceling system reduces the cabin noise to a level that allows passengers to conduct normal conversation without headsets. MAG’s I-FEEL technology provides passengers with moving maps and audio/video entertainment, along with internal Wi-Fi interface to mobile devices. “The STC validation in Russia is a significant milestone for MAG,” said Armando Sassoli, co-general manager of Mecaer Aviation Group. “It was critical we receive this validation, as we have many clients in line for our interior in Russia.”
Genesys seeks STC for Aspen PFD by Matt Thurber Genesys Aerosystems and Aspen Avionics have agreed to work together on a supplemental type certificate (STC) for use of Aspen’s EFD Evolution Pro 1000H glass display as the primary attitude source for the Genesys HeliSAS helicopter stability augmentation system. The Aspen 1000H is equipped with an integral air data computer and attitude heading reference system (ADAHRS) and has been optimized for helicopter usage. “This give helicopter operators the ability to eliminate problem-prone mechanical gyros with a
long-lasting solid-state unit,” said Genesys director of sales and marketing Jamie Luster. “Both the Aspen Evolution Pro 1000H and the HeliSAS are already STC’d for installation on a wide array of helicopters, so what we’re doing now is obtaining the approvals to integrate the two together.” Genesys is expecting an STC for the HeliSAS/ Aspen package on the Robinson R44 shortly, followed by the Bell 206, then additional helicopters. Genesys already uses its own remote ADAHRS with Garmin’s G500 for an approved data source, as well as another system. o
SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE Russia’s aviation authority, IAC-AR, validated Mecaer’s MAGnificent luxury interior for the Bell 429.
z CAE To Buy Lockheed’s Civil Flight Training Biz CAE (Booth 8133) has entered into a conditional agreement to acquire Lockheed Martin’s Commercial Flight Training (LMCFT) business. LMCFT makes a variety of simulators, lately for Airbus and Boeing aircraft. “We look forward to servicing an expanded customer installed base with this relatively small bolt-on acquisition and view positively the opportunity to pick up certain useful assets and to create synergies with our existing business,” said Marc Parent, president and CEO of CAE. CAE has 160 sites and training locations in 35 countries and the world’s largest installed base of flight simulators.
z FlightSafety To Offer S-76 Training in Singapore FlightSafety International (Booth 4245) will offer training in Sikorsky S-76C+ and S-76C++ helicopters in Singapore beginning this month using a new FlightSafety FS1000 simulator qualified to Level D by the FAA. The simulator is equipped with FlightSafety’s Vital 1100 visual system, CrewView collimated glass mirror display, and electric motion control loading and cueing. CrewView’s modular design produces field of view up to 300 degrees horizontally and provides significant improvements in situational awareness by filling the entire aircraft window. FlightSafety has served as a factory authorized training provider for Sikorsky since 1983. In addition to offering training in Singapore, the company has learning centers in Dallas, Lafayette; La.; West FlightSafety International will Palm Beach, Fla.; Stavanger begin S-76 simulator training at its (Norway); and Farnborough. Singapore center this month.
Airbus Golden Hour Award goes to CAMTS director by Amy Laboda Eileen Frazer, executive director of the Commission on Accreditation of Medical Transport Systems (CAMTS), accepted the Airbus Helicopters Golden Hour Award at Heli-Expo 2016. Twentyfive years ago Frazer founded CAMTS, and she has led the organization, dedicated to improving the safety and quality of both airand ground-based medical transportation, ever since. In the mid-1980s, Frazer was an emergency room nurse who chaired the safety committee of what is now the Association of Air Medical Services. The committee drafted criteria for peer review safety audits that were designed to address a critical problem: the increase in air ambulance accidents. Frazer and the committee felt the peer review audits should be performed by an independent organization. In 1988 and 1989, Frazer did a feasibility study, modeling an ideal audit organization on the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, which accredits hospitals. Frazer subjected the standards developed
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by the committee to an extensive public comment process and published them as CAMTS standards in 1991. Today CAMTS is made up of 20 nonprofit organizations, each represented on the board of directors, and all of which are dedicated to improving the quality and safety of medical transport services. The accreditation standards address issues of patient care and safety in fixed- and rotary-wing services as well as ground inter-facility services that provide critical care transport. Each standard is supported by measurable criteria that can reasonably assess a program’s quality. Revisions to the standards over time are a direct reflection of the dynamic, changing environment of medical transport and, according to Frazer, are made only with considerable input from all disciplines of the medical air transport profession. CAMTS offers a voluntary audit of compliance with its accreditation standards, but earning CAMTS accreditation isn’t an easy matter. A medical transport service
CAMTS chief Eileen Frazer speaks on airborne medical transport safety.
must substantially comply with the standards of the organization before accreditation will be issued, according to Frazer. Services striving for accreditation can submit progress reports to CAMTS as their operations’ deficiencies (found during audit) are corrected. With all of the challenges medical air transportation is up against today, accreditation helps organizations stand out as a seal of quality and safety. There are now 184 CAMTS-accredited air ambulance programs in the U.S. and six countries around the world, and that number is growing as CAMTS completes, on average, 75 new or reaccreditation applin cations every year.
Flexible. Independent. Long-term. The Waypoint Advantage
Waypoint is the world’s largest independent helicopter leasing company, with leasing expertise in more than 25 countries, and a fleet of more than 125 aircraft on lease, coupled with a large
selection of multi-year forward deliveries, representing a combin ed value of $3 billion. Waypoint forges lasting relationships with leading helicopter operators worldwide, who value the integrity, experience and long-term commitment of Waypoint’s leadership team and financial sponsors. As former helicopter operators, we
Copyright © 2015 Waypoint Leasing Services LLC. All rights reserved.
market challenges operators face and structure flexible leasing solutions to solve them.
We put operators first — always. Visit us at HAI Heli-Expo 2016 Booth #10751
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Frasca’s AS350B2/H125 FTD takes sim training to next level by R. Randall Padfield From the outside, Frasca International’s AS350B2/H125 level 7 flight training device (FTD) on exhibit at Heli-Expo 2016 could be mistaken a full-flight simulator, because it sits four feet off the floor and is covered by a wide dome. When “flying” the trainer it’s easy to get so involved in the highly realistic scenes created by Frasca’s TruVision Global visual system, the vibration base, accurate aerodynamic and low-speed models and the movement of a real yaw string (cleverly controlled by computer and agitated by a fan on the floor below the cockpit) that you forget you are not really moving. The FTD is almost completed and will be heading back to Frasca’s facility in Urbana, Ill., for the final development before being delivered to Canadian Helicopters at Edmonton Airport, Alberta. HNZ Company, which owns Canadian Helicopters, is sharing exhibit space (Booth 9256) and demonstrating the
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Booth 1800
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from HeliMotion, which is owned by Indiana Helicopters, and flew about 30 flight hours. Gawenda said that a level 7 FTD costs $2 to $3 million while a fullflight level D simulator costs $8 to $10 million. He added that most of Frasca’s products are “fairly customized for each customer, so there are things we need to do specifically for each customer.” Frasca is also showing a Robinson R44 level 5 FTD and a Sikorsky S-92 cockpit procedures trainer (CPT) here at HeliExpo. “This range of helicopter devices on display illustrates Frasca’s expertise as a global leader in rotary-wing simulation as well as the company’s ability to build quality simulation devices for any customer worldwide,” said John Frasca, president of Frasca International. The R44 level 5 FTD, which Frasca introduced at Heli-Expo 2015, is designed for use by flight schools, c ommercial operators and parapublic organizations. “We
While it doesn’t have full-motion capability, Frasca International’s Airbus Helicopters AS350B2/H125 flight training device includes realistic visual displays and a vibration base that make you feel like you’re really flying.
