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HELICOPTER LIFE Spring 2018
HELICOPTER
LIFE
HELICOPTER LIFE, Spring 2018
Spring 2018 £6.99 www.helicopterlife.com including gyroplanes
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HELICOPTER LIFE is the HIGH LIFE
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RAISING THE BAR
AVIATION INSURANCE BROKERS
HAY WARD AVIATION +44 (0)20 7902 7800 | www.haywards.net Hayward Aviation is a trading name of JLT Specialty Ltd. Authorised and Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. A member of the -DUGLQH /OR\G 7KRPSVRQ *URXS 5HJLVWHUHG 2IÄ FH 7KH 6W %RWROSK %XLOGLQJ +RXQGVGLWFK /RQGRQ (& $ $: 5HJLVWHUHG LQ (QJODQG 1R 9$7 1R Ĺ• 0DUFK Ĺ?
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SPRIng 2018
HELICOPTER
LIFE
COVER STORY
Flight Show & Tell Guide Aviation shows and conferences.
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The Editor’s Letter
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Aerial Forum GA Champion announced Letters to the Editor Flying Crackers
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Energy Needs & Sources New Technology looks at sources of energy including nuclear fusion
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ACC Lynx Farewell Peter R Foster Watches the AAC divest itself of assetts and ask how this will affect our security
HELICOPTER LIFE, Spring 2018
Air Zermatt Helicopters celebrate 50 years Georgina Hunter-Jones visits Zermatt helipad and sees how the area has benefitted from helicopters Love the Lama Malvina Nicca Flies the iconic lifting machine from Raron in Switzerland
World News Helicopter Life Helicopter happenings from around the planet
Aberdeen Airport Fun Run Helicopter Life CHC pilot Ryan Broadhurst organises a charity run
Viva Las Vegas Georgina Hunter-Jones sees how the HAI HeliExpo emphasis is on the newer technology leading to aerial transport and pushed by Uber Elevate and others
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Pilot Shortage University of North Dakota study shows how badly the world needs to train new pilots and mechanics HAI Highlights Alan Norris and others Picture this...
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46 50
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Book Review
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CAA Legislation changes
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Accident Reports
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Sustainability & Helicopters
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Show & Tell Guide 13 May - 20 May 2018 HELICOPTER SHOW Hradrec Kralove, Czech Republic
https://10times.com/helicopter-show
LIFE SPRIng 2018
The Future of Vertical Flight" Phoenix, Arizona, USA www.vtol.org/events/forum-74
HON. EDITORIAL BOARD The Lord Glenarthur, DL Jennifer Murray Michael J. H. Smith Malvina Nicca ATPL
14 June - 16 June 2018 HELI UK ExPO 2018 Booker Air Park, High Wycombe, Berkshire UK
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF / PILOT Georgina Hunter-Jones editor@helicopterlife.com
http://www.heliukexpo.com
CREATIVE DIRECTORS art@helicopterlife.com
WORLD HELICOPTER DAY
COPY EDITORS Gerald Cheyne, Jean Dubourcq CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Alan Norris, Malvina Nicca, Peter R Foster, Gerald Cheyne, Robert Petite, Jeffrey C Evans, Jim Schofield, John Phillips, Matthew Bolshaw
14 May - 17 May 2018
AHS 74 ANNUAL FORUm & DISPLAY
19 August 2018 World Helicopter Day aims to raise awareness of the contributions that helicopters make to our society and celebrate the diverse range of people that design, fly and support them. This is event which can be hosted by any helicopter operator, helicopter related company, association, organization, museum, pilot(s) or person(s) in any country around the world. www.worldhelicopterday.com 16 october - 18 october 2018 HELITECH INTERNATIONAL Amsterdam RAi, The Netherlands
http://www.helitechinternational.com 6 November - 8 November 2018 HELISHOW DUBAI 2018 Dubai South, Dubai UAE
http://www.dubaihelishow.com 13 November - 15 November 2018 INTERNATIONAL POWERED LIFT CONFERENCE Royal Aeronautical Society, London, UK
