Rotor Torque

Until the move, which is expected to be completed in August, Polair are utilising temporary pads near Area Charlie at Sydney Airpot as their previous pads have been dug up as part of the FAC’s apron extension program at the eastern end of the domestic airpot area. (Peter Gamble)

Helicopter Base Relocations Within Sydney Airport

Helicopter operators choosing to remain at Kingsford Smith Airport are gradually relocating over to Ross Smith Avenue, on the far eastern perimeter of the airport’s precincts, adjacent to General Holmes Drive.

As is the case with Polair, FAC capital works have dictated the move. At present, it is uncertain whether operators will ever be able to return to a more central location once the apron extension works have been completed. It has been stated that the new apron will be stressed to take a 747, but it is anticipated that the likely users in the long term will be Compass, and any other new airline entrants. Those helicopter operators who haven’t established terminals in the newly designated area are opting to utilise the temporary pads in Area Charlie and arranging shuttle buses to and from the GA terminals in the vicinity. (PeterGamble)

Haa Holding Super Raffle

The Helicopter Association of Australia has announced the running of an art union raffle, with a very impressive first prize.

The HAA, which is sanctioned by the Australian helicopter industry to look after its future interests, is a non-profit organisation that relies primarily on membership and fund raising to undertake activities in several states. It has therefore announced the art union raffle, which should attract a great deal of interest with the following prize: around-the-world business class airfares for two flying Cathay Pacific and United Airlines; 2 nights accommodation at the Beverley Rodeo in Los Angeles, 3 at the Disneyworld Resort at Orlando, 3 at the Sheraton Centre in New York, 3 at the Le Grande Intercontinental in Paris, and two at Hong Kong’s Parklane Hotel; plus a four day cruise to Nassau and the Bahamas; plus a week’s car rental to drive the scenic route from Paris to Frankfurt; plus $2000 spending money.

All this for just $5 per ticket, available from Helicopter Assoc of Australia, PO Box 757, Artarmon, NSW 2064 or Ph (02) 906 2464, Fax (02) 439 6270.

Super-Team Members Facing Bleak Military Future

The loss of the US Army’s Light Helicopter (LH) contract to Boeing/Sikorsky leaves losing Super-Team members Bell Helicopter Textron and McDonnell Douglas Helicopter reliant mainly on commercial sales and current products for future business.

Though MOH remains optimistic about the prospects of additional AH-64 Apache export sales and Bell is pushing its V-22 Osprey tiltrotor very hard, analysts believe that only one of the two companies will remain in the military helicopter business in the long term. The winner should be the one which picks up the anticipated order for up to 1,100 light utility choppers to replace the US Army’s ageing Bell UH-1 Iroquois fleet. At present Bell is relying on its current order backlog – mainly from the oil exploration business – to ride the LH loss, and is pushing existing products hard. It has however been “milked for years as a cash cow” by parent company Textron with little funding been allocated to developing new products. It therefore presently relies on just three basic airframes for firm sales: the 206 (Jetranger and Longranger, OH-58D and 406 Combat Scout), the 212/412 family and the AH-1W SuperCobra. The new model 230 scheduled to fly this year is based on the model 222, which leaves the V-22 Osprey the only all new airframe, and its future is still not certain. The company holds firm orders for 81 OH-58Ds from the US Army and there are potential foreign orders; 41 AH-1Ws are on order for the USMC with plans tor another 72, Turkey has ordered five SuperCobras, and an AH-1W variant is now being pushed for the UK attack helicopter requirement however it is not considered a front runner against MDH’s Longbow Apache and the Eurocopter Tiger.

McDonnell Douglas Helicopter has at least developed new technologies such as the NOTAR (no tail rotor) system, which was partially developed with military funding, and this is appearing on new lines. The company presently holds a healthy 160 orders for the NOTAR MD520/530N, 90 MD500E/Fs and 270 deposits for the new MDX, the first of which will be delivered in 1995 presently relies on just three basic airframes for firm sales: the 206 (Jetranger and Longranger, OH-58D and 406 Combat Scout), the 212/412 family and the AH-1W SuperCobra. The new model 230 scheduled to fly this year is based on the model 222, which leaves the V-22 Osprey the only all new airframe, and its future is still not certain. The company holds firm orders for 81 OH-58Ds from the US Army and there are potential foreign orders; 41 AH-1Ws are on order for the USMC with plans for another 72, Turkey has ordered five SuperCobras, and an AH-1W variant is now being pushed for the UK attack helicopter requirement however it is not considered a front runner against MDH’s Longbow Apache and the Eurocopter Tiger.

McDonnell Douglas Helicopter has at least developed new technologies such as the NOTAR (no tail rotor) system, which was partially developed with military funding, and this is appearing on new lines. The company presently holds a healthy 160 orders for the NOTAR MD520/530N, 90 MD500E/Fs and 270 deposits for the new MDX, the first of which will be delivered in 1995

On the military side MOH holds orders for 172 more AH-64A Apaches and contracts for the remanufacture of 227 US Apaches to Longbow configuration. Twenty-four Apaches have recently been sold to Egypt, and an additional 500 Apaches could ultimately be sold to foreign air arms, including those of the UK and Middle East nations, which have shown renewed interest since the type’s undoubted success in the Gulf War