FTD with Frasca. Delivery is planned for August and qualification expected in September by Transport Canada, according to Randy Gawenda, Frasca business development manager. In fact, Gawenda added, “It will be the first level 7 FTD in Canada.” The training device is convertible among three different configurations: the AS350B2, AS350B2 VEMD and the AS350B3e (now the Airbus H125). The six-channel visual system provides a field of view of 200 degrees horizontal by 70 degrees vertical. It has a customized helicopter mission database that provides a pinnacle landing zone, rooftop helipads, confined landing zones, EMS accident scene, oil rigs and platforms and moving traffic, such as other aircraft and ships. To meet level 7 FTD qualification requirements, Frasca needed to gather flight and systems data from a real AS350, in addition to data it had acquired earlier. It leased the helicopter
have since put dozens of pilots through it and continued to improve its fidelity and performance,” Frasca said. “We found it to be very effective at teaching hover and autorotations, as well as other tasks more commonly taught in the aircraft.” The S-92 CPT, which includes all systems and avionics, provides a simulated, stationary cockpit for pilot training. Touch-screen monitors include multi-touch capability, which allows two pilots to activate multiple switches at the same time as part of crew resource training. Entering data into the actual flight management system in the CPT could not be more realistic unless you were in the real aircraft. A video screen above the glareshield simulates the view forward to give the pilots another indication of heading changes initiated by FMS entries. Since its founding in 1958, Urbana, Ill.-based Frasca has delivered more than 2,600 FTDs and simulators worldwide. o
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Smart technology inside, for when your focus is outside. That’s what you get when you bring high-end flight deck technology to your cockpit with GTN. Things like optional search-and-rescue patterns integrated into your flight plan for autopilot guidance. Animated NEXRAD weather. Fuel-endurance rings. And more. So you take the work out of high-workload situations. For a firsthand look, stop by our exhibit (booth #1822) at HAI. ©2016 Garmin Ltd. or its subsidiaries
Bell focuses on innovation, hints at more new models
Expect leaps in technology innovation at Bell, according to president and CEO Mitch Snyder.
Mitch Snyder assumed the helm as president and CEO of Bell Helicopter late last year following the resignation of John Garrison. Snyder had been part of the executive leadership team at Bell for the last five years, most recently heading its government business. Snyder said not to expect any big changes at Bell under his administration. “I’m going to continue with the same strategy. I’ve been part of the executive leadership for five years, been at Bell for 12. You’ll see increased emphasis on innovation. I mean that in terms of leaps in technology, not just incremental movements in terms of products, processes and services. Safety will always be at the core of all of those. The second focus will be on our people. They are what truly make us great. Bell is made up of a lot of great leaders. I’m going to expose a lot more leaders to everyone as opposed to just me singularly.” Here at Heli-Expo (Booth 317), Bell is displaying the 525 Relentless flight test vehicle 2 (FTV 2), a 505 Jet Ranger X test vehicle, a 407 GXP configured for EMS, a 429 light twin configured for utility missions, and a mockup of its V-280 third-generation military tiltrotor, Bell’s entry into the Army’s Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) competition. Snyder said the products on display convey Bell’s breadth, balance and commitment to innovation. Even in a
challenging market, he said Bell will continue high levels of spending on innovation and research and development to both refresh existing products and bring transformative technologies to market. “We’re going to continue to do the product refreshes we’ve been doing, but we are putting a lot more emphasis into those big leaps in technology that are going to be the game changers. I won’t tell you exactly what we are working on, but we are going to be exploring a lot of new areas. We do have a list and we are working on them.” Bell is increasing spending on R&D but Snyder declined to reveal the amount. He hinted that new models might be coming. “We’re putting a heavy emphasis on product refresh, but I really want to spend some money now on technology types. It could be a new airframe, a new clean-sheet [design] or an upgrade to an existing product. We will be increasing that spending. There are no time frames. When I say I’m thinking of some clean-sheet designs, that’s out in the future.” While some have speculated that the V-280 could lead Bell back into the civil tiltrotor market, Snyder said Bell remains a committed supplier partner on the Finmeccanica (AgustaWestland) AW609 and focused on finding new markets for its V-22 military tiltrotor, made in partnership with Boeing. “We’re still part of
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by Mark Huber
the 609 program and are very supportive of Agusta to proceed with that,” he said. “What we are doing right now– 300,000 flight hours on the V-22 and the most in-demand aircraft in the Marine Corps inventory–it is changing the way the world flies. Agusta is going to do extremely well, and we are very supportive in our partnership with them. Right now we are focused on what we are going to get done with the V-280 and the requirements for the JMR-TD and the Future Vertical Lift. We’ll see how things evolve and play out.” Snyder called 2015 “a great year” for Bell. “There were geopolitical challenges and global economic uncertainty. But given all those situations, we had some great successes. We took one of our largest helicopter orders ever with 200 407 GXPs to Air Methods. Japan [ordered the] UHX for 150 aircraft based on the
EYE-TRACKING TECH STUDY AIMS TO IMPROVE HELO PILOT PERFORMANCE Global offshore helicopter association HeliOffshore has commissioned industry expert Jarvis Bagshaw to conduct a research study in Aberdeen that uses eye-tracking technology to understand how pilots monitor flight instruments. Twenty-six pilots participated in the first phase of observational study, which seeks to improve pilot performance in the cockpit. A safety priority across the industry is to optimize the training and tools provided to offshore crews, said HeliOffshore CEO Gretchen Haskins. “This is the focus of HeliOffshore’s collaborative eye-tracking
research, which started in January,” she said. The research involves pilots wearing eye-tracking glasses while flying a helicopter sim under IMC. This replicates a “realistic workload that immerses both crewmembers in duties and has a number of different task components to be monitored,” Haskins said. “Airbus Helicopters UK donated time in its Aberdeen-based H225 simulator and pilots from Bond Offshore, Bristow and CHC Helicopter are participating in the study.” The results will be used to improve training and standard operating procedures, as well as to give feedback to the manufacturers about the design of automation and cockpits, according to HeliOffshore operations director François Lassale. Results will be shared with HeliOffshore members at the association’s annual conference in Prague in mid-May. Then a working group will determine the best way possible to further improve safety via pilot training, procedures, policy and system design. –C.T.
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412 EPi with Fuji Heavy Industries. [We now have] 350 LOIs for the Bell 505 and 75 LOIs for the Bell 525. The Navy selected the V-22 as [carrier onboard delivery], 40 aircraft. And Bell logged the first foreign military sales of the V-22 to Japan and the H-1Z to Pakistan.” This year will see certification of the 505. Last July 1 525 FTV 1 made its first flight, and FTV 2 flew on December 21. Bell opened the new Bell Training Academy in Fort Worth and the 505’s Lafayette, La., assembly center last year. Snyder thinks the market in 2016 will be similar to 2015. “We’re going to continue to work on the balanced business model and invest in our new programs– the 505, 525 and V-280. The 525 will be certified in 2017 and the V-280 will be flying in 2017. We’re going to make sure we are cost-competitive globally.” Snyder doesn’t believe the recent collapse in global oil prices will hurt Bell as much as its competitors. “Even though the oil-and-gas market is struggling, we’re doing well and gaining share in other areas. Parapublic is an area that is growing, and we are doing well in emergency medical.” He declined to say how many of the 75 letters of intent for the new 525 super-medium twin are from oil-and-gas sector customers but did point out that the 525 “can do a lot of other things. There are multiple kits that can be installed on that aircraft–oil-and-gas, search-and-rescue and executive transport. All those kits will be in place [at certification]. Remember, oil-and-gas is down right now and may be down another year or two, but in three years we will have the product ready for when oil-and-gas comes back.” Lockheed Martin’s acquisition of Sikorsky will not affect Bell’s strategy going forward “at all,” Snyder said. “We continue to invest in commercial and the military. We are teamed with Lockheed Martin on the V-280 on the JMR-TD program with the next-generation tiltrotor. We continue to see great success with that program and have a great relationship with Lockheed Martin working on that. Given our portfolio and our longterm contracts with the U.S. government on the military side with the V-22 and the H-1Y/Z, I don’t think their acquisition of Sikorsky impacts us at all.” o
NEWS CLIPS
Paradise Helicopters, Brainerd Helicopters, Papillon Helicopters and Life Flight Network were announced as the inaugural operators in HAI’s newly launched accredited program of safety. It costs operators about $2,000 per year for program certification.