/www.aerosociety.com/events-calendar 4 March - 7 March 2019 HAI HELIExPO
Conference Centre, Atlanta, USA http://heliexpo.rotor.org/ 16 April - 18 April 2019 ROTORCRAFT ASIA
Changi Exhibition Centre, Singapore http://www.rotorcraft-asia.com/ 4
HELICOPTER
CONTRIBUTED PHOTOGRAPHY Peter R Foster, Gerald Cheyne, Alan Norris, John Phillips, Malvina Nicca SPECIAL THANKS TO Air Zermatt, Grant Shapps ADVERTISING Telephone: +44-(0)23-9263-1713, advertising@helicopterlife.com SUBSCRIPTIONS Go to our website or turn to page 60 subscriptions@helicopterlife.com WEBSITE www.helicopterlife.com Blog http://www.helicopterlife.blogspot.com See Helicopter Life on Facebook & Twitter
COVER PHOTOGRAPH Bell 505 at Las Vegas Conference Centre by Georgina Hunter-Jones Inset: Air Zermatt helicopters at the helipad at Zermatt HELiCoPTER LIFE is published quarterly by FlyFizzi Ltd. Pyers Croft, Compton, Chichester, West Sussex Po18 9EX Copyright © FlyFizzi Ltd. 2018. iSSN 1743-1042. All rights reserved. opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publishers, the Editor or any of the editorial staff. Reproduction in whole or in part, in any form whatever, is strictly prohibited without specific written permission of the Editor.
HELICOPTER LIFE, Spring 2018
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A
s i write my editorial in March i am surrounded by snow and freezing temperatures, cancelled helicopter flights and low oil in the tank (central heating not helicopter tank). i hope by the time this magazine arrives with the readers the Spring in the title will be justified. There are some positives already this year. Bell (notice now called Bell not Bell Helicopters, which they dropped in the rebranding) are making a big push with their new general aviation machines: the Bell 505 and the upgraded Bell 407GXi. There is an open day at White Waltham for those who would like to get up close and personal with the Bell 505 on 20th April. Come along and decide for yourself whether the helicopter is beautiful or ugly!
PhotograPh Courtesy of alan norris
Air Zermatt Air Zermatt was in the news in January when several villages in Switzerland were cut off and the Air Zermatt helicopters came to the rescue by shutting people between Stalen and Tásch. As some of their work includes
The ediTor’S leTTer added a section of Unmanned Aircraft (UA) accidents to the Accident Reports. This has been very illuminating so far as all the UAs featured hit cranes with extensive damage to themselves and none to anyone else. As i write this news has just come in of the first fatality caused by an unmanned car, which struck a woman wheeling a bicycle and killed her. The car was part of Uber’s research trials and i imagine this will change their strategy significantly, not least because there was, apparently, a person in the driving seat, even though the car was in fully automated function, so, presumably the human cannot over-ride the car. There will, no doubt, be much more on this topic to come. National Planning Policy Framework There is now underway a planning policy to completely rework the UK’s town and country building and planning strategy. The current open consultation will close on 10th may 2018. The ‘Draft revised National Planning Policy Framework’ can be found of the gov.uk website. The All Party Parliamentary Group on General Aviation (APPG), set up by The Right Hon Grant Shapps MP is helping to advise the government on
policy regarding General Aviation. Although they have expressed relief that GA is taken into account in the new draft document, they are still concerned about the future of GA. Chair of the 148-strong parliamentary group, Grant Shapps MP, said: “Whilst it’s great to have General Aviation recognised in the National Planning Policy Framework for the very first time, this won’t solve the problem of a diminishing airfield network. The APPG is asking all parts of the General Aviation community to back the proposed amendments by visiting: www.generalaviationappg.uk/nppf The whole process takes less than 60seconds, but could keep General Aviation vibrant for future generations.
