Rotor Torque

Nrma Careflight 412hp Delivered

Sydney based NRMA Careflight has taken delivery of Australia’s most advanced aeromedical helicopter, a Bell 412HP. The 412HP replaces Careflight’s smaller 13 years old Aerospatiale SA 365C Dauphin. Features include capacity to carry two intensive care patients or up to four stretcher patients; a Critical Care medical equipment fit with triple power supply including 240v AC, medical oxygen and air and mobile intensive care units; a three person 90m rescue hoist; NiteSun searchlight; weather radar and integrated GPS navigation.

Compared with the Dauphin the 412 has greater range allowing improved coverage of rural NSW out to the Victorian and Queensland borders and as far west as Bourke and Balranald, plus a 110nm (200km) radius out to sea for search and rescue missions. The 412 is based at Careflight’s base at Westmead Hospital. The 412HP was purchased brand new from Australian Bell distributor, Brisbane based Helitech.

Ntsb Calls To Ground R22 & R44

The popular Robinson R22 and R44 light helicopters have come under renewed attack from the US’s National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB), the agency now recommending that they both be grounded. The recommendation is part of a report that studied four crashes in Germany and the USA last year that involved the death of nine people. Overall since 1979, the NTSB claims the popular R22 has been involved in 339 crashes, including 20 inflight break-ups where the main rotor is believed to have struck the fuselage. In Australia there has been eight fatal R22 crashes in the past five years.

Naturally Robinson again refutes the NTSB’s findings, saying that the R22’s accident rate is currently the lowest it has ever been, and that it has been on a steady decline for some time through improved pilot training and education. Although it seems unlikely that the FAA will move to ground the Robinsons, such a move would have major ramifications for helicopter operators worldwide. More than 2500 R22s have been built since the late 1970s and the type forms the backbone of many countries helicopter flying training industries. In Australia there are over 100 R22s and 12 R44s, the former in widespread use as a trainer and musterer.

Agusta Offers Improved A129 International

Agusta has test flown an improved development of its Mangusta attack helicopter which it intends to offer for a number of upcoming attack helicopter requirements, including Australia’s. The International development of the Mangusta features a number of improvements to enhance performance and payload, and improved avionics capabilities. The major change is the substitution of the Rolls-Royce Gem 1004 turboshafts with more modem and more powerful LHTEC T800s. The T800s output 30 to 40% more power over the operational range of the engines compared with the Gems, while the transmission rating has been increased to 1795shp (1340kW).

Further performance improvements are courtesy of a five bladed, instead of four, main rotor system. Performance improvements include a top speed of 150kt (280kmh) compared with the Mangusta’s 135kt (250kmh) and a 2360ft/min rate of climb, compared with 2000ft/min. The A 129 International’s armament has also been expanded to include a three barrelled M-197 20mm cannon mounted in a Martin Marietta/GIAT turret, plus TOW and Hellfire anti tank missile capability, Stinger air-to-air missiles and 70mm and 81mm rockets. Improvements to the avionics include FLIR and CCD television.

R22 Makes First Solo Helicopter Circumnavigation Of Australia

Dr Bill Richards has become the first person to solo circumnavigate Australia in a helicopter when he flew around the country in a Robinson R22 late last year. The 18,000km journey took 25 days and 111 flying hours. Dr Richards originally set off on the trip in May, but was forced to interrupt the journey in southern Victoria due to six days of furious gale force winds. Dr Richards travelled anticlockwise around the country encountering storms and heavy rain along the east coast and gale force winds along the southern coastline. While Dr Richards hoped the trip would be “a great holiday”, the flight itself became something of a major endurance test for both himself and the helicopter. Flying across the north he made a point of stopping every hour to avoid dehydrating and to rest, while he carried extra fuel in drums in the cockpit to allow refuelling in remote areas. Dr Richards said the helicopter performed flawlessly throughout the marathon flight.

Civil Eh101 Certificated

UK, Italian and US aviation authorities jointly awarded the two civil versions of the Anglo-Italian EH 101 certification on December 7. Certification covers the 30 seat Heliliner airliner version and the rear ramp equipped utility development. Westland optimistically predicts sales of 250 civil EH 101s as part of projected total EH 101 sales of 700. Thus far however only the Royal Navy has ordered the EH 101 with an order for 44 Merlin ASW variants. The Italian Navy hopes to order 16 ASW EH 101s, although recent defence funding cuts may prevent this.

Westland and Agusta are aggressively marketing the type to offshore oil rig support operators, where the type could be a replacement for the Sikorsky S-61 and the Aerospatiale/Eurocopter Super Puma. Now that certification has been awarded EH Industries hoped that the first civil orders would be placed during 1995, allowing first deliveries in 1996. As part of a maturity programme to prove operational maturity and to collate a database for potential operators, EH Industries is planning a 6000 hour flying programme using the two civil prototype aircraft built thus far. The programme would begin late this year, and part of it would involve operating an EH 101 in conjunction with a North Sea offshore helicopter operator under operational conditions.