z Reach Reaches for Aviation Search Group
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Industry recruitment firm Aviation Search Group (Booth 7539) has received a six-month contract from Santa Rosa, Calif.-based Reach Air Medical Services to support the company’s hiring needs in more than 25 bases across the U.S. “Aviation Search Group [ASG] was chosen because they effectively evaluate candidates for our company culture and location preferences, thus providing us with a service that doesn’t just send us resumes and candidates who check off on minimum qualifications,” said Reach HR director Michelle Glancy. In operation for more than 15 years, ASG retains an experienced staff that identifies and evaluates potential candidates through an in-depth screening process before presenting them to the client. “We are honored to have been chosen for this challenging assignment,” noted ASG managing director Nick Mihon. “Despite some of the struggles the helicopter industry has seen recently, the air medical segment has remained strong. Reach has seen substantial growth due to their hard work and impeccable reputation.”
z Global Aerospace Rolls Out New Online Portal
HAI names first safety standards operators by Curt Epstein This week HAI announced the first four helicopter operators to be certified under its newly launched accreditation program of safety (APS), an audit-based system that focuses on missionspecific standards. Introduced at the beginning of the year, the voluntary program is derived from the International Business Aviation Council’s (IBAC) widely accepted International Standard for Business Aviation Operators (IS-BAO); HAI partnered with IBAC to modify the standard, to tailor it specifically to helicopter operations. The new HAI-APS is available only to HAI members that are currently IS-BAO certified or will be simultaneously
Mission-specific Standards • aerial application • airborne law enforcement • air tour • corporate and VIP transportation • electronic news gathering • aerial film and photography • external loads and heavy lift • flight training • helicopter air ambulance • heli skiing • offshore • personal use • pipeline and powerline • wildlife management and mustering HAI will introduce other mission-specifications as demand evolves.
pursuing both certifications, as IS-BAO registration is a requisite for the new HAI standard. While most regulations are designed to meet the minimum standards of safety, the new program will allow operators to achieve and promote a higher degree of safety, according to HAI. The association is offering the program–scalable for any size operation–as a benefit for members, so cost is limited to basically administration costs by the association to make it affordable for even the smallest operators. “[It’s] not a revenue mechanism for HAI. We’re doing the whole thing for cost,” noted HAI president and CEO Matt Zuccaro, adding that small operators with five or fewer helicopters account for about 75 percent of his organization’s membership. “One thing that we wanted to do when we designed this program [was] to bring an accreditation and SMS safety program to the smallest operators out there,” said Dennis Pratte,
HAI’s director of safety, noting that HAI charges just $250 for its portion of the standard. Additional initial costs include the IS-BAO manuals ($1,200) and certification ($750) plus the audit fees. For a small operation the total cost will be less than $2,000 a year for accreditation. Fees are fixed for medium and large operators as well. Unlike IBAC, HAI will assign an auditor, based upon the needs of the operator. Provided prospective candidates conduct a fair amount of preparation, the HAI portion of the audit can be conducted on site in one day, said Pratte, noting that HAI will provide mentoring and review the standards compliance with operators to help them prepare for the audit. The four initial operators recognized include Paradise Helicopters (air tours), Brainerd Helicopters (DBA Firehawk Helicopters, external load-heavy lift), Papillon Helicopters (air tour), and Life Flight Network (helicopter air ambulance). Another 10 certifications are currently in progress. Provided all the standards are requested and audited at the same time, the $250 fee will cover multiple mission standards for multi-use operators if they meet the audit requirements. o
AT THE BOOTHS Vector Aerospace is developing an ADS-B-compliant option for the Finmeccanica AW139 medium-twin helicopter. The Vector Aerospace system uses an L-3 Lynx 1090 MHz ADS-B transponder that can be installed on a new center console control panel or in the aircraft’s existing panel. The maintenance, repair and overhaul specialist is hoping to obtain both U.S. FAA and Brazilian ANAC approval by mid-year. Vector Aerospace already has secured orders for seven of the ADS-B out kits for the AW139, with another order pending for seven more. Vector Aerospace (Booth 7556) has provided a number of STC installations and avionics upgrades on a range of rotorcraft, including Airbus Helicopters, Bell and Sikorsky models, among others. v
International aviation insurance specialist Global Aerospace has launched a user-friendly online aviation underwriting and policy management portal, which is dedicated to the light aircraft market, including kit, experimental and amateur-built aircraft. According to the company, brokers that have previously used PBO-online, Aeroinsure UK or Canada.Net will find the portal to be a reliable and continuously improving e-commerce system, which will operate across multiple product lines globally. At its booth here at Heli-Expo (6060), the London-based provider will demonstrate the new portal, which it says will provide easy access to light aircraft insurance. Among its benefits are quick online quotes and immediate coverage, secure encryption of online data, less paperwork and competitive premiums. “Aeroinsure is another example of Global’s increased investment in technology in order to make aviation insurance simpler and more convenient,” noted Nick Brown, the company’s group chief executive.
z JSSI Adds Law Enforcement Mx Cost Program Hourly cost maintenance provider Jet Support Services, Inc. (JSSI, Booth 6133) has partnered with Night Flight Concepts (NFC, Booth 4451) to establish a maintenance program tailored to the needs of the law enforcement agency market. JSSI will offer its hourly cost maintenance programs as part of NFC’s recently established Law Enforcement Air Support Entity, which aims to support law enforcement agencies looking to upgrade to new aircraft and operate them at fair cost. “We share a passion with Night Flight Concepts to provide law enforcement and first responder helicopter operators with the absolute highest levels of service,” said JSSI president and CEO Neil Book. “JSSI will help these life-saving operators not only stabilize their maintenance budget but also lower their overall maintenance costs while providing the technical expertise that is found at JSSI.” JSSI covers more than 350 aircraft types, including virtually all helicopters operating today.
z Transaero Named Parts Distributor by Ontic Legacy parts specialist Ontic appointed Transaero its authorized parts distributor for its line of Hamilton Sundstrand jet fuel control products. These items include a variety of hydromechanical controls for the T64, T56, T55, JT3D and JT4 engines. GE Aviation’s T64 turboshaft powers the CH-53 Sea Stallion helicopter and the Lycoming T55 is on the CH-47 Chinook. The other engines covered by the new agreement power fixed-wing military aircraft, including the B-52, the E3 Sentry, U-2 and Boeing 707. Ontic, which is part of the BBA Aviation group (Booth 4356), focuses on “extended life solutions” for aerospace parts that are no longer in production with their OEMs. Its 4,500-plus products are covered by approvals from the FAA, as well as EASA and authorities in China and Singapore. Transaero will carry significant volumes of Ontic’s inventory. It has nine offices around the world and a 24/7 AOG hotline.
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InSight is Universal’s first integrated flight deck developed for the helicopter market.
