Rotor Torque

In a sound business move,a courtesy car isnow provided to collect students from Bankstown railway station and return them after their lesson.

Eurocopter/Bae Defence Co-operation

BAe DefenceLtd and Eurocopter SA (the joint company set up by Aerospat1ale of France and MBB of Germany to combine their helic _ opter) have reached an agreement to investigate in detail the poss1b1hty of working together on future military programmes,which will be aimed atsatisfying MoD UK requirements.

The intention is to form a long term relationship which is not specifically geared to a single project. Eurocopter’s helicopter expertise combined with BAe Defence Ltd Systems and Services Division’s prime contractship experience will provide MoD with the ability to procure totally integrated systems from a single source. The consortium will be proposing the Eurocopter Tiger fitted with the Trigat missile as a contender to meet the UK Army’s requirement for an attack helicopter. Other MoD UK requirements to be considered include a Wessex/Puma replacement.

Dick Smith Plans Global Helicopter Flights

Australian aviator Dick Smith, who recently received the Helicopter Association International “Excellence in Communications Award” for his efforts in promoting the importance and contribution of the modern civil helicopter, is about to embark on a new adventure.

He has recently purchased a Sikorsky S-76 to use in an ambitious series of global helicopter flights in pursuit of documentary film making and environmental study. The flights are planned to carry Dick and his crew to remote places in every continent including Antarctica, over the next five years.

The S-76, formerly owned by the King of Jordan is registered VH-SHW after the famous adventurer, Sir HubertWilkins. The aircraft is presently being fitted with two new Allison 250-C30S engines and auxiliary fuel tanks to achieve a 1,000nm range. The cameras in the aircraft will be linked to the helicopter’s GPS to enable the exact position of each shot to be recorded. In a decade or so the areas can be rephotographed to record environmental changes.

The first leg of the five year adventure will be to New Zealand then island hopping to Pitcairn island, starting in April. Best of luck Dick! EMERGENCY HELICOPTER CHARGE INCREASES PUT

Lives at Risk

NRMA Careflight has expressed concern over the reduction in usage of its services following the State Government’s last August increase in hourly rates for hospitals transporting patients, from $2,600 to $3,800.

Careflight has reported that helicopters and staff were sitting idle while patients were transported by road, accompanied by doctors, with consequent risk to the patient and loss of valuable medical staff time. Use of the service has declined by at least one third with an even greater reduction in the use of the vital neo natal Child Flight facility. The government has denied that any patients have been adversely affected but is undertaking a review of all aspects of patient transportation, which is expected to be completed within the next two months.

Caa Licensing Shows Some Flexibility

The new multiple subject single exams have met with mixed a reception.

The flying schools are understood to be happy with the concept because the students have to retain the totality of the subjects studied rather than passing one subject and then often forgetting it while studying for the next. Exemptions to sit the old exams expired on March 31, but there were many enquiries (and complaints!) from those wanting to change over from fixed to rotary wing,to whom exemptions under the old system would have meant not having to resit Nav, Met,and Flight Rules.

Under the new system these people had to sit the lot in the single exam. To overcome the problem, Graeme Smith and Trevor Burns of the CAA, devised a new conversion exam to cover the situation. The computer will be re programmed to choose only those subjects that are relevant to the person sitting the exam. The conversion exam was planned to be available in mid April.

Well done the CAA for listening to the industry.

Townsend’s Helicopter Theory School Adapts to New Exam System

Townsend’s Helicopter Training School which is based at Roxton Park Airfield (NSW) reports that it has readily adapted to the recent change to “composite” examination format. This is due to the School’s philosophy of teaching each subject every day as opposed to concentrating on one subjectat a time. Since its inception four years ago under a Chief Ground Instructor, the theory school has stayed abreast of all changes that have been made to the CAA examination system. The school reports that with very small class sizes of a maximum off our persons, thorough house weekly testing and trial examinations, students emerge at the end of the eight week course with a very comprehensive knowledge of all helicopter subjects.

They are then ready to tackle the new “composite” commercial helicopter examination. Townsends has also been approved by the CAA to conduct the new “Examfax” examinations which commenced on April 1.

Glass Cockpit for Chinook?

Following international interest in an advanced Chinook, Boeing Helicopters is seeking proposals for an upgrade of the cockpit management systems.

The new cockpit would be in addition to new engines and four bladed rotors. The company is currently upgrading 446 US Army Chinooks to CH-47D standard plus 26 to an MH-47E configuration. The latter configuration has been developed for the special forces for long range, night, nap of the earth covert operations rather then cargo carrying. The CH-47D’s are being upgraded in blocks, the first of which will include a radar altimeter and a sand filter. The second block includes long range tanks, satellite navigation, improved fuel control and uprated engines.

The third block introduces four bladed rotors, advanced engines, and integrated digital avionics. The latter configuration would enable the Chinook to hover out of ground effect with a 25,800kg payload

Russian Helicopter Ejection Seat Details Released

Details ofthe K-37 Zvezda/Gay Severin lightweight ejection seat specially designed for the Hokum single seat combat helicopter have been released by the Kamov design bureau.