heli-skiing i found this picture of early heliskiing, probably in the 1960s and using a Bell 47. Apparently as early as the 1950s helicopters were used in Alaska and Europe to access remote terrain, but the birth of heli-skiing as a commercial sport is attributed to Hans Gmoser in 1965. Unmanned Vehicle Accidents owing to the growing numbers of unmanned vehicles in the sky, the potential for many more and the anxiety about them expressed by some readers of this magazine, we have now HELICOPTER LIFE, Spring 2018
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AeriAl Forum gA Champion Announced Bryon Davies with the Aviation minister Baroness Sugg at Elstree Aerodrome for the launch of the GA Champion
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he GA Champion event took place at the ikaron Restaurant at Elstree Airport. Bryon Davies, who will be the GA Champion, was introduced by the Aviation Minister, Baroness Sugg. The Government has appointed Byron Davies as its first ever General Aviation Champion to help identify a network of UK aerodromes that are most important for non-scheduled flying to flourish. Baroness Sugg made the announcement in February while visiting Elstree Aerodrome to discuss the importance of private flying to the economy. Byron Davies will lead important research and engage with fliers to identify a network of strategically important airfields to help the general aviation sector develop. The new General Aviation Champion, who was the founding chairman of the General Aviation All Party Parliamentary Group, will deliver a report on the value of general aviation to the economy. He will also have the help of York Aviation, which has been commissioned by the government to carry out research on airfields of strategic significance. Establishing a strategic network of aerodromes will ensure a balance between transport and housing development priorities, protecting the general aviation sector’s contribution to the UK economy. Aviation Minister Baroness Sugg said: 6
“Smaller airfields and the pilots who use them contribute £3 billion to our economy and support more than 38,000 jobs, be that through business jet operations, flying schools or leisure flying. We want to preserve these benefits of General Aviation and ensure appropriate and proportionate protection for the significant parts of this network that underpin that contribution. “Byron brings both passion and expertise to the role and i am confident he will work closely with fliers and researchers to shape the future of the general aviation network within the UK.” Byron Davies will work with commercial, business and leisure fliers to understand how their activity contributes to the sector. Commenting on his appointment as General Aviation Champion, Byron Davies said: “This is an exciting opportunity for general aviation and i’m delighted to have been asked to undertake this piece of work. “The sector makes a major contribution to the economy and it’s only right that its voice is heard at all levels of government. “i look forward very much to engaging with the aviation community over the coming months.” The General Aviation Champion has been appointed HELICOPTER LIFE, Spring 2018
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for 12 months and will gather evidence of the sector’s value to the economy and the need for a protected network of airfields. Public Terms of Reference for GA Champion General Aviation has played an important part in the valuable aviation economic eco-system. Many of today’s pilots, aircrew and engineers first came into contact and were inspired by the sector through general aviation leisure activities. At the other end of the wide general aviation spectrum the business aviation sector ensures high value individuals are able to access the destinations they need to quickly and efficiently go about their business. Business which delivers high economic value to the UK. Across the spectrum of general aviation activity research has indicated that the sector delivers in excess of £3bn of added economic value to the UK annually, supporting in excess of 38,000 jobs.
As we seek to develop the UK’s aviation sector it will be important to ensure that we balance the economic contribution of the General Aviation sector with housing and commercial priorities, and that we identify exactly how this contribution is delivered, and what constitutes the critical infrastructure that is necessary to deliver them. The General Aviation Champion will have two roles, one to help Government develop an understanding of these issues and the other to engage with stakeholders to ensure that understanding is grounded in the knowledge and experience of the sector. The champion will steer research into the value of the sector to the economy with the aim of providing evidence to underpin the identification and protection of a strategic network of airfields critical to the long term delivery of the sector’s economic benefit.
Who is Bryon Davies?
Who is Baroness Sugg? Baroness Sugg CBE was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport on 27 october 2017. She was a Government Whip (Baroness in Waiting) from 15 June 2017. Baroness Sugg became a Conservative life peer on 30 August 2016. Career outside politics Baroness Sugg previously served as Director of operations and Campaigns at Downing Street under David Cameron. She was appointed a Commander of the order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 Dissolution Honours. Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Transport. The minister is responsible for: aviation, transport security, international, EU and EU exit legislation in the Lords, corporate and civil contingencies HELICOPTER LIFE, Spring 2018
in September 2017 Byron was elected Leader of the Welsh Conservative Party, previously serving as a member of National Assembly for Wales from 2011 to 2015. Byron was elected Member of Parliament for Gower at the 2015 general election. He served on the Home and Welsh Affairs Committees and the Armed Forces Bill Committee. Byron was the founding Chair of the General Aviation All Party Parliamentary Group while an MP. Byron also served in the Metropolitan Police, where he was seconded for a number of years on the UK National Crime Squad. During him time with the police, he was seconded to the European Union as an advisor on combating organised crime. He spent several years living and working in Eastern Europe helping to prepare EU candidate countries for accession. He is the author of European Union Commission progress reports for several countries in the Balkan region, prior to election to the Assembly continued this work as an independent advisor. Byron was born and raised in Gower, educated at Knelston County Primary School and Gowerton Boys’ Grammar School and has an honours degree in Law. He is married to Gill and they have one son. 7
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Schweizer comes home Sikorsky, in a memorandum to all Schweizer owners, has said that they are “announcing today an agreement to sell these helicopter lines to Schweizer RSG, an affiliate of Rotorcraft Services Group (RSG) in Fort Worth, Texas. The agreement includes a transition period in which Sikorsky will support Schweizer RSG as it transitions the acquired assets into its own facilities. We also will complete and deliver the aircraft we’ve already sold to customers and will fulfill existing engineering improvement projects.” This should be good news for S300 owners, but only time will tell. However, RSG as a smaller and more dedicated company should give owners what they need.
