Army grounds Tigers over cockpit fumes
The Army has grounded its fleet of Tiger Armed Reconnaissance Helicopters after a pilot detected fumes in the cockpit of one of the machines. Defence gave few details of the issue in a brief statement, saying only that all training flights had been suspended.... [Continue reading]
Maiden flight for AW169 prototype
The first prototype of AgustaWestland’s AW169 light multirole helicopter made its maiden flight on May 13 at the company’s Cascina Costa plant in Italy Launched at the Farnborough International Air Show in July 2010, the 4.5 tonne AW169 shares a common... [Continue reading]
New helo industry group launches amid “a lot of pressure points”
The Australian Helicopter Industry Association (AHIA) is being launched to give a voice to rotorcraft operators four years after the collapse of the Helicopter Association of Australia (HAA). Organisers say they hope to complete registration of the AHIA... [Continue reading]
CareFlight gets custom simulators
Queensland based RACQ CareFlight Rescue has taken delivery of a pair of custom built Bell 412 helicopter simulators. The simulators, built by Flight Simulators Asia Pacific in consultation with CareFlight, are specifically configured for air-medical evacuation... [Continue reading]
Perth Helitacs hit milestone
Perth based fire-fighting Squirrel helicopters dropped their 15,000th load of water during the summer bush fire season. The AS350 B3 Squirrels have been operated by HNZ Australia out of Perth Airport since 2005. Patrolling a 120km radius around the WA... [Continue reading]
Eurocopter hybrid wins design award ahead of US tour
The American Helicopter Society has given its top design award to Eurocopter’s X3 hybrid demonstrator. The presentation of the group’s Howard Hughes award comes as Eurocopter prepares a US tour for the unusual rotorcraft, which it hopes to market... [Continue reading]
Black Hawks cleared for full service
The Army’s Black Hawk helicopters have been cleared for full operations six days after being restricted to essential flights. The partial suspension followed the emergency landing of a Black Hawk on April 24 during preparations for Anzac Day commemorations... [Continue reading]
500th EC145 delivered
Eurocopter has delivered the 500th EC145 twin-engine helicopter, ten years after the first production EC145 was delivered in April 2002. The milestone 500th machine was handed over to Mexican company Transportes Aereos Pegaso at Eurocopter’s Donauworth,... [Continue reading]
Two dead in US Osprey crash
A US Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey has crashed during a training exercise in Morocco, killing two Marines. The US State Department confirmed the fatal crash but has so far released few details. The incident occurred during a bilateral training exercise known... [Continue reading]
OPINION – Bell 429 for RMI is clever marketing
Raytheon Australia’s replacement of its Agusta A109E Power helicopters it has operated since 2007 for the Navy’s Retention and Motivation Initiative (RMI) at Nowra with three new Bell 429s was a clever bit of marketing on the company’s behalf. Not... [Continue reading]
Navy’s RMI retires A109, prepares for 429
The RAN’s 723SQN retired its three Retention and Motivation Initiative (RMI) flight Agusta A109E Powers on March 9, in preparation for the arrival of its first new Bell 429s next month. The retirement ceremony was conducted after a flight around the... [Continue reading]