NEWS CLIPS z Bell Reveals February Orders and Deliveries Here at Heli-Expo 2016 Bell Helicopter announced several recent deliveries and orders that took place last month. The Fort Worth-based helicopter OEM delivered the first Bell 412EPI with an advanced flight deck and glass cockpit to the government of Uttar Pradesh in India. Also for India, Bell announced the first purchase of a Bell407GXP, by Premair, an air charter/management company. The helicopter will be fitted for corporate and VIP transport. At the Singapore Air Show, Bell’s leadership team signed an agreement for the purchase of a Bell 407GXP to be delivered to Simrik Air Nepal. The helicopter will be the first of the model in Nepal and will be outfitted for multi-mission capabilities, including travel and tourism.
z Mecaer Aviation To Sell Honeywell Avionics in Philly International components, interiors and MRO provider Mecaer Aviation Group (Booth 503) has signed on with Honeywell Aerospace to establish an official Honeywell dealership at its Philadelphia location, where it supports and maintains a wide variety of aircraft. The announcement comes after Mecaer upgraded its avionics capability for helicopters. The company currently works on the Primus Epic integrated system for the Finmeccanica AW139 and is a Finmeccanica service center. “We have long looked for the ideal partner to expand our service capabilities in avionics,” said Mecaer co-general manager Armando Sassoli. “As we work to provide a one-stop service environment for our customers, the Honeywell dealership will help us achieve our long-term objective.”
z What Was Once N16HT Pro Is Now Ecliptus Aviation Specialties Unlimited (ASU) has renamed N16HT Pro, its wireless recording and image-sharing night vision system, to Ecliptus, to make it more appealing to a larger audience. It has also started a Kickstarter campaign for a new product for a military-grade NVG GoPro video recording device. “Ecliptus is the first product designed and developed by ASU that can be used in a variety of places by a number of different people, said ASU president Jim Winkel. “The Ecliptus fully integrates and compactly couples a GoPro camera with an intensified night-vision-equipped device without the necessity for large, optical relay lenses that are commonly used today. This opens the device to outdoor enthusiasts, weekend warriors, extreme sports athletes and other consumers.” ASU (Booth 2000) offers Ecliptus for $5,499, but the company is offering a discount on the product to early adopters on Kickstarter.
Universal’s flight deck for MD 902 in testing by Kerry Lynch Universal Avionics recently successfully completed the first flight of its InSight integrated flight deck on the MD Helicopters 902 as the manufacturer aims to bring the avionics suite to market by early next year. The February 17 initial flight, completed at the MD Helicopters facility in Mesa, Ariz., tested multiple phases of flight, including ground-run operations, ramp area hover/maneuvering and airport area operations with speed and altitude buildups. “This is an important step in the development of the new avionics suite for the MD 902,” said Grady Dees, Universal Avionics director of technical sales. Universal Avionics first announced it was working with MD Helicopters on an integrated flight deck in 2013, and then took the wraps off the InSight suite for the MD 902 a year later. MD Helicopters is both the forwardfit and retrofit OEM launch customer. The avionics will replace aging Bendix/King EFIS 40
cathode-ray-tube displays on the MD 902. Universal Avionics also is working toward certification of the system as a retrofit on the Cessna Citation VII. For the MD 902, Universal is developing options for either two or three landscape-oriented highresolution LCD displays with LED backlighting. The avionics suite includes a cursor slew switch mounted on the collective that the company says enables pilots to keep “hands on, head up” during all phases of flight. InSight also incorporates the company’s latest synthetic vision technology, which depicts details to the level of shimmer that comes off water. InSight is the first integrated flight deck that Universal Avionics has brought to the helicopter market and marks a strategic decision by the company to significantly expand its presence there, said Robert Clare, director of sales. Universal Avionics has had a footprint in the market with its flight management systems and has already seen growth through
its NextGen products, such as ADS-B-compliant systems. “We were recognized to a certain extent for our FMS,” Clare said. But after unveiling MD Helicopters as the launch OEM customer for the flight deck, he noted that representatives of nearly every helicopter manufacturer have inquired about the system. He added that the companies expect to expand on the business with future applications, saying they are discussing both forward fit and retrofit possibilities. Universal Avionics has collaborated closely with MD Helicopters as it has developed the system, and said MD 902 operators have expressed strong interest. Pricing details for a retrofit option are still being finalized, Clare said. While the Explorer is a Part 27 helicopter, Universal Avionics has certified the system to Part 29/Part 25 standards and said it would meet Level A requirements, which entail a more rigorous testing and certification regime. This will give Universal Avionics flexibility for IFR use as well as future applications, not only in rotorcraft and business aircraft, but potentially in the commercial and government sectors. o
z L.A. Children’s Hospital Honors Helinet Founder Children’s Hospital Los Angeles recently renamed its airlift transport program the Alan Purwin Emergency Transport Program to honor Alan Purwin, founder and owner of Helinet, which operates the service. The program, which uses two Sikorsky S-76s to transport critically injured and ill children to the hospital, was a special project for Purwin, who lost his life in an airplane crash in Colombia last September. “Our Children’s Hospital Los Angeles transportation service was so close to Alan’s heart, we knew we needed to maintain it as his legacy,” stated Helinet CEO Steve Gatena. “We are excited about the renaming of the program to reflect his commitment. We will continue to support the hospital as Alan intended with hopes to eventually expand our life-saving services for the hospital with new technology in the near future.” Along with this project, Helinet Technologies (Booth 3518), which specializes in airborne delivery of imagery for government and commercial clients, continues to look toward the future. The helicopter service provider hired Gatena in July of 2015 to head new technology ventures. President and COO Jonathan Compass was promoted from general manager shortly after Purwin’s death.
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FOUNDATION FORMED TO HONOR EX-SIKORSKY PRESIDENT JEFF PINO The family of former Sikorsky Aircraft president Jef- X2 semi-compound rotorcraft technology demonstrafrey Pino has established a foundation–the Jeff Pino tor, the recipient of the 2010 Collier Trophy. Foundation–to support veterans, the Red Cross, EAA, Pino also spearheaded Sikorsky’s 2011 minority the University of Arizona and other efforts stake in very light jet manufacturer Eclipse that help, support and mentor young peoAerospace, with initial reports suggestple who aspire to become pilots and pursue ing the company would also assist Eclipse careers in aviation, aerospace and science, with production. Sikorsky parent company technology, engineering and math. United Technologies (UTC) later pulled back Pino was killed in the crash of a P-51D from those plans. Mustang in Maricopa, Ariz., 35 miles south After retiring from Sikorsky in 2012, of Phoenix, in early February. Vintage airPino most recently served as vice-chaircraft owner and enthusiast Nicholas Traman for personal VTOL developer XTI Airmontano, 72, a longtime friend of Pino’s, craft. The founder of that company, David was also killed in the crash. Brody, called Pino “a true leader, pioneer Jeff Pino, 61, former A retired Master Army Aviator, Pino Sikorsky president and industry legend.” joined Sikorsky in 2002 following 17 years at Pino owned the P-51D Mustang, “Big Bell Helicopter. He was named president of the Strat- Beautiful Doll,” since early 2014, and that October made ford, Conn.-based helicopter manufacturer in 2006, a successful gear-up landing in the airplane following and during his tenure oversaw an extensive product trouble with its left main gear. The aircraft resumed flying development effort that included introduction of the last August, according to Pino’s Facebook page. –R.F.
COCKPIT B50 THE ULTIMATE PILOT’S INSTRUMENT Aviation enters a new era with a multifunction chronograph delivering unprecedented performance. At the heart of this high-tech feat beats a (COSC) chronometer-certified SuperQuartzTM movement specially developed by Breitling for aviation. Equipped with a sturdy and light titanium case, the Cockpit B50 innovates with its huge range of functions, extreme user friendliness, rechargeable battery and an ultra-legible high-intensity display mode. Reliable, accurate, efficient: the ultimate pilot’s instrument.