Marenco changes its name Kopter is the new name, which the company says, is modern and has a particularly German Swiss emphasis. The company had been seeking a new name since its founder Martin Stucki left the business in December 2016; it had been referring to itself as MSH in the interim in addition to becoming Kopter, the manufacturer has also inaugurated a purpose-built 4,200m² final assembly facility in Mollis. Kopter has also ditched ‘SKYe’ from the name of its developmental 2.5t single-engine helicopter, while retaining SH09 from the original branding.
Airbus ends EC120 Production Last September, Airbus Helicopters ended production of the light singleengine EC120 (now knowns as the H120) Colibri. The reason, the company explained, is years of stagnating deliveries and the competition of less 8
President of the Turkish FAi Member Türk Hava Kurumu (THK), and Frits Brink, President of the FAi, in Lausanne, Switzerland. Scheduled for September 2020, the Games will take place in some of the most iconic locations in Turkey, with the event split between Ankara, Cabri G2 Horsepower Boost Antalya, Eskisehir, Efes/Selcuk, ÖlüThe Guimbal Cabri G2 has now deniz/Fethiye & Pammukale/Honaz. been approved by the FAA for use The spectacular opening Ceremony with additional horsepower. The will take place in Turkey’s cosmopolFAA approved Service Bulletin 17itan capital city Ankara, while the 009 increases the allowable horseClosing Ceremony will be in the poppower pilots can get from the Cabri ular tourist destination of Antalya. G2’s Lycoming 0360-J2A engine from 145 tp 160 hp. This is, the company say: “without any negative implications to operating costs of additional inspections.” The boost will provide Cabri pilots with an increased safety margin. More than 200 Cabris have now been delivered. expensive light singles such as the Robinson R66. The company will now focus on high end singles such as the EC130 (H130) . The aircraft has had more than 700 deliveries since it entered service in 1998.
Tilting Further Bell V-280 Valor Bell Helicopter has successfully tilted is V-280 Valor pylons from 95 to 75 degrees. This range permits greater hover and low speed agility. Bell also said it is considering adapting the V-280 for autonomous flight with the next year.
V-22 400,000 Hours The V-22 osprey tiltrotor aircraft has passed 400,000 hours in flight. The V-22 is operated by the US Marine Corps and the US Air Force Special operations Command, and is used worldwide. it was introduced in April 2007.
Turkey Hosting 2020 FAI Games Turkey will be the official host country for the FAi World Air Games 2020, according to a contract signed yesterday by Kursat Atilgan,
Elbit Systems Heli-ClearVision, the rotary-wing version of the unique Clearvision™ fixed-wing suite, has been selected by Leonardo Helicopters to be installed on the company’s commercial helicopters. The suite allows helicopter pilots to perform flights in low visibility conditions, previously considered as challenging and risky. The Heli-ClearVision rotarywing concept includes the Skylens™, Skyvis™ and HeliEVS™ systems. This cuttingedge suite has already been successfully demonstrated onboard various types of helicopter platforms. HELICOPTER LIFE, Spring 2018
PhotograPh elbit systems
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FlyinG 100 Years of RAF A multi-million-pound transformation of the RAF Museum’s London home will welcome visitors to discover a new green heart of the community in Colindale, North West London, reflecting the historic RAF Hendon airfield. The newly landscaped site includes outdoor picnic areas, children’s playground, restaurant, visitor car parking, and fully accessible pathways. Two new, innovative galleries will explore the first 100 years of the RAF, its roles today and invite visitors to imagine its future contribution and technology. A third new exhibition will focus on the story of the RAF from the Falklands Conflict of the early 80’s to current operations.