Marines Look At Four Blades For Ah-1s & Uh-1ns

The US Marine Corp is studying fitting the advanced four bladed bearingless main rotor and dynamic systems developed for the AH-1W attack helicopters to its fleet of UH-1N Iroquois transports. Cuts in defence spending are forcing the Marine Corp to keep its UH-1Ns in service for a further two decades, spurring the study of four blade main rotor options to improve the type’s speed and payload. Previously the USMC intended fitting the UH-1Ns with the four bladed main rotor from the Bell 412, but it sees using the more advanced dynamic systems, including engines, transmission and main rotor developed for the AH-1W as more cost effective in the long term. The AH-1Ws themselves have yet to be fitted with the four bladed unit, as funding was transferred instead to a cockpit upgrade following combat experience during the Gulf War, but the move to so equip the UH-1Ns could bring forward plans to update the AH-1Ws. Bell has already competed a preliminary design study of the UH-1N upgrade. However, funding restrictions mean the earliest the conversions could occur would probably be after 2001.

R44 New Helicopter Sales Leader

For the first time in seven years the Robinson R22 is no longer the world’s top selling light helicopter. Instead 1994’s best selling light helicopter was the larger four seat R44. For the first three quarters of 1994 Robinson delivered 75 R44s, all to customers outside the USA (Robinson has not actively marketed the R44 in its home market to avoid product liability) and 67 R22s to US and overseas customers. Together the R22 and R44 accounted for 67% of the 209 civil helicopters delivered by US helicopter manufacturers in the first three quarters of 1994. The R44 has been selling well in Germany, the UK and Japan, while already 12 are registered in Australia.

Briefs

• The Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad has taken delivery of a replacement Bell JetRanger for the one crashed into Port Phillip Bay during night training exercises last year.

• Unmanned light helicopters are being used at a growing rate through Japan for crop spraying at small farms. In the 1991 fiscal year there were more than 100 rotary wing UAVs that sprayed close to 6500 acres. By the 1993 fiscal year 395 remote controlled small helicopters were used to spray 174,000 acres. Small unmanned helicopters are particularly suited to Japan’s small family farms, where the use of larger manned helicopters is less practical. Spraying UAV operators are now looking closely at adopting the concept for larger farms and some are studying equipping an R22 for unmanned spraying operations.

• Sydney based Pacific Flight Systems is the Australian distributor for the Italian single seat CH-7 Angel light helicopter. The 65hp (50kW) Rotax 582 powered CH-7 has a top speed of 75kt (140kmh), a cruising speed of 60kt (110kmh) and a range of 180nm (330km) range. The CH-7 will be sold in kit form for about $50,000.

• The fourth prototype Eurocopter Tiger, and the first to be fitted with the type’s active weapon system, flew for the first time on December 19 last year.

• An ex Navy UH-1C Iroquois has become the first helicopter in Australia to be placed on a pole for public display. Iroquois 894 was attached to a display pole at the Heathcote on the Princes Highway, on Sydney’s southern outskirts in mid December. 894 entered Fleet Air Arm service in 1964. After six years service it ditched in Jervis Bay, but it was salvaged and returned to operational use. Formally retired in 1985, the Iroquois was since on display with the Naval Aviation Museum at Nowra.

• Bell is confident that the Bell 430, the stretched four bladed development of the 230, is on schedule to be certificated for November this year, the same month when the first production 430 is due to be completed. The 430 made its first flight on October 25 last year.

• Sydney airport based Sydney Helicopter School has closed down. The company said increased insurance premiums made the costs of helicopter training prohibitive.

• Hindustan Aeronautics expects the Indian Air Force to order the indigenously developed Advanced Light Helicopter, allowing a production start in 1996 or 1997. The multi role ALH was developed with the assistance of Eurocopter Germany and is intended for service with India’s air force, navy and army. The ALH has suffered from criticism from India’s Public Accounts Committee that it has evolved into a multi role helicopter that the Indian military no longer really wants. The ALH’s development costs have also escalated 12 times from the original estimates to $US1.3bn.

• PZL-Swidnik hoped to fly its prototype SW-4 five seat light helicopter during January. The prototype is powered by a 475shp (335kW) Allison 250-C20R turboshaft, while production aircraft will later be offered the PW206 as an option. A twin engined development is also planned.

• The Snowy Mountains Authority has leased a Bell LongRanger for a six month trial period. The Bell will be used for dedicated helo operations for which the SMA has previously had to rent in equipment for, while also being used in the personnel transport role replacing its existing N22 Nomad. If the trial is successful it is most likely that the Nomad will be replaced by the LongRanger which in the long term is cheaper to operate and offers greater overall flexibility, particular during extended winter IMC operations when fixed wing movements are restricted.

• New Zealand has given approval in principle to spend $NZ200m on six helicopters for the forthcoming ANZAC frigates and to replace the Westland Wasps currently operating from two of the four Leander class frigates.

Japanese Indigenous Helicopter

The Kawasaki OH-X is Japan’s first indigenous helicopter. The Scout/light observation aircraft is being developed as a replacement for the Japanese Army’s OH-6s at a cost of approximately $A800m.

Md 630n Unveiled

McDonnell Douglas took the helicopter world by surprise by unveiling a flying prototype of its seven/eight place MD 630N at the HAI convention in Las Vegas in late January. MDHS only announced it was studying a stretched development of the MD 520N late last year but did not publicly announce the construction of a prototype. Specs include a MTOW of 1860kg (4100lb), a max cruising speed of 134kt (248kmh) and a range of 400nm (740km). According to Chris Wolff, General Manager of Australian and NZ distributor Flightline, the MD 630N “has the versatility to be used in a variety of different markets plus has the low noise, safety and control advantages of the NOTAR technology.”