BREI TLI N G.C OM
NEWS CLIPS z Helitowcart Introduces Remote-controlled Models
z Vector Aerospace Certified for H130/EC130 Mx Vector Aerospace has added the Airbus Helicopters H130 (formerly EC130T2) and EC130B4 tail rotor gearbox (TGB) to its existing range of rotorcraft repair and overhaul capabilities. Vector (Booth 7556) will offer this expanded support for the H130/EC130 from its facilities in Langley and Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, which already offer operators a range of services for Airbus Helicopters models, including the H125/AS350, AS355,H130/EC130, BO105, H135/ EC135 and AS332. Vector’s service offerings for the H130/ EC130 series include D-level structural repairs, dynamic component repair and scheduled maintenance. Vector is also an authorized Turbomeca Arriel 2 repair center, supporting operators in North America. Vector Aerospace is in the process of completing a new 88,000-sq-ft facility in Langley, which will incorporate new avionics and structures shops plus 65,000 sq ft of hangar space. This facility, which will also feature expanded engineering and STC development capabilities as well as a modernized paint facility, will be formally opened during the first half of this year. “With our highly trained, OEM-certified technicians already providing full R&O on the H130/EC130 main gearboxes, we are pleased to offer this newly expanded capability to our customers,” said Craig Pluim, vice president of sales, rotary wing. “We are already experiencing great interest from the market regarding this new offering, and we will work diligently to meet our customer’s future requirements.”
z Mid-Continent Completes Quality Management Mid-Continent Instruments and Avionics (Booth 1800) recently received AS 9100C and ISO 9001:2008 certification for its quality management system following an assessment by Orion Registrar. The standards were developed specifically to cover quality management systems in the aerospace industry, with requirements that cover areas that affect process and service safety, quality and reliability of products. “Achieving AS 9100C and ISO 9001:2008 certification provides a highly credible basis for maintaining quality and consistency in the design and manufacturing of our products,” said Mid-Continental quality assurance manager Mark Smith. “The certification is universally recognized in the aerospace industry and demonstrates to all our customers, suppliers and regulatory agencies that we are committed to a comprehensive quality management system. Collectively, we all benefit from improved efficiencies and productivity, elimination of waste and process consistency.” The Wichita-based company manufactures, overhauls and repairs aircraft instruments, avionics and advanced power solutions for multiple aviation sectors, including helicopters.
Sikorsky Aircraft president Dan Schultz opens the company’s “customer support zone” at its Heli-Expo booth.
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Helitowcart (Booth 2009) is introducing optional remote controls for its helicopter towing products. The first units available with the new joystick controls are the Heavy Duty V1000 hydraulic carrier and the Light Duty V900 electrical carrier. Also being unveiled at the Heli-Expo show are remote control units for the V1601 and V1062 models, which are designed for heavy-wheeled, larger helicopters. According to the Canadian company, the systems allow for precise control of the hydraulic steering systems, which can maintain a 200-degree tight-turn capability over rugged surfaces. The remote controls are expected to work well for operations in tight spaces, such as oil platform decks and crowded hangars. Helitowcart plans to extend the application of the new radio control system to the rest of its V1000 series carriers for skidded helicopters. The company also announced plans to introduce a new V920 model (a remote controlled version of the V910 Light Duty Heli-Carrier) in June 2016.
Sikorsky revamping product support by Curt Epstein In an effort to reverse slumping user ratings for its product support, Sikorsky has engaged in a major, multi-faceted overhaul of its customer product support business, and it will highlight those changes here at Heli-Expo, in a special customer support zone at the company’s booth (2617). Sikorsky had already laid the foundations for the upgrade before its purchase by defense giant Lockheed Martin, according to Joe Triompo, the airframer’s recently named vice president of customer support. “Clearly the survey results that we received from our customers and some of the feedback that we had received [said] that Sikorsky wasn’t as focused as it needed to be on customer service.” To address that, here at the show, the Connecticutbased rotorcraft manufacturer announced the official grand opening of its new customer care center, which is staffed 24 hours a day, to provide immediate assistance in repair situations. The company’s telephone hotline feeds directly into the AOG Resolution Center, which has an integrated team consisting of customer service representatives, engineers and inventory and parts procurement specialists, who can guide the field service representatives and field repair teams around the world. Another function of the facility is a fleet management center staffed with analytical engineers and technical experts, who accumulate and review data from the Health and Usage Management Systems installed on Sikorsky’s S-92 and S-76 fleets around the world, to identify trends for forecasting parts wear
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and replacement schedules. Triompo said the S-92 fleet has now surpassed the one million hour service mark, providing an abundance of such data. While Sikorsky has had account service managers in the past, it has recently increased staffing so that every commercial helicopter customer has an assigned representative within the company. “He’s clearly the eyes and the ears of the customer,” Triompo told AIN, “giving us feedback as to the customers’ needs and desires and expectations. He’s also responsible to us internally to be sure that we’re having the appropriatelevel meetings with the customer and reviewing their data with us.” Each regional customer support team also includes customer service representatives for parts and repair support, and a technical product engineer. Global Parts Facilities
In the past, all Sikorsky spare parts were dispatched from the company’s warehouse outside Atlanta, but in an effort to speed the delivery of spares, Sikorsky has just established its first forward stocking location, essentially a parts depot, in Stavanger, Norway, to support one of the world’s largest concentrations of its products. Its multimillion-dollar inventory there is managed by material requirement planning (MRP) systems. “Having material at the location of that fleet we see as a big advantage for our customers,” Triompo said. “Our plan is to open up a number of other forward stocking locations during the year so that we could again focus our material at the sites where our fleets are flying.”
Other locations eyed for parts warehousing include Brisbane, Australia-based MRO provider Helitech, which was acquired by Sikorsky more than a decade ago. This past year it was designated as the manufacturer’s first factory-authorized S-92 customer support center in the world. Last month, the company designated UI Helicopter in Yesan, South Korea, as an authorized customer support center to service the nearly 20 Sikorsky S-76s and S-92s currently operating in the country. Of the more than 20 support centers authorized by Sikorsky worldwide, only a small number are approved to provide MRO services for both of the manufacturer’s commercial transports. “We take a great privilege in our relationship with Sikorsky, since we are the founder of the helicopter industry in the Republic of Korea, with a long history in its profession,” said Albert Rim, president and representative director of UI Helicopter. Triompo said Sikorsky is finalizing approval for two additional support centers. One is Rotorcraft Support at Van Nuys Airport in Southern California, and the other is Skyline in Ontario, Canada. “Our goal is to achieve customer service excellence,” he told AIN. “I think we’ve really regained the focus and are committed to our customers from a standpoint of keeping them flying. We’ve put in more customer service centers, we’ve opened up the customer care center with the AOG and the fleet management, we’ve refocused the organization on customer support and we want to get that message out.” o
96
participating countries*
$204
BILLION of orders and commitments placed*
84
of the top 100 aerospace companies participated*
SALUTE TO EXCELLENCE
Sikorsky humanitarian award honors three Italian services
The Italian-flag ferry Norman Atlantic burned in high winds at sea, putting the lives of nearly 500 in peril. Italian military helicopter pilots plucked them all to safety one at a time.