Following initiation of the ejection sequence by the pilot, the main rotor is blown off by explosive charges as is the canopy. The pilot is then tensioned in his seat which is brought into line with the rotor mast. The last stage of the ejection sequence then follows with the pilot being pulled out of the cockpit by a rocket pack which is installed over the top of his seat.

No details are available as to whether the seat has actually been tried!

Australian Helicopter Pilot Wins World Rescue Honour

John Hoad, chief pilot of NRMA’s Care Flight received the Helicopter Association International’s Golden Hour Award at a ceremony in Las Vegas last month in recognition of his outstanding rescue operation in May last year.

He is the first Australian to receive the award, which is sponsored by the MBB Helicopter Corporation, to recognise an air medical services helicopter pilot for “providing outstanding assistance in a specific emergency situation, thereby advancing the helicopter’s role in this life saving mission”.

The rescue involved flying the NRMA CareFlight helicopter 360 metres down to the bottom of Bungonia Gorge, near Goulburn, NSW, on the night ofMay 4, 1991, to rescue a man who had fallen 15 metres down a cliff sustaining severe head and back injuries. Ground rescue was an almost impossible task which it was considered the patient would not survive. After one abortive attempt, John Hoad successfully flew the helicopter down into the canyon using the nightsun searchlight to follow a spur leading to the scene. He then hovered 20 metres above the canyon floor with the rotor just metres from rocks on either side. In commenting on the rescue, John Hoad said “I’ve flown into valleys at night before, but never in such a narrow ravine in pitch black. The crew did a magnificent job in guiding me in and working with the ground party”.

The duty crew in the Dauphin helicopter for the rescue were rescue crewman Graeme Fromberg, Dr Gill Bishop and Ambulance SCAT paramedic Brian Deen. After on scene treatment, the patient went on to make a full recovery.

ABC Television Calls for Pilots

Early in March, the ABC called for expressions of interest for the provision of pilots and management services for their operations in Melbourne and Sydney.

A long standing contract presently exists with a helicopter company for the provision of these services. Of the 14 expressions of interest received, only six were invited to proceed to the tendering stage. This is a little surprising as there was no mention ofcosts at that stage. The aviation industry is wondering whether this was just a paper exercise by the ABC, as some of Australia’s most experienced helicopter operators were refused the opportunity to tender.

Tenders closed on March 25 with the helicopter community awaiting the outcome with interest.

World Speed Record for Dauphin

The new AS 365X Aerospatiale Dauphin was recently recorded flying at 200kts. The helicopter was built for experimental purposes to study high speed rotary wing flight. This is a class record, held before by the Sikorsky S-76 at a speed of 183kts in 1982. The Westland Lynx is still the fastest helicopter at 217kts.

Government Ownership Agencies Getting Out Of

With all State Government agencies under the cost cutting scalpel, the actual cost of owning their own helicopters is being examined very critically.

The Victoria Police Air Wing put its operation out to tender in March, calling for interested organisations to tender for wet or dry lease of rotary and fixed wing aircraft, with VicPol providing the crews. Similarly, the Queensland Bureau of Emergency Services is calling for offers to provide services based in Townsville. The NSW Polair helicopters now only fly as a response vehicle, and it is understood that the call must be approved from on high. Gone are the days of random patrols, so we wonder how many stolen/ dumped cars are being found now?

There have also been strong rumours in Sydney that the RTA would be looking to sell its Agusta 109 sometime in 1992, this would leave certain politicians without transport. Perhaps the Electricity Commission’s Agusta could pick up the trade

Greece to Purchase Sikorsky  Seahawk Helos

Greece is to purchase five Sikorsky S-70B-6 Seahawk Helicopters to be operated by the Hellenic Navy. An option exists for a further three aircraft.

Systems development, support equipment and training for aircrews and maintenance personnel is included in the deal. Greece now joins Australia,Japan and Spain as the fourth international operator of the Seahawk which was derived from the Black Hawk, which is now in service with 16 nations around the world.

Victorian Alps Passenger Transfer Operation

Melbourne based City Helicopters is the successful tenderer for the Alpine Resorts Commission licence to operate a passenger service from Melbourne to the Victorian Alpine region. The company uses a twin engine Agusta 109 in a single pilot IFR operation which is capable of carrying six passengers. The trip from Melbourne takes 40 minutes and to date there has been only one unscheduled overnight stay due to weather.

Russian Helicopter Airframes for UK Army?

British Aerospace is evaluating the Mil Mi-28 “Havoc” and the Kamov “Hokum” airframes as possible contenders for the UK Army’s future attack helicopter.

Much would depend on being able to fit Western designed integrated systems into the Russian airframes. BAe is keen to act as the prime integration contractor in a project of this nature having learnt from its failed bid for the EH 101 Merlin ASW helicopter project. BAe is understood to be keeping its options open including Eurocopter’s Tiger, Bell’s Super Cobra, and the Agusta Al29. However front runner for the UK attack helicopter remains the AH-64 Apache offered by the joint team of McDonnell Douglas and Westland Helicopters.