Autonomous Snowploughs at Airport Snowploughs at airports may soon be autonomous. For the first time, autonomous snowploughs, 20 metres long and 5.5 metres wide, have cleared snow from a runway. This project, which is known as Yeti
CrACkerS
sented for the first time when they were deployed at Fagernes Airport in Leirin, Norway, 200 kilometres north of oslo. This project has been developed by Yeti Snow Technology, co-owned by Semcon and Øveraasen, for Norwegian airport operator Avinor. The snowploughs have enough capacity to clear an area of 357,500 square metres an hour. one unique feature of these autonomous vehicles is that they can clear snow in formation, several vehicles working together, and with the same outstanding precision no matter the weather. Semcon in Norway is contributing its expertise to the project, working with complex real-time systems and autonomous technology. “We have designed a control system that sets up digital patterns for autonomous snow clearance at airports. The system can then download these patterns and monitor a number of vehicles that navigate using RTK GPS, an accurate form of position measurement, and communicate using 4G modems,” explains John Emil Halden, Semcon project manager.
Bear Paws for B505 DART Aerospace has recently announced Transport Canada certification of its Bell 505 Bearpaws. By far the lightest option available on the market for the 505 (as much as 35% lighter than competition), this Bearpaw kit is the ideal solution for operators performing landings on soft and uneven terrains. With the Bell 505 being the 30th aircraft model for which DART has designed and STC’ed a bearpaw, DART continues to secure its position as the leading supplier of such equipment.These Canadian designed and built Bearpaws are now available for purchase and are offered with very short lead times. Approvals from other regulatory authorities will follow shortly.
and uses technology developed by Semcon, aims to increase efficiency and reduce delays at airports. Clearing snow at airports is absolutely crucial. Takeoff and landing runways must be completely clear of snow if flights are to depart and land on time. At present, airports always need to be prepared and have staff on standby who can clear snow whenever they are needed. Problems with snow also result in many delays and stranded passengers every year on 19 March, self-driving snowploughs were preHELICOPTER LIFE, Spring 2018
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leTTerS
To The
ediTor
To send a letter to the editor, please email: editor@helicopterlife.com
Drones Dear Georgina, i was interested in your article on Drones in the Winter Helicopter Life. Reg Austin wanted to developed them and eventually left Westland and went to ML Aviation with Wideye. The torpedo and sonobuoy carrying drone the American Navy Dash had a very very high loss rate. Because of un-reliable electronics The Engineers and designers from Weston lead by Hafner did not get on at Westland while those of us from Fairy’s under Dr Histop did slowly take over the main technical area. Both our projects had been cancelled the Bristol Twin rotor and the Rotodyne in the Government rationalisation. Have you read the book Swarm Troopers by David Hambing it defines why the drone has suddenly come into its own with reliable miniature electronics and better batteries? Regards Jim Schofield.
Spot the Odditiy Dear Georgina, The first photo i took was back at the 2011 Yeovilton Air Day showing a Sea King HU.5 but as you can see it doesn't blend in so well as the camouflaged H/C's. The Merlin i took at the 2012 Air Day. Lastly the italian Air Force AW149 was at Yeovilton in 2015. i've included both photo's of it as one is a bit dark but shows some nice clouds whereas in the second one the sky is a bit on the bright side. i've slipped a couple of extra ones in as well to show the radar tower. i just love quirky photo's as well. When Fleetlands had their open days way back, i remember a Chinook having a window box beneath one window complete with curtains but for some reason i didn't take a photo of it, more's the pity. There was always some joker changing the serial numbers on the planning boards just to confuse the spotters. i do have a photo' somewhere of an Army Lynx complete with a mock-up cannon on top of the nose! All great stuff. Some of the enthusiasts were always moaning but i absolutely loved it. Hope you have a giggle, John Phillips. 10
HELICOPTER LIFE, Spring 2018