by Amy Laboda Of the nine Salute to Excellence Awards distributed each year during Heli-Expo, the Sikorsky Humanitarian Service Award stands out because it honors those who use helicopters for the missions that Igor Sikorsky first envisioned: saving lives. The Italian coast guard’s 2nd
Nucleo Aereo; the Italian navy’s Gruppo Elicotteri 1 and Gruppo Elicotteri 3; and the Italian air force’s 15th Stormo 84th and 15th Stormo 85th Centro CSAR were awarded the Sikorsky Humanitarian Service award during Heli-Expo 2016, for their part in a massive marine helicopter
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rescue mission off the coast of Italy in the last days of 2014. On Dec. 28, 2014, the car ferry N orman Atlantic had just left a Greek port with approximately 487 passengers, 200 vehicles and 12 crew aboard, bound for Southern Italy, when a fire broke out on the car deck. The Italian-flagged ferry, chartered by Greek ferry operator Anek Lines, was sailing from Patras in western Greece to Ancona in Italy. Just 15 days earlier Greek authorities had cited the owner for numerous safety violations relating to emergency lighting, fire doors and lifesaving capacity on board the vessel. The owners had been served with a notice giving them 15 days to remedy the deficiencies. The flames spread quickly among the gasoline- and diesel-filled cars and trucks on two decks, yet no alarm sounded, according to passengers. Heat and smoke chased passengers and crew out onto open decks where they were pummeled by howling winds and rain. Hypothermia was rampant. Only one lifeboat, with 49 aboard, was launched. Flames and smoke swamped the others. The fire burned out of control through the night. By morning the ship listed, bellowing black smoke, adrift in heavy seas and gale-force winds. Rescue teams faced dense smoke, rough seas and high flames fanned by winds of more than 40 knots, which made a ship-to-ship rescue impossible. Two crew were killed during the attempt to rig towing cables to the vessel. As the ferry burned, five helicopter units from the Italian air force, navy, and coast guard mounted one of the largest marine helicopter rescue missions ever attempted. While fireboats sprayed water on the flames in an attempt to put the fire out, the helicopters airlifted first the injured, then the youngest and most vulnerable passengers and finally all of the crew to safety over the course of 72 hours. When it was done, although a dozen people lost their lives, more than 420 passengers and crew were airlifted by the Italians from the Norman Atlantic to nearby ships taking part in the rescue effort. The exact number airlifted is complicated by the fact that numerous stowaways were onboard, making the passenger manifest reference material, at best. The ferry was eventually towed via tug to Brindisi, Italy, when the weather died down. It continued to smolder for days as firefighters fought hotspots and searched for more stowaways inside n the superstructure.
‘Transformed’ Erickson poised for growth in 2016 Erickson’s new CEO Jeff Roberts said The company had three maintenance his experience at the helm of the company organizations when he took over, but has been an “eye-opening 10-month ten- those have been consolidated into one. ure.” Roberts had only been on the job a Multiple safety management systems are few months when the company also down to one. “We had posted a surprise quarterly loss multiple facilities supporting of $75 million, $49.8 million of operational tempo and conit related to an impairment-oftent,” he said, “now we have goodwill accounting charge and consolidated all our stuff much of the remainder attribinto Oregon at one location. utable to Erickson’s acquisition We had four business units, of Evergreen’s rotorcraft assets. now we’re down to three. We Roberts said he has spent had some operations that a good part of the last year were not profitable, so we’ve streamlining and strengthening drawn down those and exited Erickson so it is positioned for a couple of markets. Within future growth and profitability. the markets that we are going Erickson’s new CEO “Our transformation is 80 perto continue to participate in, Jeff Roberts cent of the way there. Now we we find those areas that we are trying to aggressively win new busi- are going to pursue. For example in oilness. We are optimistic that this is a year and-gas, the company made a big play to we get things headed our way. We have get into the [offshore] oil-and-gas space. positioned the business to stop the decline There wasn’t a whole lot of differentiaand start the growth pattern.” tion or value that we could bring there,so
TURBOMECA CELEBRATES 1 MILLION HOURS WITH USCG
Above, Erickson’s massive Aircrane shows its worth in firefighting, but the company offers plenty of other services: energy, construction, timber harvesting and oil-and-gas. It is self-sufficient at remote locales.
we stepped back and said the offshore oil-and-gas play is not for us. There’s nothing we can do there. However, for land-based remote-location exploration and production, where heavy lift and precision placement-support transportation services are required, that could be a nice play for us. So we still are going to participate in oil-and-gas, but just in that very specific opportunity.” Rationalizing the fleet was a principal focus. “Now we have a strategic fleet plan,” he explained. “When I got here we had 85 aircraft and 12 different types and 25 to 30 different models. It was all over the map. We are in the process of focusing on three or four types and as few models as we can. We’ll dispose of aircraft selectively.” One Stop for Service
the U.S. military and other agencies. Assembled by subsidiary Turbomeca USA in Grand Prairie, Texas, the engines are supported by Turbomeca’s Service By the Hour (SBH) program, which provides predictable costs per hour of operation. Overall, the company has produced more than 12,000 Arriels, which have flown a collective 45 million hours, powering more than 40 different rotorcraft types, according to Turbomeca. –M.P.
PHILIPPE STROPPA
Last December, Turbomeca celebrated a milestone with one of its best customers, the U.S. Coast Guard. At the USCG Aviation Logistics Center in Elizabeth City, N.C., the company marked 1 million hours of operation for its Arriel 2C2-CG engine installed on the Coast Guard’s fleet of MH-65 Dolphin helicopters. In 2004, the USCG began re-engining its MH-65s with the Turbomeca turboshaft, ultimately taking delivery of 225 engines. The last one entered service in 2007. The re-engining was part of the Coast Guard’s Deepwater program, in which the Dolphins are tasked with several diverse maritime missions. They include search-andrescue; law enforcement; environmental response; and maritime surveillance. In all, Turbomeca has delivered more than 1,100 of the 700- to 1,000-shp Arriel engines to
BRYAN DUDAS
by Mark Huber
28 HAI Convention News • March 2, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
Roberts said that Erickson plans to stress its ability to provide customers with what he called the “full bandwidth” of services, including MRO, manufacturing and operations–all vertically integrated, which can be invaluable when operating in austere environments. “We operate 70 to 80 aircraft, both rotorcraft and fixedwing. We operate them all over the world. We have our own maintenance repair and overhaul capability. And we have a type certificate for both an airframe and an engine. So that manufacturing capability coupled with the MRO capability coupled with the operational capability by itself makes us unique. Then if you think about the legacy business that we have been in for the last 40 or 50 years, that has forced us to operate in very remote, very austere, difficult non-infrastructurerich environments. “A remote environment where a number of utility aircraft platforms are required, where a combination of transportation services, lift and precision placement are of value and where you can leverage your vertical integration, MRO and manufacturing and operations to give you best-in-class dispatch reliability” is where Erickson can provide unmatched service, Roberts said. And he sees plenty of growth in those areas. “We believe based on the research that we have done, across defense and security, commercial and manufacturing and MRO markets, that there is probably a $3
