Rotor Torque

Specialist neo natal teams provided by the NSW Health Department are on constant standby to retrieve the children and carry them to any one of seven hospitals in Sydney and Newcastle where the specialised equipment and staff needed to ensure their survival is available. The helicopter carries sophisticated life support equipment together with a specialist doctor and nurse to provide treatment for the child while being transported, a factor which greatly increases their chance of full recovery.

Pilot for the operation is Dan Tyler. Plans are to upgrade the helicopter to a BK117 next year.

Additional sponsorship is being sought for the expensive operation particularly to ensure funds for the new helicopter which will greatly increase the operation’s efficiency.

It is currently being sponsored by Sydney Television Channel 7, Panasonic Australia, Nestle, St George Building Society, Country Road and Frantik Australia.

The MBB 80105 being used initially was imported from New Zealand where it was based in Wellington on rescue work. Following financial trouble in the NZ operation it was bought back to Australia. It was previously leased by the ill-fated National Safety Council of Australia.

The launch of the service at Darling Harbour’s Jordans Restaurant saw the first landing by a helicopter at the previous site of Sydney’s first heliport since the facility closed when development of the big tourist complex started several years ago. The Heliport was owned by Rupert Murdoch’s Channel 10 and was managed by the late Bob Wilson, Australia’s first civil helicopter pilot. It is a poor reflection on the efficiency of the state public service and deplorable political management of NSW that it has never been replaced.

Local Schweizer 300 Assembly

Masling Helicopters is set to carry out amuch larger amount of assembly work on its Schweizer 300s it imports as agent from the manufacturer which will enable the helicopters to be sold at a price cheaper than currently listed.

From next year the Cootamundra NSW based company will receive the three seat light helicopters in a ‘knocked down’ condition and complete their construction in Australia. This will have the effect of reducing the amount of high value US dollar content in their construction and having it replaced with the comparatively lower value Australian dollar work hours and accordingly reduce the cost of for the Australian user. The principal of Masling Helicopters, Mr Tony Masling, told Australian Aviation a final price has not yet been calculated for the Schweizer 300 but the aim is to make them competitive with the Robinson R22 on the local market. The helicopter is aimed at the cattle mustering market and will have a redesigned instru­ panel to give improved visibility while chasing cows. Engine instruments are to be repositioned to assist their viewing by the pilot in the high pressure low altitude flying involved in mustering.

All the aircraft involved in the local production will have the currently optional fuel tanks fitted as standard taking endurance to 4. 5 hours.

MDX Progress

Construction of the initial phase of the expanded light helicopter assembly facilities for the McDonnell Douglas MDX twin engined eight place helicopter is expected to commence this January at the Mesa, Arizona plant of the manufacturer.

The first phase of what will eventually be a 140,650 squarefoot, $US20 million complex of offices, production facilities, paint shop and mechanical equipment area will house administrative and engineering staff.

The facility will more than triple existing light helicopter production space. Also to be constructed is a 207,000 square foot ramp with space for 18 helicopters.

The MDX, for which Australia’s Hawker de Havilland is designing and building the fuselage and manufacturing the Notar tail boom, is scheduled to fly in July 1992. Deposits for 219 helicopters have been received since it was launched in January 1989. Masling Helicopters has options on 10.

The helicopter will be available with an option of either skids or a wheeled undercarriage. Target design gross weight is 5,400 pound with a cruise speed of 173mph

Media Jetranger for Bushfire Patrols

The NSW Bushfire Council has arranged to use the Bell 206 Jetranger of Sydney radio station 2UE for bushfire patrols this summer in the Sydney, Wollongong, Blue Mountains and Central Coast of NSW.

The helicopter, which is based at Sydney Airport and used for peak hour traffic radio reports, will take a trained observer over any outbreak of fire in bushland, especially in hot windy weather. Because of a prolonged period of heavy rain early in the year there is a great deal of undergrowth in many areas of the central coast which, when it dries out, will present a very high fire hazard.

The helicopter will be fitted with special infra-red equipment recently acquired by the Bush Fire Council which will enable the observer to see through thick smoke and pin-point the centre of the fire.

Six Monthly Hours Record Released

The aviation statistics for total hours flown by various category of general aviation aircraft in the six months to June 30, 1988, have recently been issued by the Department of Transport and Communications. Although very late they give an indication of the health of the industry in the period.

In the period a total of 92,000 hours were flown by 416 general aviation helicopters of all models. Single engine models, of which there were 365, flew 80,400 hours and completed 192,000 landings. Twin engined helicopters, of which there were 51 included in the total compilation, flew 12,200 hours with 30,600 landings.

Bell were the most active type with 1 81 single engine models included in the statistics. They flew a total of 41,800 hours with 88,200 landings. Twin engined Bells, of which there were 19, completed 4,400 hours with 9,900 landings. Aerospatiale single engine models, 21 were included which flew 4,600 hours and carried out 7,600 landings while twin engined Aerospatiale types flew 4,400 hours with 8,400 landings.

Second most common type were the Robinsons which recorded 15,800 hours in the six monthly period and carried out 44,400 landings.

First Navy Seahawk Deliveries

The Royal Australian Navy is working up with its first Sikorsky S-70-B2 Seahawk following the formal rollout of the first local assembled example at the RAN Naval Air station at Nowra in early October.

The helicopter, of which 16 are on order, will operate from the RAN’s six FFGs and is also capable of eventually operating from the ANZAC class frigates.

The helicopter underwent final assembly at Nowra with a team from Sikorsky in the USA following the collapse of the previous arrangement which would have seen the helicopters assembled by Hawker de Havilland at Bankstown, NSW.

The majority of the work on the first eight Seahawks was carried out in the USA with ASTA at Avalon, Victoria completing final manufacture and assembly on the second eight of the order.

The first ASTA completed Seahawk will be completed next August. Asta is also being awarded a contract to finalise work on the initial eight after they have been assembled at Nowra. Value of the contract for this additional work had not been disclosed at the rollout ceremony.

When the Seahawks finally enter operational service the RAN Westland Sea Kings will be shore based and used for choke point and coastal ASW operations.

Helicopter Accident Survey Released

The Bureau of Air Safety Survey of Helicopter Accidents 1969-1988 released at the recent Rotortech Convention contained some interesting facts about the nature of helicopter accidents in Australia. The survey examined the computer records of the accidents held by the Bureau which covered 459 helicopter accidents.

The statistics showed six out of every 10 accidents involved pilot factors including procedural problems, poor judgement, inadequate planning and poor decision making.

Engine failure caused the most number of accidents. More accidents occurred during aerial mustering than,any other type of helicopter activity though mustering also accounted for the greatest number of hours in any single category of operations. The accident rate in 1987 was 26. 4 accidents per 100,000 flying hours. Private flying is accounting for an increasing proportion of all accidents. The accident rate for private/business is now greater than it was in the 1970s. The most common type of occurrence leading to an accident is engine failure or malfunction and the majority of accidents were attributable to pilot factors.