Paul Sadler
AuthorEx-US Army Black Hawks to be refurbished in Australia for firefighting operations
July 28, 2017 19 commentSikorsky Helitech, Kaan Air Australia and StarFlight Australia have signed an agreement to bring an initial 10 ex-US Army UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters into Australia to be refurbished for use locally in aerial firefighting, emergency services and disaster relief operations. Sikorsky Helitech will carry out the ‘as new’ condition refurbishments at its Pinkenba facility on
Read moreUK, Norway resume Super Puma operations
July 10, 2017 0 commentThe UK Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Civil Aviation Authority Norway announced on July 7 2017 plans to lift restrictions on all commercially operated UK and Norwegian registered H225LP and AS332L2 Super Puma helicopters following the global grounding that was imposed after a fatal accident involving the type in Norway in April 2016. Despite
Read moreBell’s 525 Relentless resumes flight testing
July 10, 2017 0 commentThe US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted Bell Helicopter an experimental certificate renewal on July 7 2017, allowing the helicopter manufacturer to resume its flight test program of the 525 Relentless super-medium helicopter. The return to flight came exactly one year and one day after Bell’s first Relentless prototype, N525TA, was destroyed when it came down
Read moreToll Helicopters donates Bell 212 engine to Aviation High School
June 27, 2017 4 commentToll Helicopters has donated a surplus Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6T turboshaft engine to Aviation High School in Brisbane as a hands-on training aid for students. The engine, previously installed in one of Toll Helicopter’s Bell 212s which was used for peace keeping missions in the Timor region and firefighting operations in Australia, was formally
Read moreApache test fires a laser beam
June 27, 2017 7 commentA high energy laser system mounted under the stub wing of a US Army AH-64E Apache has successfully acquired and hit a target during tests of the directed-energy weapon at the White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico. The laser firing, conducted by Raytheon with the US Army Apache Program Management Office and the US Special
Read moreMalaysia sets new rules for foreign helicopter pilots
June 23, 2017 3 commentForeign commercial helicopter pilots needing to operate in Malaysia must now undergo special training and hold set minimum flight hours before being allowed to fly in the country. Malaysia’s Department of Civil Aviation (DCA) announced the new measures in early June as part of safety recommendations made by Air Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) Malaysia following
Read more