to $4 billion market for those specialized services. And we’re at $300 to $400 million [in revenues now] so there’s a lot of upside,” he said. Roberts described the markets and Erickson’s role in them. “In commercial markets we are in firefighting and timber harvesting, on land oil-and-gas and construction. We lead in two and are material participants in two, so we think there are opportunities for us. Because of the portfolio that was Evergreen, we now have a demonstrated [capability] in defense and security support around the world, and we believe there are opportunities for us to participate there, offering the operations piece and leveraging the MRO piece in that space. The final piece is doing MRO work for legacy assets as well as providing job shop, non-high-volume, technically difficult and complex manufacturing.” Internally, Roberts has been fine-tuning Erickson. “You look at the front of the business. How good are we at identifying and uncovering opportunities and putting our value proposition forward? In the middle of the business how are we doing from an execution standpoint: are we meeting or exceeding customer expectations? What can we do to improve ourselves? And then a third area is the cross-functional and support areas on the back end of the business: are we as efficient as we should be?” The company focused on all three areas during the past year. “I think we accomplished a number of things,” Roberts said, “in terms of efficiencies and driving effectiveness on the back of the business. We’ve consolidated some things and eliminated some non-winning propositions. We have introduced more accountability and rigor into the execution into how we do things and why we do them and what works and what doesn’t, and to make sure the customer feels that improvement. And on the front end it has been a build scenario. We didn’t have a lot of vigor or robustness from a marketing, sales and business development standpoint, so we brought in sales and business development leaders and marketing expertise, to go in the marketplace and uncover and capture additional work.” o
Finmeccanica Helicopters posted improved revenues for the first nine months of 2015 compared to the same year ago period even as its order book slipped. For the first nine months of 2015 the company posted revenues of €3.212 billion, up from €3.036 billion for the same period year over year. However, orders dropped to €2.881 billion
from €3.083 billion. Full year 2015 results are not yet available, but will be released with parent Finmeccanica’s overall results in the middle of this month. Managing director Daniele Romiti blamed the decline on a combination of depressed energy prices and economic difficulties in selected economic regions. Romiti estimated new
Robinson R44 Cadet orders
for carrying larger items is now much larger. One welcome item that can be added to Cadet is the 33-pound air-conditioning system that is optional on the R44 Raven II, currently the only model (besides the turbine R66) for which airconditioning is available. The Cadet also has the capacity to be IFR equipped for use as instrument trainer, using the Garmin G500H or Aspen Evolution suite and Genesys autopilot. Essentially, the Cadet has the same carbureted, 225-hp Lycoming O-540 engine as the Raven I, but it is derated to 210 hp. While this means the Cadet can’t haul as high a load as the Raven, it will have better performance at high altitudes. “We’ve been talking about this for years,” said Kurt Robinson. There was clearly a gap between the R22 and the R44 Raven I, and no capability to add air-conditioning or IFR avionics to the R22 without removing some compensating weight. “We started looking at the R44. What if we simplify it and focus on the ideal trainer?” A two-person helicopter would
offer plenty of baggage space, he explained. And it turned out that the R22’s choice as a trainer had more to do with its cost; it wasn’t originally designed to be a training helicopter. “The R44 is easier to learn to fly,” Robinson said. “It’s more stable and has more margins.” And for pilots moving into larger helicopters such as the R66, transitioning from an R44 is much more natural. “We’ve been watching the market, and we thought it would be nice to put something out there that’s lower cost, for training but also utility. And there is so much training done in hot places, [air-conditioning] will be a popular option.” When the company initially discussed the Cadet, it received questions about why not just add on to the R22. But Robinson said yesterday at Heli-Expo, “We’ve done everything we could with the 22. The ship is very well maxed out.” Once details of the Cadet were revealed, the reaction turned to the upside, so much so that Robinson said, “We been very surprised at the positive reaction to it.” o
by Mark Huber
uContinued from page 1
the side window is made of one piece, but that’s not the case. Robinson simply painted the post between the forward and rear side windows black, so they look congruent, giving the Cadet a more streamlined and less segmented look compared to its older siblings. The rear window is also shorter on the Cadet because the helicopter’s main feature is removal of the rear seats, and there is thus no need to provide lots of viewing glass for the non-existent rearseat occupants. Another feature of the twoseat Cadet includes removal of inside rear door handles, which are no longer needed. Without the seats, the rear area is available to carry up to 200 pounds of luggage, which includes 50 pounds inside each bucket under the two former seat bottom lids and another 50 pounds on top of each lid. Without passengers sitting in back, the volume
INNOVA HELICOPTERS SIGNS FOR ROLLS-ROYCE RR300 TURBOSHAFT ENGINES Officials from Rolls-Royce and Innova Aerospace signed an agreement yesterday at Heli-Expo 2016 to launch a technical development program to certify the RR300 turboshaft engine for the Innova Helicopters C630, a composite, single-engine helicopter. The agreement was signed by Jason Propes, senior vice president of helicopters and light turboprop engines for Rolls-Royce, and Greg Fedele, executive vice president of corporate development for Innova Aerospace. Innova Helicopters, formerly known as Innova Composite Helicopters, is located at North Shore Airport in Auckland, New Zealand. Privately owned Innova Aerospace also owns Sierra Industries and Skyway Group. The C630 is a 3,200-mtow, five- to sixpassenger utility helicopter with range of up to 450 nm (no reserve) and cruise speed of 125 knots. Under the three-year support agreement RollsRoyce will provide technical installation support for the C630 certification program. Product development
is expected to take 24 to 36 months. The initial type and production certificates are planned to be issued by the New Zealand CAA. According to Tim McGrath, Rolls-Royce vice president of customer business, officials of the two companies met at EAA AirVenture in July 2011. “We were impressed with the design of the helicopter and thought our engine would be a good fit,” he said. Said Fedele, “When choosing an engine for the C630, we wanted a partner that was as innovative as our company. We found that partner with the team from Rolls-Royce. We continue to build a world-class production and engineering team in New Zealand as we advance our certification program.” Rolls-Royce already is building 100 RR300 engines per year under a contract with Robinson Helicopter for the R66, and McGrath said Rolls would have no problem increasing the production rate to accommodate the Innova C630. –R.R.P.
training centers in three countries. Romiti said Finmeccanica is stressing its lighter product offerings here at Heli-Expo, particularly the new AW169, Trekker and 009. Yesterday Finmeccanica signed a memorandum of understanding with AAL USA of Huntsville, Ala., to complete the new Finmeccanica 009 light single. While a firm price for the helicopter has not been set, Finmeccanica executives said it would be in the $1.2 to $1.5 million range. FAA certification is targeted for June. The aircraft will be built in Poland and shipped to the U.S., and delivered out of Huntsville.
Also yesterday, AW609 program manager Clive Scott revealed that the company knows the cause of the fatal crash of the second commercial tiltrotor prototype on October 30, but he did not disclose the information. He added that the third prototype, which will be used mainly for icing testing, will begin flying soon. A fourth prototype is under construction and will begin flying in 2017. Prototype 2 will not be replaced. Rather, the first prototype, that began flying in 2003, will be modified to make it more conformal for flight-testing purposes. Scott said certification remains on track for 2018. o
MARIANO ROSALES
Finmeccanica revenues improve, orders drop
orders at 190 and deliveries at 200. “We’re in good shape for margins with returns in double digits,” Romiti said. “Our industrial setup is delivering efficiencies and cost reductions.” Romiti said the company was looking to expand its customer service and training operations, noting that 35 percent of revenues currently come from that source. He also noted that the company was bringing 10 new simulators on line in 2015 and 2016 and that simulator hours flown had increased to 38,873, a 21 percent jump from 2014, and that 9,457 students had been trained through 900 courses at four
The helicopter industry is worried that approvals for inlet barrier filters, such as this one for the Sikorsky S-92, might become very difficult under a proposed FAA policy.
Draft FAA policy clogs inlet filters uContinued from page 1
The policy calls for proprietary power information that is difficult to obtain from engine manufacturers and seeks potential operational restrictions, such as helicopter-specific payload limitations–that could make installation unviable, said Lorie Symon, executive director of Aerometals. The FAA’s stated justification–increasing use and the need for standardized installations–for the new policy puzzles executives from both Aerometals and Donaldson Filtration Solutions, the only other IBF producer in the market. Matt Fortuna, general manager for Donaldson, noted that IBFs have been installed on more than 7,000 helicopters and have collectively accumulated more than 20 million flight hours over 20 years. “They have an established history of zero safety incidents,” Symon added. STC Challenges
The policy has been quietly in the works for years, and over the past four years new supplemental type certificates (STCs)
have become increasingly difficult to obtain from the FAA and EASA. Symon fears for the future of her business, noting that her company has invested $5 million in a new IBF for the Sikorsky S-92, but has been unable to get the project to market. If the policy is enacted as stated, she added, Aerometals likely “would close the division and get out of the IBF market.” Tom Newman, engineering director for Donaldson, added that the company has “several projects in development” and is trying to ascertain how to move forward with the regulators. Fortuna said Donaldson will have to evaluate the “changes in the business model” that would come under the policy. Aerometals and Donaldson are urging helicopter industry professionals to weigh in on the proposed policy statement. The deadline for the comments is April 15. The policy statement can be found at http://www.faa. gov/aircraft/draft_docs/policy/. The executives also hope to raise the issue during an FAA “Face to Face” panel that will be held at 8:30 a.m. March 3 here at Heli-Expo. o
www.ainonline.com • March 2, 2016 • HAI Convention News 29
NEWS CLIPS z Southeast Aerospace Reworks Bell 407GX for Military Role Southeast Aerospace (Booth 801) has delivered 22 of 30 heavily modified Bell 407GX helicopters ordered by an undisclosed military customer from outside the U.S. The aircraft, which will be designated as the NSA 407MRH, are to be used in a light attack and armed reconnaissance role and will be supplied to the end user by NorthStar Aviation. Florida-based Southeast Aerospace has refitted the 407s with an extensive package of upgrades including intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance equipment, as well as mission and communications systems. Items fitted include digital audio/ ICS, UHF/VHF/satcom, IFF transponder, electronic standby instrument, Iridium tracker, radio altimeter, stores and mission management systems, EO/IR sensors and video downlinks, Tacan, NVIS modifications, composite doors and emergency locator transmitter.
z Metro Aviation Offers $10,000 Incentive for EC145e Completions Metro Aviation (Booth 9337), which was the launch customer for the Airbus Helicopters EC145e in 2015, is offering a $10,000 cash back “Early Introduction” incentive for its next five completion contracts on the helicopter. Shreveport, La.-based Metro Aviation, which provides a range of completion services, last year agreed to purchase six of the variant and also was approved to sell the aircraft. The upgraded model, which has received both FAA and EASA certification, boosts useful load by up to 330 pounds, while keeping the 7,902-pound maximum takeoff weight of the EC145C2. The EC145 can be fitted to seat up to 11 passengers and is equipped with Garmin G500H avionics with the GTN 650 GPS/navcom. Metro Aviation additionally is seeking certification for a Genesys HeliSAS autopilot and dual-pilot IFR systems.
Honeywell downgrades five-year helo outlook by Chad Trautvetter Honeywell (Booth 4945) is taking a more cautious tone in its latest turbine-powered civil helicopter purchase outlook, which calls for 4,300 to 4,800 civil helicopters to be delivered from this year to 2020. This is some 400 helicopters fewer than in the company’s previous five-year forecast released 12 months ago, thanks to slower global economic growth and increased volatility in oil-andgas-related markets. “The current global economic situation is causing fleet managers to evaluate new helicopter purchases closely, and
plans, despite an economic slowdown in Brazil. Respondents in the region expressed strong fleet replacement and growth expectations that were well above the world average, with 36 percent saying they plan to purchase a replacement or additional helicopter. This is up 8 percentage points from last year’s survey, Honeywell said. In terms of projected regional demand for new helicopters, Latin America is now the second-highest hottest market, trailing only North America. Operators in this region favor light single heli-
region,” Honeywell said. European purchase plans decreased slightly, to 25 percent, with continued weakness in reported Russian buying plans. However, the sample of Russian operators responding to the survey was small, adding “some uncertainty” to the overall European results, the company noted. This region tends to favor light twins and light singles. Purchase plans in Asia Pacific were 16 percent, down 4 percentage points from last year’s survey. This is due to a gloomier outlook in China, where the economy is slowing and an antiluxury backlash has emerged due to the government’s crackdown on corruption. Charles Parks, Honeywell’s director of market analysis and author of the survey, told AIN that he is cautiously optimistic about helicopter purchase
z Whirly Girls Awards Record 28 Scholarships Whirly-Girls International, the non-profit charity dedicated to the advancement of women in the helicopter industry, has broken its previous record of scholarship support this year, awarding 28 scholarships at the organization’s annual awards banquet here at Heli-Expo Sunday night. The total eclipsed the previous record of 14, set last year during the charity’s 60th Diamond Anniversary at Heli-Expo in Orlando. Among the sponsoring companies are Agricultural Air Services, Air Evac Lifeteam, Airbus Helicopters, Aviation Specialties Unlimited, Bell Helicopter, Erickson, FlightSafety International, Robinson Helicopter, Survival Systems USA, Western Helicopters and HAI. Joining the ranks of supporting companies this year are Guidance Aviation, Bristow Group, Oregon Aero, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Antipodean Aviation. “It has truly been an incredible year, and we are so pleased with how quickly the scholarship program has grown,” said Colleen Chen, Whirly-Girls vice president of scholarships. “With the support and generosity of these amazing companies, our scholarship program has doubled in the last year. These scholarships can not only change the lives of the recipients, but also encourage other women to pursue careers in the helicopter industry.”
z Timberline Earns Restricted TC for Black Hawk Timberline Helicopters (Booth 12655) has earned a restrictedcategory FAA type certificate for the Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk. The process took 10 months. The aircraft will be utilized in multi-mission roles including firefighting, transmission/utility line construction, precision lift missions and other heavy-lift operations. Timberline also has a growing list of supplemental type certificates in the works for the Black Hawk. The helicopter has a lifting capacity of 8,000 pounds on the hook. Timberline’s Black Hawk–N434TH–is on display here at HeliExpo in Static Space 9. Timberline was founded in 2007 as an aerial logging operation and has expanded into a variety of precision aerial lift services. It also operates the Kaman K-Max helicopter.
Source: Honeywell
that’s why we’re seeing a more cautious five-year demand projection compared with previous years,” said Honeywell Aerospace defense and space president Carey Smith. Notably, the survey found that new helicopter purchase-plan rates in India and Brazil exceed the world average by a “wide margin.” While the survey showed new purchase-plan rates were stable, operators cited fewer total new model purchases over the five-year period. Make and model choices for new purchase decisions are most strongly influenced by range, cabin size, performance, technology upgrades and brand experience, according to the survey. By cabin size, light turbines are expected to account for 45 percent of deliveries over the forecast period; light twins, 26 percent; medium twins, 28 percent; and heavy, 1 percent. Looking at world regions, the survey indicated that Latin America leads all global regions in the rate of new aircraft purchase
30 HAI Convention News • March 2, 2016 • www.ainonline.com
copters (about 50 percent) and light twins (about 35 percent), with the balance being intermediate and medium twins. The Middle East and Africa has the second-highest new purchase rate among the regions in the survey, with up to 30 percent of respondents saying they are going to replace their helicopter(s) or add more. More than 60 percent of planned new helicopter purchases are intermediate and medium twin-engine models, according to Honeywell. In North America, purchase expectations fell two percentage points, to 15 percent, but still provide a “strong base of demand” for light single-engine (more than 60 percent) and intermediate or medium twins (nearly 25 percent). Still, “North American purchase plans are a significant component of the overall 2016 survey demand and help support global industry demand projections by virtue of the large fleet active in the
prospects in Iran, now that an international nuclear agreement is in force and sanctions are being lifted. However, the company did not survey any Iranian operators, so it does not have any concrete data to forecast demand in this country. o
AT THE BOOTHS Aviation safety audit group Argus International (Booth 8945) intends to acquire Unmanned Safety Institute (USI) of Orlando, Fla. The privately held institute focuses on safety training, certification and management for operators of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The transaction is expected to be completed by April. “Aligning ourselves with a recognized global leader in aviation safety such as Argus will allow USI to more quickly grow our service offerings, geographic reach and cross-over offerings to the rotary and fixed-wing industry, which is already adding UAS to their list of aviation assets,” stated USI president Aaron Greenwald. v
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